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Books Related to The Church in Ancient Society Henry Chadwick - ISBN: 0199265771
The essential cornerstone for the church historian - Rated
As a practicing Christian and an amateur church historian myself, I found this book to be an absolutely essential part of my library. It's exceptionally readable, and whilst the facts, names and dates are coming at you thick and fast, Chadwick has a thoroughly enjoyable style (which is present in all his writings) which, at points, can even make you smirk as he relates some of the more drole anecdotes transmitted by ancient writers, such as when Augustine of Hippo complained to a congregant who sold his wife into slavery, only to to have the man reply simply that he preferred the money.
That said, this is not a book to read for entertainment, but education. It's divided up in such a way that is primarily chronological, but adjascent chapters always relate to each other in some way. This also makes it very easy to use as a reference book - and after you've read it through once, that's probably what you'll mainly keep it for. There are some helpful resources in the back, such a lists of bishops of important churches, and a fairly comprehensive index.
Chadwick is a delightfully impartial writer as well, so you won't find the theological prejudices of less scholarly writers on the subject. He is also thorough in pointing out where other scholars' conclusions differ from his own - usually in the footnotes - and gives tons of references to other relevent works.
If the 700 pages of this book seems a bit daunting, try Chadwick's "The Early Church".
