Then he must be in thorough sympathy with his subject, and enthusiastically devoted thereto.
As no one can interpret a poet without poetic feeling and taste, or a philosopher without speculative
talent, so no one can rightly comprehend and exhibit the history of Christianity without a Christian
spirit. An unbeliever could produce only a repulsive caricature, or at best a lifeless statue. The
higher the historian stands on Christian ground, the larger is his horizon, and the more full and clear
his view of single regions below, and of their mutual bearings. Even error can be fairly seen only
from the position of truth. "Verum est index sui et falsi." Christianity is the absolute truth, which,
like the sun, both reveals itself and enlightens all that is dark. Church history, like the Bible, is its
own best interpreter.
So far as the historian combines these three qualifications, he fulfils his office. In this life
we can, of course, only distantly approach perfection in this or in any other branch of study. Absolute
success would require infallibility; and this is denied to mortal man. It is the exclusive privilege of
the Divine mind to see the end from the beginning, and to view events from all sides and in all their
bearings; while the human mind can only take up things consecutively and view them partially or
in fragments.
The full solution of the mysteries of history is reserved for that heavenly state, when we
shall see no longer through a gloss darkly, but face to face, and shall survey the developments of
time from the heights of eternity. What St. Augustine so aptly says of the mutual relation of the
Old and New Testament, "Novum Testamentum in Vetere latet, Vetus in Novo patet," may be applied
also to the relation of this world and the world to come. The history of the church militant is but a
type and a prophecy of the triumphant kingdom of God in heaven—a prophecy which will be
perfectly understood only in the light of its fulfilment.§ 7. Literature of Church History.
Stäudlin: Geschichte u. Literatur der K. Geschichte. Hann. 1827.
J. G. Dowling: An Introduction to the Critical Study of Eccles. History. London, 1838. Quoted
p. 1. The work is chiefly an account of the ecclesiastical historians. pp. 1–212.
F. C. Baur: Die Epochen der kirchlichen Geschichtschreibung. Tüb. 1852.
Philip Schaff: Introduction to History of the Apost. Church (N. York, 1853), pp. 51–134.
Engelhardt: Uebersicht der kirchengeschichtlichen Literatur vom Jahre 1825–1850. In Niedner’s
"Zeitschrift für historische Theologie," 1851.
G. Uhlhorn: Die kirchenhist. Arbeiten von 1851–1860. In Niedner’s "Zeitschrift für histor.
Theologie," for 1866, Gotha, pp. 3–160. The same: Die ältere Kirchengesch. in ihren
neueren Darstellungen. In "Jahrbücher für deutsche Theol." Vol. II. 648 sqq.
Brieger’s"Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte" (begun in 1877 and published in Gotha) contains
bibliographical articles of Ad. Harnack, Möller, and others, on the latest literature.
Ch. K. Adams: A Manual of Historical Literature. N. York, 3d ed. 1888.
Like every other science and art, church historiography has a history of development toward
its true perfection. This history exhibits not only a continual growth of material, but also a gradual,
though sometimes long interrupted, improvement of method, from the mere collection of names
and dates in a Christian chronicle, to critical research and discrimination, pragmatic reference to
causes and motives, scientific command of material, philosophical generalization, and artisticA.D. 1-100.