H. P. C. Henke (d. 1809) is the leading representative of the rationalistic church
historiography, which ignores Christ in history. In his spirited and able Allgemeine Geschichte der
christlichen Kirche, continued by Vater (Braunschweig, 1788–1820, 9 vols.), the church appears
not as the temple of God on earth, but as a great infirmary and bedlam.
August Neander. (Professor of Church History in Berlin, d. 1850), the "father of modern
church history," a child in spirit, a giant in learning, and a saint in piety, led back the study of history
from the dry heath of rationalism to the fresh fountain of divine life in Christ, and made it a grand
source of edification as well as instruction for readers of every creed. His General History of the
Christian Religion and Church begins after the apostolic age (which he treated in a separate work),
and comes down to the Council of Basle in 1430, the continuation being interrupted by his death.^27
It is distinguished for thorough and conscientious use of the sources, critical research, ingenious
combination, tender love of truth and justice, evangelical catholicity, hearty piety, and by masterly
analysis of the doctrinal systems and the subjective Christian life of men of God in past ages. The
edifying character is not introduced from without, but naturally grows out of his conception of
church history, viewed as a continuous revelation of Christ’s presence and power in humanity, and
as an illustration of the parable of the leaven which gradually pervades and transforms the whole
lump. The political and artistic sections, and the outward machinery of history, were not congenial
to the humble, guileless simplicity of Neander. His style is monotonous, involved, and diffuse, but
unpretending, natural, and warmed by a genial glow of sympathy and enthusiasm. It illustrates his
motto: Pectus est quod theologum facit.
Torrey’s excellent translation (Rose translated only the first three centuries), published in
Boston, Edinburgh, and London, in multiplied editions, has given Neander’s immortal work even
a much larger circulation in England and America than it has in Germany itself.
Besides this general history, Neander’s indefatigable industry produced also special works
on the Life of Christ (1837, 4th ed. 1845), the Apostolic Age (1832, 4th ed. 1842, translated by J.
E. Ryland, Edinburgh, 1842, and again by E. G. Robinson, N. York, 1865), Memorials of Christian
Life (1823, 3d ed. 1845, 3 vols.), the Gnostic Heresies (1818), and biographies of representative
characters, as Julian the Apostate (1812), St. Bernard (1813, 2d ed. 1848), St. Chrysostom (1822,
3d ed. 1848), and Tertullian (1825, 2d ed. 1849). His History a Christian Doctrines was published
after his death by Jacobi (1855), and translated by J. E. Ryland (Lond., 1858).^28
From J. C. L. Gieseler (Professor of Church History in Göttingen, d. 1854), a profoundly
learned, acute, calm, impartial, conscientious, but cold and dry scholar, we have a Textbook of
Church Historyfrom the birth of Christ to 1854.^29 He takes Tillemont’s method of giving the history
in the very words of the sources; only he does not form the text from them, but throws them into(^27) Allgemeine Geschichte der christlichen Religion und Kirche. Hamburg, 1825-’52, 11 parts; 3d ed. 1856, in 4 large vols.,
with an excellent introduction by Dr. Ullmann. The translation of Prof. Joseph Torrey (of Burlington, Vt., d. 1867) was published
in Boston in 5 vols., 12th ed., 1881, with a model Index of 239 pages.
(^28) I have given a fuller account of the life and writings of Neander, my beloved teacher, in my "Kirchenfreund" for 1851, pp.
20 sqq. and 283 sqq and in Aug. Neander, Erinnerungen, Gotha, 1886 (76 pp.). Comp. also Harnack’s oration at the centennial
of Neander’s birth, Berlin, Jan 17, 1889, and A. Wiegand, Aug. Neander, Erfurt, 1889.
(^29) Lehrbuch der Kirchengeschichte. Bonn, 1824-’56 (4th ed. 1844 sqq.), in 5 volumes, the last two published from his lectures
after his death by Redepenning. Translated into English first by Cunningham, in Philadelphia, 1840 then by Davidson and Hull,
in England, and last and best, on the basis of the former, by Henry B. Smith, New York (Harpers), in 5 vols., 1857-1880. The
fifth and last volume of this edition was completed after Dr. Smith’s death (1877) by Prof. Stearns and Miss Mary A. Robinson,
with an introductory notice by Philip Schaff. Gieseler’s Dogmengeschichte appeared separately in 1855.
A.D. 1-100.