I have always loved reading Schaff as well. He is firmly rooted in that historical-critical mold that characterized his time. He started with a 3 volume history published in 1867, and this was expanded to 8 volumes starting in 1882, with the definitive edition that everyone reprints being published 1907-1910. ChristianBooks currently has it on sale for US $99. However, like R H Charles, he was also a product of his day.
If you want more background info on the Judaism of the time that the early Church developed, you might want to also check out Emil Schuerer's
History of the Jewish People, which received a major revision starting in the 1980s. You can find the original edition of the English Translation available as a reasonable priced reprint, but for some reason the latest revised edition (4 volumes, i, ii, iii1 & iii2) of the English translation of Schuerer is hard to find and getting awfully expensive. Even so, I found the revised edition to be excellent. Libraries will have it, though.
DCH
Hello!
I am trying to follow-up on some problems in the translation of the texts of the Gospels, pointed-out by author Bart D. Ehrman, in his book "Misquoting Jesus", which I am sure most of you here, are familiar with.
Anyway, this little "rabbit trail" I am following, means I have to study the history of the early church, in the first 100-450 years, CE.
I have & read Eusibius history, and others works from much later historians, but am finding "The History of the Christian Church" by Phillip Schaff, to be much easier reading and much more detail. He seems very thorough.
My question is: how accurate do you think Schaff was/is, historically? Particularly, of the earliest church era, (IE: 40 - 325 CE, or so?)
I realize there was not the archeological discoveries when he wrote, that we have today, that we utilize and depend upon, to compare older written histories against.
IF Schaff isn't as well trusted as others church history works; would you be willing to tell me what early church historian works, written in English, I could turn too, that are more accurate?
Thank you!
Gary
