Manual of Universal Church History

learly into view in the course of her history; and hence the universal history of the church should be the history of Christianity itself. The object, therefore, of universal church history is to trace the action and influence of the Church under all her various attitudes, in every age and country, and to show that her whole course is steadily directed to one definite end, (truvTE/.sia ruv o/.wv) the honor and glory of God. For this purpose, such events are selected as have a wide scope and lasting influence. Particular church history, on the contrary, is limited to one of the various branches of general church history; such as the spread of Christianity, the constitution of the Church, heresies, liturgy, and discipline; or takes up single countries and distinct periods: thus we have a church history of the first three centuries, of the Middle Ages, of modern times, and of Italy, France, Spain, etc. CHAPTER H. METHOD OF WRITING CHURCH HISTORY. Soubces Of Information.?Lcebell, on the Different Historical Epochs and their Relations to Poetry, Mystic-epic Period, Transition Period, Herodotus and Thucydides, the Greeks and Romans, the Middle Ages, Modern Classic School, Gibbon and John von Muller. The Nineteenth Century.?Fr. . Raumer, Historical Manual, 1841. W. v. Humboldt, The Scope of History. § 6. Qualities liaising History to the Rank of a Science. Church history, like all history whatever, should be the result of truly scientific research, and ...