I’ve made no secret that I focus a lot on Church history. I believe that history is really important in general but since I blog about religion, it makes sense that Church history is brought into account. I also think it’s a great polemic against Islam. Islam clearly makes historical claims about Jesus Christ and the early Christians that cannot be meshed with confirmed history. Aside from Muslims though, it’s a good tool against the cults. If one knows history then the “Great Apostasy” card can no longer be played. I once asked some LDS missionaries why Joseph Smith needed to restore the Church. Their response was the Council of Nicaea. I then challenged them if the Gospel was readily available prior to the Council. They were in a hurry at that point.
The first book which is not part of the five is the Book of Acts in the New Testament. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the Church had to get to work. We read about the rocky but fruitful beginnings in this book. The best thing about this work is that it’s easy to find, being in the pages of the New Testament itself.
So here are the five church history books to get started. First of all, Eusebius of Caesarea is a must. He’s the only Church historian who wrote about the entire pre-Nicene period. This may seem like a problem having only one source but what he says can often be confirmed by several Church fathers of the pre-Nicene period.
The next period of the Church is from the Council of Nicaea to about a hundred years after that. We have three historians in this period; they are Theodoret, Socrates and Sozomen. These histories cover the Arian controversy which happened right after the council of Nicaea and lasted for about half a century. These histories chronicle that period and the fact that we have multiple accounts is helpful. Now, none of these histories make it to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. Like I said, this is just the first round of books one needs to get started. Besides, I think the Arian controversy is a more important episode in history.
The last book is Bede’s history of the English Church. This may seem like an odd recommendation because it’s the history of one particular region. Keep in mind that England wasn’t a big player in the first millennium but it was a huge player in the second millennium. The English Church has probably had more lies told about it than any other Church in history so this book would be good for dispelling myths.
So anyway, that is where you should get started. It’s not a complete list but it’s where one needs to begin. Start with Acts and get going! It’s a wild ride!
Re : “If one knows history then the “Great Apostasy” card can no longer be played”
This is true if you mean “Great Apostasy” in the Protestant sense, on the other hand there is an orthodox notion of “Great Apostasy” contained in John 17:12, 2 Thess 2:3, the Book of Revelation etc and developed by the Fathers.