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Average Customer Rating:

Seller did not send book	Customer Rating:
Despite a number of e-mails, the seller never bothered to either send the book or provide a refund. He just took the money. Don't buy through him. Had I checked the references before purchase, I would not have bought from him either! At least two of us were taken. Next time, I'll check the references first!

Some Observations

Customer Rating:

I agree with other reviewers that this is an indispensable volume for anyone studying the history of Christianity. Also, the use of primary sources, which is a hallmark of the classical school movement, allows you to examine the actual words of a document rather than having it filtered through someone else's point of view. I realize not every document could be included, but I was disappointed that Urban II's speech calling for the Crusades was not included as it has relevance to world politics today. Also, some longer works, such as The Rule of St. Benedict, have been ellipted so one must still look elsewhere to get the complete work. Still, this is a fabulous, reasonably priced volume to have at hand.

Books-Documents of the Christian Church	Customer Rating:
Just what I was looking for. It's a valuable resource.

detailed reference	Customer Rating:
This book is a good "topic reference" book. It is compiled of many original source writings. It is used in my seminary history class to supplement the main history text. A very good source for many topics.

Sometimes A Little Too Broad

Customer Rating:

This is a nice text covering a very broad range of writings. Some of the documents included are from Church councils, some from theologians, creeds, theological works, confessions, inter-faith dialogues, etc. Therefore, the reader gets a wide variety of readings and documents. However, this `broadness' is also the weakness of this text. At times, it is a little too broad, including things that perhaps are not in the pale of orthodoxy. For instance, Feminist theological writings, the writings of Matthew Fox, certain writings on homosexuality, etc. seem to fall into this too `broadness' category. Albeit, these writings are interesting to read, and do add variety to the work, discernment is needed when reading them. The overall idea of this work is great. To compile a historical collection of documents throughout Church history is a good idea, giving the reader a type of `one stop' place to get a taste of Christian History through documents. Moreover, the broad range allows the reader to get a small glimpse of what was taking place at the time of these works (e.g. understanding what issues and doctrines were a concern). If you are interested in Church History, Church writings/documents, theology, apologetics, Christianity, then this is a great edition to add to your library. I recommend it!