Customer Reviews

The Compact History of the Catholic Church

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3 star:		(2)
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Any student of church history should begin with this book. It provides an overview of the Church and places current teachings in historical perspective. I have found this book to be an excellent gift for non-catholics who have a limited view of the church and its effect upon history.

Covering 2000 years of history in the space of a pocket-sized book of less than 200 pages is a tall order indeed. Dr. Schreck pulls off this seeming-miracle somehow and fills that tall order with perhaps the most concise yet fact-filled history of the church yet provided.

Beginning with the Roman Catholic understanding of the church as a foundational chapter, Dr. Schreck then takes us on a whirlwind tour of the centuries. He begins the tour with a wonderful overview of the apostolic and early church fathers of the first 6 centuries. This is the time that truly defined how the church would be governed and the development of understanding her sacraments. Then, Dr. Schreck guides us through the two chapters devoted to the key people and events of the middle ages and around the rocks of schisms, reforms, and heresies. Dr. Schreck does not ignore the issues of crooked church leaders or the evils inherent in temporal powers too closely allied with the state. After this, Dr. Schreck guides us through the development of the church in the modern era of discovery, war, and challenging anti-theistic philosophies. In closing, he brings us to the post Vatican II church finding its identity in light of that council's focus. The final chapter summarizes key themes and gives us some insight into the veneration of Mary and her appearances and messages through church history. The close association of Mary with the church means that her messages at these sightings, though optional beliefs for individual catholics, will have an effect on the direction of the church as a whole. As our mother, she guides with the subtle loving touch of persuasion.

Dr. Schreck is immensely impartial in his coverage perhaps to a fault. For instance, he makes mention of Martin Luther's German translation of the scriptures leaving the reader to believe it to be the first of such translations. This sort of reporting has left many to conclude that the Catholic church actively suppressed translations into the vernacular as some insidious plot to keep the people ignorant. In the early church history, he refers to the confiscation of "Bibles" prior to the church defining a canon leaving the common assumption that the canon preceded and defined the church - when in fact, it was the persecution of which he writes that was a driving factor behind the determination of a canon of scripture in the first place. But, in all fairness to Dr. Schreck, an overview such as this cannot entirely cover all such misconceptions and falsehoods.

At first glance at the small size of this little book, I doubted it could be of much use in understanding the church's history. I was very pleasantly surprised at the depth of coverage Dr. Schreck managed in so few words. Many will find larger, more thorough works too daunting and so go on with little knowledge of the church's history. Dr. Schreck has given us a handy tool for understanding our Christian heritage - including our mistakes, heartaches, and successes as a continuous family of faith. As I read, I could not help but think of Dr. Noble's course, Popes and the Papacy: A History (Great Courses The Teaching Company), as a good resource to follow up this work. In addition, for the more stout of heart, Will Durant's History of Civilization series of books are unmatched in their depth and readability.

Dr. Schreck's work is a wonderful little book for the flyover view. He gives the student of history the signposts for what might interest them more within that 2000 year history. This work fills a tall order indeed.

This book is not intended to the complete history. It is intended to be the concise history of the Church. What is geat here is that the different periods of the church are explained warts and all. If you don't know a lot about the history of the Catholic Church, this is a great place to start. If you find this interesting and want to know more, there are other works that deal with the history in more detail.

"The Compact History Of The Catholic Church" is a very compact story of this most significant institution the world history. Viewed through the eyes of faith, Author Alan Schreck begins with an explanation of the Church. He explains the marks of the Church, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. He then takes the reader, chapter by chapter, through the period of the Apostles and Fathers, Middle Ages, Late Middle Ages, Reformation and Counter Reformation, the Confrontation with the Modern World, the Church in the Twentieth Century, from Vatican II to John Paul II, and concluding with a perspective on the Church and the Role of Mary.

I say that this book approaches its subject through the eyes of faith because history is examined with the recognition that the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church. The author sees the direction of the Spirit in the turns taken by the Church through the centuries.

The one thing that I really liked about this book is the way it puts events in context. I have often read, in more detail, about specific events in Church history, but this book shows how they fit in order and relate to each other. I found definitions of heresies and sects, the role of philosophers both within and without the Church and the impact of social movements on the Church as resulting from the Church. I recommend it for anyone wanting to get an overview of Church history, or to organize the bits of history that they already know.

As Dr. Schreck states in the Preface, this book is a compilation of "a series of simple lessons on the history of the Catholic Church" for a group setting. Thus it "provides a non-technical introductory overview of the Catholic Church and its history." In this it delivers. For the uninitiated, it provides a very quick overview that can be comfortably read in an afternoon. For those with a genuine interest, they will not want to stop here; rather it will whet the appetite for more.

The first 100 pages cover the time up to the 20th century, the last 53 from the turn of the 20th century to 1986 when the book was written. The last chapter is particularly good because it allows for some reflections ("perspective," he puts it) by the author. There is a 15 page "Teaching Summaries" at the end that is helpful for a quick review any time it is needed.

As an introduction to the history of the Catholic Church this is a fine book. If you are past that stage, look to more in-depth treatments.

Though it is a very slim volume, Schrecks Compact History is well worth the read. If you have any interest in Church history, read this as a good beginning book. It is not too complicated, but is detailed enough to not be boring or condescending.

In The Compact History of the Catholic Church, Alan Schreck reveals the nature and story of the chosen people of God through the Old and New testaments and formation and development of the Church over the centuries. Instances of failure and weakness are part of those people and that church, yet God's faithfulness and mercy are unwavering. The history of the Catholic Church, Schreck writes, "is a history of God's constantly forgiving and renewing his people....As a matter of historical fact, no other human institution has existed for two thousand years, as the Catholic Church has."

Schreck is a professor of theology and author of numerous books on the Church. His gifts as a teacher and scholar translate into written works marked by clear, concise writing and logical presentation. The Compact History is divided into eight chapters that systematically cover a given time period with internal subheads identifying important dates and events. Back matter consists of teaching summaries, notes, a 21- page timeline, and a comprehensive index.

In Chapter 8, Schreck addresses the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reform and renewal. He points out that the life of the church has ups and downs that may appear to be cyclical. He cites the work of Christopher Dawson, a Catholic historian who has defined six "ages" of the Church, marked at the beginning by a time of growth and ending with a period of "decline in the spiritual life and vibrancy of the Church or with another type of crisis." The first age Dawson recognizes opens with Pentecost, which led to widespread conversion within the Roman Empire and severe, empire-wide persecutions. Dawson's sixth and last age sees the Holy Spirit's raising strong popes and other Catholic leaders in the nineteenth century to respond to cultural, political, and ideological challenges of the period.

Having presented these ages of the Church, Schreck cautions us to remember the complexity of Church history, which cannot be understood by a simple division into periods of advance and decline. The Holy Spirit is always working with the Church, he writes, even in times of spiritual crisis. And while the Church experiences strengths in some areas, it may be struggling with weakness in others.

This is a compact history of the Catholic Church as specified. It can be read in under two hours, preferably at three/four
readings to be able to assimilate the content and not to begin mixing dates/names together.

For what I wanted, it was a bit too compact. It was well written and for someone what had a larger knowledge of history, it woud be fine.

This is an excellent and informative History of the Church. Approaches the History from a more spiritual perspective. Excellent for Catholics or any other Christian in general. It can help to explain where Chrisianity came from thus explaining our heritage as Christians. An honest perspective that shows history from a perspective not often read.