Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church [Paperback]

Stuart G. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1992

Fulfilling a long-standing need for a succinct and up-to-date account of the major doctrines and practices of the early church, this book clarly traces the emergence of the distinctive elements of the Christian tradition, taking full account of the wider social, political, and theological context in which that tradition developed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A work of masterly brevity... which generations of students will enjoy and benefit from." Henry Chadwick, Theology" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stuart G. Hall was formerly professor of Ecclesiastical History at King's College, London. He has written extensively on the early Church and on the New Testament, and works as a parish priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church in Fife. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (January 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802806295
• ISBN-13: 978-0802806291
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,607,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Choose Chadwick!, November 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church (Paperback)

While I agree that the feat of compressing early Christian history into just under 300 pages is laudable, this book suffers from spelling mistakes (including one on the first page "ofen" for "often"), random changes of tense, awkward sentence structure, and outrageously biased opinions such as calling Tertullian a "bigot" without good cause (see page 69). Admittedly, many of these faults are the editor's, but they all contribute to a sense that the book was assembled hastily and carelessly. Hall's book hangs together much more comprehensively if the reader pretends he or she is at a live lecture, since Hall's prose style lends itself more to an oral presentation than to a written work. All in all, if you are a stickler for grammar and punctuation, choose Chadwick's "The Early Church" ...lots of good information without the aggravation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written book, September 14, 2009

By 

Jonathan Mikule "Youth Pastor" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church (Paperback)

This book is an excellent overview of the doctrines and history of the early church, placed nicely into the context of the Roman Empire.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A Precise Handbook to Early Church Doctrine and History", April 19, 2001

By 

Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church (Paperback)

With skillful precision, Stuart G. Hall compressed nearly five hundred years of Church history and doctrine into a small but definitive volume that's very readable and thorough. The up-to-date scholarship sheds new light upon several questions that have gathered dust over the years. From Nero's onslaught of the primative Church, to Leo's "Tome" and subsequent edicts of Chalcedon, Hall's consistency and brilliance stabilizes the vicissitudes of the churches struggle to rise to the summit of Orthodoxy. Through the Theological dissent and schismatic atmosphere of the "Arian Contreversy", to the new era of Monastism and settled popular piety, I found Hall's representation to far surpass others in getting down to the nitty-gritty of Church Doctrine and History. Hall's characterization manifests a picturesque quality of each individual that impacted the Early Church. From Tertullian, Irenaeus, Clement, and Ignatius, to Augustine, Jerome and the Cappadocian Brothers, I found once again precision and composure that's unparrelled when compared with other works. So for the scholar and novice alike, I highly recommend this work.