History of the Christian Religion to the Year Two Hundred [Hardcover]

Charles B. Waite (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1992

The Introduction from original publisher states "We believe this work to be the most complete, honest and best documented work available on this subject. We present this work hoping that the facts presented will be more highly esteemed than common dogma and tradition." Covers lost gospels, many not referred to in most other references, and a list of those gospels that were destroyed. Includes much on Irenaeus, Turtullian and Clement of Alexandria. Considered one of the most important and accurate books on the formation of Christianity ever written.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An expose and history of religion to the 2nd century AD. It has been our desire for a number of years to compile and publish a history of Christianity for the first two centuries. It has now been decided that it would be much better to reprint this work by Charles Waite. We believe this work to be the most complete, honest and best documented work available on this subject.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

This is an attempt to write a history of the Christian religion during the first two centuries. Not a history of Christianity, which would require us to follow the principles of that religion, in their dissemination through various countries, and in their influence upon other institutions. The difficulty of the undertaking is great. The gospels of the first century are unfortunately lost. There are left, of that century, only the epistles of Paul, the one epistle of Clement of Rome, some slight notices by Jewish and heathen writers, and the few legends and traditions preserved in the writings of the fathers, and in the extant second century gospels.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 556 pages
• Publisher: Book Tree (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885395159
• ISBN-13: 978-1885395153
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,715,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A Rare Study, A Rare Find", October 25, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: History of the Christian Religion to the Year Two Hundred (Hardcover)

Charles B. Waite's work on the first two centuries of Christianity is a rare find - there is only five-hundred in print - and his unique scrutiny of study makes this work a broadening and rewarding read. The perspective of this work is definately more objective than dogmatic; and it is more a careful documentary of raw facts than it is a panorama of historical changes. This book was printed in the early twentieth century, but on many points Waite's scholarship has endured, and still continues to influence the way we look at the formation of Christianity in the first two centuries. There seems to be no exact agenda or theme to this work, except for Waite's apparent intention to furnish aspects of the early Christian age divorced from the common traditions and doctrines of the Church. It will be a simple task to mold an individual conception of Christianity during the "Apostolic Age" with this book; but it is also a matter of individual conscience to decide whether that is a good thing or not. Overall this "history" will posit a significant amount of information that will not be found elsewhere. This book is a good addition to a Christian library, and together with a work by Dr. Augustus Neander concerning the first three centuries of Christianity it will be totally indespinsable.