A History of the Church in England [Paperback]

John R. H. Moorman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 081921406X | ISBN-13: 978-0819214065 | Publication Date: June 1, 1986 | Edition: 3rd

This authoritative account of the Church in England covers its history from earliest times to the late twentieth century. Includes chapters on the Roman, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Medieval periods before a description of the Reformation and its effects, the Stuart period, and the Industrial Age, with a final chapter on the modern church through 1972.

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing; 3rd edition (June 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081921406X
• ISBN-13: 978-0819214065
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent survey, November 11, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of the Church in England (Paperback)

The text, 'A History of the Church in England', by J.R.H. Moorman, is one of the important works of Anglican history of this generation. There aren't many one-volume treatments of the whole of Anglican history; while Anglicans as a rule give a good amount of attention and authority to history (the second of the three pillars of Anglicanism - Scripture, Tradition, and Reason - has much to do with history), it is surprising perhaps that this book is rare in nature.

As Moorman writes in the preface to the first edition, 'It is notoriously difficult to pour a gallon of water into a pint pot.' Moorman doesn't simply treat the period of time from Henry VIII to the present, a five-hundred year span that is also difficult to encompass in a single volume; he examines the history of the church IN England from the earliest Christian presence to the present time. Perhaps this explains the title more fully - this is not so much a history of the institution of the Church of England, but rather an exploration of the church as it continues from its earliest times to its current expression.

Moorman concedes that his is not an unbiased reporter - indeed, such a creature is unlikely to be found, particularly among those for whom English and England are native aspects. Moorman states that 'impartial history would be very dull', and thus makes no such pretension. He is one who does not see the Church of England as being created by Henry VIII, but rather sees the church in England (of which the Church of England is the primary institutional successor) as a continuous entity.

Moorman's text is an interesting read, but a bit dry by the standards of today's historical writing. I can tell by comparison to other works of the 1950s and 1960s (when the principal text was assembled) that this would have been an innovation in terms of accessibility and resistance to stodgy history (the kind that comes in dusty tomes residing on library shelves, doomed to never be read), but today reads as being a bit archaic at times. As every history is necessarily selective, this one suffers a time or two in the kinds of details left out, but generally hits all of the major events and issues of the development of Anglicanism in England, particularly from the Elizabethan time forward to the early part of the twentieth century.

One of the flaws of the book is that it does not take into account the increasingly global nature of the Anglican Communion over time. Moorman treats this only briefly in a few sections (four pages in one chapter, six pages in another). Moorman also only briefly touches on intercommunion and ecumenical actions, which are increasingly important in today's society (when he writes about other churches, it is overwhelmingly about the Roman Catholic church that he is writing).

However, Moorman is an excellent text for the topic its focus. It is well documented (nearly 800 other works are referenced here), has an excellent index (24 pages of small print), and a good table of contents with chapter annotations.

This is a must-read text for any Anglican, or any student of the history and culture of England.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most readable, understandable history books ever., September 21, 1999

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[e-mail] (Western PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Church in England (Paperback)

I had to read the second half of this book for a class assignment. I found it so helpful, understandable, and enjoyable that I went back and read the first half as well, even though I could not spare the time.

This is an excellent summary of the development of the Church and much of the culture on the island we now know as England from Roman times to the 20th century.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best history of the Church of England, January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of the Church in England (Paperback)

This is the best book I have found on the history of the English Reformation and of the Church of England through the middle of the 20th C. I have read it twice and still refer to it often. It's definitely worth owning if you have any interest in this area.