Customer Reviews

From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and Its Background

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This is exactly what I expect from a solid, scholarly study of early church history. It is clear, well-written, engaging, formatted well, and outlined in a manner that is easy to follow. In an orderly way, Young writes about Eusibius, Arius, Athanasius, Didymus the Blind, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyril, Chrysostom, Appollinarius, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Nestorius, and quite a few others from this time period (4th-6th centuries) along with the conficts the church faced in these years.

The book has a great bibliography if the reader is interested in further studies of certain areas. There is also a helpful topical/subject index in the appendix. One great thing about this book is that the sections can stand alone. In other words, if one simply wanted to read about Basil and Cyril, for example, he/she would simply find these sections in the index and read them. Granted, many of these names and controversies overlap, yet the book is written in such a way that it will be a great resource to utilize for a "big picture" study or a detailed one of certain names, dates, and controversies.

This book is not for the "average" layperson. It is thick (just under 400 pages), written in a small font, and full of names/dates/doctrines with which most laypeople would be overwhelmed. However, this is a great resource for seminary students, pastors, teachers, and any serious student of church history. Highly recommended!

I found this work a very good read, and it was full of information about what happened between the council of Nicea and the Chalcedon Council of 481. It is rare that this type of product can keep your attention and inform at the same time.