Catholic Info

Traditional Catholic Faith => Art and Literature for Catholics => Topic started by: SeanJohnson on May 10, 2023, 06:35:33 AM

Title: A Great Ecclesiastical History Manual.
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 10, 2023, 06:35:33 AM
Alzog's Universal Church History (1900), free online here:

https://archive.org/details/manualofuniversa01alzouoft/mode/2up 

The best I've read so far.
Title: Re: A Great Ecclesiastical History Manual.
Post by: Ladislaus on May 10, 2023, 06:57:02 AM
Looks great.  Thanks for posting.  Any concerns about Modernist influence anywhere in the book?
Title: Re: A Great Ecclesiastical History Manual.
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 10, 2023, 07:16:47 AM
Looks great.  Thanks for posting.  Any concerns about Modernist influence anywhere in the book?

Nothing I picked up on, anyway.
Title: Re: A Great Ecclesiastical History Manual.
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 10, 2023, 07:49:06 AM
Looks great.  Thanks for posting.  Any concerns about Modernist influence anywhere in the book?

One of the many counter-indications of modernist influence the reader will notice in the book is the discussion regarding the rapid propagation of the faith is the prevalence of miracles in the first three centuries of the Church (e.g., see pp. 176 (last paragraph) - 177).

The modernist is embarassed by claims of miracles, and his rationalism explains them away, whereas Alzog lists them among the self-evident proofs of the truth of Catholicism, and te explanation for its spreading.
Title: Re: A Great Ecclesiastical History Manual.
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 10, 2023, 07:56:26 AM
Final note, since I did not intend to do a book review:

One thing I really liked was the beginning of the books' explanation of how the worldd was prepared for the advent of the Messiah.

A second thing I liked, later in the book, were the frequent comparisons/contrasting  of eastern and Western Catholicism; Latin vs Greek; Alexandria vs Antioch; etc.  The author explains the differing approaches to theology, and thereby imparts an understanding of how these theological approaches bore some responsibility for major heresies and/or schisms (e.g., see starting on pp.260, 386, and 394).
Title: Re: A Great Ecclesiastical History Manual.
Post by: OABrownson1876 on May 10, 2023, 08:21:42 AM
Thanks for posting, will need to give this one a look.