Undergraduate 4-7-73 PREFACE Lange. THIS book is divided into two Parts. In the First Part I have traced the history of the main body of the Church throughout the Eastern provinces of Christendom, until by losing one limb after another this is seen to become more and more limited in area, although still claiming to be the one orthodox Church. In the Second Part I have taken up the stories of the separate Churches. In order to do this intelligibly I have found it necessary to go back in each case as far as possible to the particular Church's origin. Since that was usually some controversy of the older Church which was discussed in the first part of the volume, the consequence has been a certain amount of repetition. But I have deemed it better to say the same thing twice overfirst in the general history and then in the local-than to leave either of them seriously incomplete. Besides, the story is not just the same when viewed from the standpoint of the local branch that it was when it first appeared in the course of the main history. If there is any special characteristic of this book to which I would desire to lay claim, it is an honest endeavour to do justice to all parties. Now that the heat of controversy has subsided and the dust of battle settled, it should be possible to take a calm and clear view of the facts, with a full recognition of all that was excellent in various bodies of Christians who in their own day mutually anathematised one another. I have set at the head of each of the chapters two lists of books. Those marked (a) are principal original authorities; those indicated by (b) are more or less modern works, often selected out of a large number, as in my own judgment the books most likely to be of service to the student. I desire to express my thanks to Professor Gwatkin for very kindly reading the proofs of the chapters on the Arian period, and for his learned and acute suggestions in conversation with reference to this and other parts of the history; to the Rev. R. Eubank for the loan of a number of works from his excellent collection of books on the Eastern Church; to the Greek, Coptic, and Armenian priests and Protestant pastors and missionaries with whom I have had conversations concerning the present condition of the Eastern Churches; to the Librarians and Authorities of the British Museum, the John Ryland's Library, the Dr. William's Library, and my own College Library for their unfailing kindness and courtesy in putting at my disposal the many books-often from out-of-the-way regions of literature that it has been necessary to consult in an attempt to cover a vast field of history, much of which is little known and but rarely traversed. Lastly, I record my indebtedness to the careful proofreading and valuable literary criticism of my wife while this book was passing through the press. WALTER F. ADENEY. LANCASHIRE COLLEGE, September 1908. |