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Title: A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David W. Bercot ISBN: 1-56563-357-1 Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: 01 July, 1998 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.97 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.25 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good Reference for Church History Study
Comment: This text is a good reference work for early Church History and Historical Theology studies. The book is formatted like a dictionary A to Z, includes every major early Church Father (and a few lesser known early Church Fathers as well), and provides a guide for over 700 theological, ecclesiastical, and other various topics.
If you are needing a quick reference guide to certain topics then this is a great work for your research. Since the book is a dictionary it is easy to locate topics. Moreover, it includes the sources from which each topic was drawn. In other words, for a topic such as 'The Church,' the text lists all the references from the early Church Fathers and also includes the source from which these references were taken (i.e. their works).
At the beginning of the book, Bercot (the editor) includes a blurb on each of the Church Fathers who are referenced. These blurbs describe who the Church Father was, their contribution, the time in which they lived and wrote, and a pronunciation key for their name. There is also a section that describes how to actually use this particular dictionary (which I found quite helpful).
The only pitfall to this work is the fact that it includes short 'snippets.' What I mean is, for every topic, there is only a small portion or part of a work from any particular Church Father. This can cause contextual problems since the reader of this work is only getting a small portion of what is said by the Church Father on the topic. Ideally, a researcher should go directly to the source and read all that a particular Church Father has to say, therefore gaining a much larger and complete contextual reading. Otherwise, this is a good reference work and I certainly recommend it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent!
Comment: There is a resurging interest among Protestants to understand what the Early Church taught and believed. I believe a book like this one can be instrumental in furthering that search and introducing a whole generation of Christians to the writings of these wonderful, devout, and pious men. This book is absolutely invaluable for anyone who wants to research what the Ante-Nice Fathers taught on any given topic. Also, Bercot's concise and standard way of referencing each Father's works makes it easy to go back to the original sources and do further resarch by examining the entire text.
There may be some who will not like what the Father's teach, but that is to be expected. A vast majority of Evangelical churches in America do not conform either in principle or in practice to what these godly men taught. I think that stauch Calvinist's will be the most disturbed by their writings because the Early Church Fathers were unequivocally more supportive of the view that mankind can and must respond to God. Furthermore, they did not teach unconditional election, perseverance of the saints, limited atonement, or irresistable grace. In fact, it was the Gnostics who held views similar to those expressed above. The response by most will be that these men just fell into error and didn't understand the gospel, but then the question must be asked, why do individuals who lived 1,500 years after the Apostles understand it better than the Fathers did? I do not mention Augustine because his views are not those of traditional 5 point Calvinists, and therefore the view followed by many is not Augustine's view but that of the Reformers.
Buy this work if you interested in discovering what the Early Fathers believed, and use it as an introduction and guide to further study of their writings. It is by no means an exhaustive study of the entire corpus of their literature, but is a great starting point for introductory study.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent topical commentary collection
Comment: When I first saw this in my pastor's library, I knew I had a to get a copy for myself. This is an excellent collection of wisdom, responses, and comments covering over 700 topics. It is arranged in an encyclopedic format with each writer's quotation in chronological order.
Some of the things I appreciated about this book was the honesty the editor had in saying the greatest danger is proof-texting. There is also a quotation section with one liners. There are some good cross-reference suggestions for fuller details.
If you want to begin learning more about the culture of early Christianity, the church's influence, and how she responded to heretics and critics, this book is an easy and accessible tool to help you.
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Title: Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity by David W. Bercot ISBN: 0924722002 Publisher: Scroll Pub Co Pub. Date: December, 1989 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Common Sense: A New Approach to Understanding Scripture. by David W. Bercot ISBN: 0924722061 Publisher: Scroll Pub Co Pub. Date: May, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Early Christian Doctrine : Revised Edition by J. N. D. Kelly ISBN: 006064334X Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 29 March, 1978 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church by Stuart G. Hall ISBN: 0802806295 Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Pub. Date: January, 1992 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down by David W. Bercot ISBN: 0924722177 Publisher: Scroll Publishing Co. Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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