Just a couple jots:
There is that distinction someone may have brought out, between "Church History" (CH) and "Historic Theology" (HT). The two have an undeniable relation. And in a sense, CH is broader than HT, and yet HT is the subdiscipline of Divinity in which we find CH.
CH is basically everything one could say about the church as an historic artifact in the midst of the world. As it spreads, in each place, CH becomes the particular history of a particular church. This is CH as a parallel to world history, or to a history of one of this world's kingdoms. You have intersection of the church with the kingdom's of this world. This is where persecutions, politics, divisions, missionary enterprise, places, dates, persons--these and many other facts.
HT (narrow as opposed to that broad category that includes CH) is more closely related to the doctrinal history of the church. Naturally there is a symbiosis to secular history and doctrinal history in the church. And this is the value of works like Cunningham's and Pelikan's. One thing they do is show where specific doctrines had emphasis, what situations and heresies drew out the minds of the church to defend the truth. In other words, it is the story, more narrowly, of the church's interaction and involvement with the text of Scripture (and of course with the importation of alien philosophy), and the definition of the truth found in Scripture over time.
Beside works already mentioned:
CH works:
Phillip Schaff, classic, Ancient up through Reformation. 8 vols.
Kenneth Scott Latourette: Yale prof, evangelical, Ancient to Modern (mid 20th cent). 2 vols.
Guezelo's is probably as good as most 1 vol can be. This is 2000 years packed into one volume folks; no matter how good, its still condensed. I had to buy Williston Walker's (and subsq eds.)
A History of the Christian Church, (4th ed., 1985) in Seminary. Stock textbook, some lib. bias.
HT:
Multivolume--Cunningham & Pelikan are very different works. Pelikan had already been mentioned is
not easy reading; not badly written, just immense subject matter condensed (!) into 5 volumes. There might not be any one else alive today (has he died yet?) who knows more in this arena. He's also come to rest in the Eastern Orthodox church... Cunningham, of course, was a 19th Century Scottish Presbyterian professor. Strictly Reformed approach.
Certain doctrinal studies will often have at least something of a historic sketch. But it often amounts to no more than a sketch. There are some exceptions. For example, from the items (of questionable value!) on my shelf, the same H.R. Mackintosh (neo-orthodox) mentioned above (
Types of Modern Theology, 1937, rp 1937-47) includes in his 1912 (-13 2ed, rp 1914-51)
The Person of Jesus Christ, a rather lengthy historic treatment of Christology (@160pp), the largest of 4 sections in the book. A.B. Bruce, focusing more narrowly on
The Humiliation of Christ, (1895), takes up some 2/3 of his book on historic Christology (@240pp).
Then, a book like Joel Beeke's
The Quest for Full Assurance, (BoT, 1999) takes one aspect of historic theology and that for the most part as it arose from the Reformation (very little from prior), and treats it in great detail.
These are just examples. I would check out the narrower of books/subjects in a library, from a library. Save your money and time for the things that really interest you.
{Edit}
I agree with Dr. Clark on Olsen, another textbook I had to buy. Not a satisfying treatment, in my opinion. I also have a Lutheran work, 1 vol.
History of Theology, by Bengt Hagglund. Here is the blurb off the back from
Richard A. Muller who I believe is the same one mentioned above by Dr. Clark:
Hagglund's History of theology offers introductory classes a theologically and intellectually sound, well-designed survey of the literature and thought of the church ... that covers the entire history of doctrine from the Apostolic Fathers to the twentieth century.
(ellipsis from the cover)
[Edited on 7-13-2006 by Contra_Mundum]
