ts and defects of that school. Baur has had tremendous
influence, even though many of his positions have been generally
discredited. The problems particularly of the primitive history were
first brought into clear light by him, and all subsequent work upon the
subject must acknowledge its indebtedness to him.

A new era was opened by the publication in 1857 of the second edition of
Ritschl's _Entstehung der altkatholischen Kirche_, in which he broke
away from the Tubingen school and introduced new points of view that
have revolutionized the interpretation of the early church. Of recent
works the most important are the _Kirchengeschichte_ of Carl Mueller
(1892 ff.) and that of W. Moeller (1889 ff., second edition by von
Schuberth, 1898 ff., greatly enlarged and improved), the translation of
the latter (1892 ff.) being the most useful text-book in English. Of
modern Roman Catholic works may be mentioned those by J.A. Moehler, T.B.
Alzog, F.X. Kraus, Cardinal Joseph von Hergenroether and C.J. von Hefele
(edited by Knoepfler.)

In addition to these general works on church history should be named the
histories of doctrine by Harnack, Loofs, Seeberg and Fisher; and on the
early Church the works on the apostolic age by Weizsaecker (1886, English
translation 1894), McGiffert (1897), and Bartlet (1899); Renan's
_Histoire des origines du christianisme_ (1867 ff., in 7 vols.,
translated in part); Pfleiderer's _Urchristenthum_ (1887); S. Cheetham's
_History of the Christian Church during the first Six Centuries_ (1894);
Wernle's _Anfaenge unserer Religion_ (1901; Eng. tr. 1902 ff.); Rainy's
_Ancient Catholic Church_ (1902); Knopf's _Nachapostolisches Zeitalter_
(1905); Duchesne's _Histoire ancienne de l'Eglise_ (vol. i., 1906).
(A. C. McG.)

History of the Christian Church.

In the following account of the historical evolution of the Church, the
subject will be treated in three sections:--(A) The ancient Church to
the beginning of the pontificate of Gregory the Great (A.D. 590); (B)
The Church in the middle ages; (C) The modern Church.

A. THE ANCIENT CHURCH

1. _Origin and Growth._--The crucifixion of Jesus Christ resulted in the
scattering of his followers, but within a short time they became
convinced that he had risen from the dead, and would soon return to set
up the expected Messianic kingdom, and so to accomplish the true work of
the Messiah (cf. Acts i. 6 ff.). They were thus enabled to retain the
belief in