Ecclesiastical History (Catholicism) - Approach, Traditional Catholic View

Approach, Traditional Catholic View

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913,

Ecclesiastical history is the scientific investigation and the methodical description of the temporal development of the Church considered as an institution founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Ghost for the salvation of mankind.” Its scope consists “the life of the Church in all its manifestations from the beginning of its existence to our own day among the various divisions of mankind hitherto reached by Christianity. While the Church remains essentially the same despite the changes which she undergoes in time, these changes help to exhibit more fully her internal and external life.

Its branches therefore include:

• History of missions, in the widest sense
• History of ecclesiastical polity, of heresies and their opponents, and of the relations of the Church with non-Catholic religious associations
• History of dogma, of ecclesiastical theology, and ecclesiastical sciences in general
• History of liturgy
• History of ecclesiastical art
• History of the Catholic hierarchy, of the constitution and canon law of the Church,
• History of religious orders
• History of discipline, religious life, Christian civilization.