The Church on Its Past

Anniversaries represent occasions for reflection, retrospectively on the past but also towards possible futures. In 2011 the Ecclesiastical History Society celebrated its fiftieth year by publishing a history of its activities since its creation in 1961. This volume uses the anniversary to reflect on the way in which historical perceptions over the church's past have shifted over the last fifty years. Essays range chronologically from Luke Gardiner's analysis of Socrates Scholasticus's retelling of the events of the reign of Theodosius I in the 440s, to John Wolffe's essay on modern religious history and the contemporary church. We see how successfully the churches have used their pasts in all historical eras to defend arguments about contemporary ecclesiastical practice; to suppress alternative, conflicting narratives; and to position their subjects and writers firmly within the Almighty's overarching plan for humanity. The volume also reflects the growth of interest in historiography among historians working in all aspects and periods of the discipline over the past half century.
From its former status as a marginal branch of history pursued only by a few, historiography has become a growing area of historical enquiry, taking a central place in undergraduate curricula in history and forming an essential part of postgraduate training programmes. PETER CLARKE is Reader in Medieval History at the University of Southampton. CHARLOTTE METHUEN is Lecturer for Church History at the University of Glasgow.