Book List

[sm2012]

I am about a year or so away from applying to Masters programs, I am thinking Medieval/History of Christianity. Any essential Books/Theologians I should be reading??

[Sparky]

Donald Logan, A History of the Church in the Middle Ages

Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom

Bernard McGinn, The Growth of Mysticism and The Flowering of Mysticism

Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast

Giles Constable, The Reformation of the Twelfth Century

Lester Little, Religious Poverty and the Profit Economy in Medieval Europe

That's for a more HC perspective rather than a historical theo one. If you're looking for the latter, I think D'Onofrio's History of Theology II: The Middle Ages is a solid and fairly comprehensible (but expensive) overview, and will point out which primary texts are super-import, and you might want to pair that with Logan and McGinn. Major (Western) theologians with whom to become acquainted--Pseudo-Dionysius, Boethius, Gregory the Great, Eriugena, Anselm, Peter Lombard, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Meister Eckhart. (A *horribly* reductionist list, my apologies to all offended).

If you're interested in Byzantine stuff, let me know. That's not really my area but I have some general knowledge of what's out there.

Some patristics would be helpful too, especially Augustine. Medievalists can never know too much about Augustine. :/

The bibliographies here are generally a good place to look for more, although there's some on the list I would avoid.

University of Chicago has its PhD exam reading lists for early/high medieval and late medieval/early early modern online, which are also useful.

Edited December 24, 2011 by Sparky

[JonathanEdwards]

I am about a year or so away from applying to Masters programs, I am thinking Medieval/History of Christianity. Any essential Books/Theologians I should be reading??

It’s good to understand that the issues occupying Medieval theologians often began to be discussed in the Patristic period. I’d suggest reading not only vol. 3 (Medieval church) of Pelikan’s The Christian Tradition, but vol. 1 (Patristic) as well. If tracing that development seems worthwhile to you, likewise consider Kelly’s Early Christian Doctrines and Early Christian Creeds, as well as Dix’s Shape of the Liturgy. The advice to read plenty of Augustine is good, although if your studies in this period run more towards the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire than Europe, you may want to substitute the Cappadocian Fathers.

Best wishes on your future program.

[sm2012]

Thorough answers, thanks! Happy Holidays