In this five-volume opus Jaroslav Pelikan traces the development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the twentieth:
- The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600)
- The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700)
- The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300)
- Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700)
- Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700)
These five volumes trace the history and thought of the visible church from 100 AD into the 20th Century. Distinctive in his awareness of both eastern and western traditions, Pelikan draws deeply on primary sources. The result is perhaps the most impressive history of doctrine yet completed. For its scope as well as its depth of research, this is rewarding reading.