The first edition of this Synopsis was published about five years ago but soon became unobtainable. Instead of reprinting in its original form, it was felt that the opportunity should be taken of altering a few incorrect or ambiguous statements and of revising and slightly enlarging some of the sections. This has now been done and, in particular, the closing pages have been amplified and an entirely new section added. This section is intended to be in the nature of an inquiry as to the light which Scripture may throw on the present confused state of Christendom, and the pathway which may be open to believers at the present time who are desirous of being in subjection to the Word of God.
The object of this synopsis remains as before, namely, to present, in as brief and concise a manner as so wide a subject will permit, an outline of the public history of the church from Pentecost to the present day. It is in no sense intended to compete with existing works on this subject, but may prove helpful to those who, while desiring the knowledge, may have difficulty now in obtaining the books and still more difficulty in finding time to read them.
No claim to originality can be entertained, since all the facts and, in some cases, the very expressions from the writings of others have been freely used. Great care has, however, been taken to ensure the accuracy of all that is stated and to guard against wrong impressions being given because of the brevity of this account.
For those who wish to inquire further into the subject, the following notes are given as to where details may be obtained. "A Concise History of the Church," by A. E. Knight, is one of the few books which attempts to cover the subject in a single volume, but his history stops with the establishment of the Reformation. The three volumes of Andrew Miller comprising "Short Papers on Church History," cover well the ground from the apostolic age to the twentieth century and are written from a scriptural standpoint. As far as the Reformation is concerned, D'Aubigne's "History of the Reformation "' is in a class by itself, but it is very lengthy. Finally, the principles which led to the revival of the true character of the church at the beginning of last century will be found in some recently republished writings of J. N. Darby entitled, " The Faith once delivered to the Saints."'
Certain facts or quotations which bear on the subject, but which hardly form part of the main Synopsis, have been added in the form of an Appendix, and notes referring to these have been inserted throughout the text.
Finally, it will be noticed that the word assembly has sometimes been used in place of the word church.
This is the literal translation of the original Greek word and really means a company of persons called out. It clearly distinguishes it from any material building.
Wembley. G. H. S. PRICE
1. Published by G. Morrish & Co. (Now out of print.)
2. Published by Bible Truth Publishers. (Now all in one volume.)
3. Published by The Evangelical Press.
4. Published by Kingston Bible Trust.