The Nicene Creed [#7] and Athanasius’s On The Incarnation [#9] explained the Trinity to us

Augustine’s Confessions [#1] and City of God [#4] packed a punch

Jonathan Edwards’s Treatise [#23] and John Wesley’s Plain Account [#22] spoke of holiness

We asked over 70 past CH authors to help identify the most influential writings from christian history, after the Bible; here are some interesting facts about the 25 writings they named as “greatest"

How could we ever pick 25 Christian books to feature as the most important?

The Apostles’ Creed summarized the basics of Christian faith

Against Heresies attacked an early and pervasive Christian heresy

They didn't make the top 25, but you should still check them out

Benedict and Gregory each gave us a Rule [#11 and #24]

Anselm’s Why God Became Man [#17] answered an age-old question

Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae [#2] explained Christianity’s rational basis

The Imitation of Christ [#10] gave us a model for prayerful living

Some more books and authors in our top 100

The Divine Comedy [#16] took readers on an unforgettable journey

Here’s where the writings described in this issue fall into the sweep of the last 2,000 years of history

The 95 Theses [#5] split a church and revolutionized a continent

John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion [#3] gave birth to Calvinism

A confession that arose from strife

More writings from our top 100

The Book of Common Prayer [#12] set forth a liturgy that lasted

Pilgrim’s Progress [#6] explored the Christian journey

More books that didn't quite make the top 25

Mere Christianity [#8] explained faith to a wartime audience

Barth [#15] and Bonhoeffer [#13] resisted Nazi religion

More favorites that didn't make it into the final 25

Some top hymns from all eras of church history

Listing the best Christian books is not a new idea; maybe it's not even a good one

We decided to recommend just one title for each featured author, although this meant ignoring many other excellent works; we urge you to examine past CH issues, our website, and other listed websites for more