From the Storia ecclesiastica (1845)

PREFACE

Having dedicated myself for some years to the education of youth, and eager as I am to offer them knowledge which would be most useful for them, something I am capable of doing, I did some research on a brief Bible history mostly and part Church history, which would be appropriate for them.

I read books on the Old and New Testaments which are already very good to put in the hands of the young, and I was very satisfied, but once it came to Church history nothing satisfied me.

I found many, but they are either too long or they focus too much on secular history. Some you might call polemic dissertations on the pomp and circumstance of the Church, while others have been translated from foreign languages and fall under the heading of partial, rather than universal histories. Then there was something I could not read without feeling indignant about it: it seems that some writers are embarrassed to speak of the Roman Pontiffs and some of the enlightening facts that directly regard the Church.

Moved therefore by necessity and with encouragement from many zealous and authoritative people, I got down to compiling the current compendium of Church History.

I have read everything written in our languages that I could, and some in foreign languages, and pulled out of them sentiments and expressions of a more Italian kind, simple enough for youngsters to understand.

Facts that are only secular or civil or dry or of less interest I have either queried or left out altogether, or merely hinted at. Those which seemed more sympathetic or moving I have dealt with in more detail so that not only the intellect may be instructed but the heart may be moved, to great spiritual benefit.

For me there is nothing more necessary for whoever was born into and grew up in the bosom of the Catholic religion than to go back to a more pleasing time, that of history which points out the beginnings and progress of this religion and makes it clear just how it was propagated and preserved amidst so many difficulties.

So the more important aspects of this history can be more easily understood I have divided it into periods and everything is expressed in dialogue form. I did all this with the advice of prudent individuals.

May Heaven bless this small effort whose aim is for the greater glory of God and to facilitate a better knowledge of this history which, after Bible history, is the most recommendable of all, and the kind reader who picks it up to benefit from be likewise blessed by Heaven.

Storia ecclesiastica ad uso delle scuole, utile per ogni ceto di persone, dedicata all'onoratissimo sig. F. Ervé de la Croix provinciale dei fratelli D.I.D.S.C. Compilata dal sacredote B.G. Torino, Tip. Speirani e Ferrero 1845.

A new and very useful book aimed at the education of children has come out in recent days, a Church history. Its author is a learned and good priest who has not put his name to it out of modesty. He notes with regret that in the abundance of books on church history there was a lack of an elementary one which took account of the birth, growth and finally the marvellous development of the Church of Jesus Christ and determined to fill this gap by writing one of his own. It leaves aside the political and the polemical and anything that does not closely touch on religion but which includes the main things.

He is convinced of the great educational principle that the mind needs enlightenment in order for the heart to be good and so his entire history revolves around this focus. Therefore he just hints at some things and remains silent about others which are so widely known that they do not belong in a compendium like this. Not only do we not criticise him for this but instead we praise him for being savvy and of good judgement. Some small defects you will find, but what human work is free from such? The sentences are straightforward and simple, the language quite clear despite occasional forced eloquence. Overall it is moving and attractive. This valuable little work comes from the Speirano and Ferrero press; it is economical despite having engravings and a very attractive typeface.

Fr (Prof.) Ramello¹