Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church excels at providing an impressive and instructive historical treatment of the Christian church.
This is Volume One covering from 01 A.D. to 100 A.D.
This volumous work begins with the Early Church at its formative era. This volume and the first will comprise the major individual and their writings, which shall comprise the first five (5) volumes of the Ante-Nicene Series. Schaff's treatment is comprehensive and in depth, discussing all the major and minor figures, time periods, and movements of the Church. One feature of the “History of the Christian Church”, which readers will immediately notice is just how beautifully written it is, in particular when comparing other texts of a similar nature. Simply put, Schaff's prose is lively and engaging.
There is no question that this work’s scholarship is highly notated, and is overall an excellent reference/ resource.