This book, originally published in 1972, offers a stimulating account of the Christian tradition of historiography as it is reflected in works of literature and history. The discussion ranges from the pre-Christian The Iliad up to the 1970s. The author considers subjects such as the Mystery Plays in the medieval synthesis, the nature of the evidence provided by the Renaissance authors in England and the Continent, the contemporary world. The book examines the attitudes of historians and at the use historians have made of the Christian view of history.

1. The Phoenix and the Ladder: Gentiles and Jews 2. Patristic Structures 3. Mediaeval Formulations: West and East 4. The Renaissance in Europe: Tradition and Innovation 5. Tradition in Renaissancce England 6. Innovation in Renaissance England 7. Restatements in the New World 8. The Aftermath