Here is an exceptional sampling of the great spiritual, doctrinal, and devotional writings that have shaped how Christians have thought and lived for two millennia. Featuring uplifting extracts from one hundred classics of the Christian tradition--those generally recognized as of the highest importance-it introduces each author, explains the circumstances in which his or her work was written, and then offers a representative reading. Chronologically arranged, the readings chart the course of Christianity through the words of great writers and spiritual giants-and present a banquet of wisdom and insight from the earliest church fathers to the close of the nineteenth century. Great as a devotional, it's a book to browse, a book to quote, and a book to treasure.