If you want references and indisputable accuracy you won't find it here however. True to his aim there are no footnotes or references and if you want to check out an odd point or paragraph you'll have to look into it yourself. But from what I can tell it's pretty concordant; although I found that sometimes he would include the disputation of one point then mention another just as debatable as utter fact. If our histories were built on such books I would worry but that was not his intention; as a light read for anyone curious about the ups and downers of Christianity through the ages then I recommend this to you (just be sure to do your research before founding your views on its writings!). It gave me a much better grasp of the time-scales and legends of the church so that when I read some Polycarp or a creed I know the period and context. As always below are a few nuggets:
A more impressive example is that of Smyrna's bishop, the 86-year-old Polycarp. Tipped off, he was persuaded to hide from the soldiers in a farmhouse, but when arrested and taken to the stadium, he faced death unflinching:
-"Spear by the fortune of Caesar," the proconsul demanded. "Repent, and say, "Down with the atheists!"
~Polycarp gestured towards his pagan audience and said, "Down with the atheists!"
-"Swear," said the proconsul, "and I will set you free. Revile Christ."
~"Eighty-Six years i have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How then can I blaspheme my king and saviour?"
He was burnt and the church buried his bones, meeting at the tomb annually to celebrate what they called the 'birthday' of their saint.
Hilary, Jerome, Chrysostom and Ambrose were all canonised. "You killed Christ," they said, but the persecuting church would surely turn out to be a greater betrayer of Jesus even than Judas.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03274a.htm
http://www.bible-researcher.com/muratorian.html
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