The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 1 : The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600) (The Christian Traditi ... ory of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

Rating:
Summary: captivating and edifying
Review: "The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition" (and the "Christian Tradition" series as a whole) is among the most useful books I have ever come across.

Mr. Pelikan has focused like a laser on what was TAUGHT (as in "the stuff we have actual historical documentation for") by the church throughout history. This is most refreshing. No pet theories or speculation taint this book (I guess this means Mr. Pelikan won't be asked to work with A&E or Bill Moyers any time soon.)

This book can be dry in spots. This probably speaks more to my distaste for "scholarly works" than any deficiency in Mr. Pelikan's writing style. However, most readers will probably find this book both captivating and edifying. I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: An Incomparable Historical Work
Review: Dr. Pelikan's first book in a series of five is, like the other, outstanding! This book traces the early Christian church and how they dealt with certian controversies, especially in doctrine. The early chruch fathers like Irenaeus, Justin martyr, Clement, Ignatius, and others are discussed as their writings address many fundamental doctrinal positions of the early church such as the Eucharist, the Sabbath, baptism and many many other theological doctrines.

Also, many important ideas of the time are presented like Manicheism, Gnosticism, and Paganism. The Augustine/Pelagius debate is presented as well. Early creeds of the church are also discussed and presented in their historical context.

Many Christological doctrines are presented very well; some of teh doctrines discussed are the hypostatic union and the Trinity. There is just so much in the exhaustive text that a small review cannot do it justice.

Lastly, although an academic work, one does not have to be an academic to read the book and enjoy this outstanding text.

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Summary: Part One in an Important and Monumental Series
Review: This book is probably, page for page, the most scholarly and readable of all the history of doctrine books about the early Church (although Kelley's "Early Christian Doctrines" comes close). Pelikan's style is concise, but also detailed, in that on every page he provides references for just about every important thing he says. Pelikan has a take on doctrine that is shared by most scholars and clergy, which is that doctrine developed, and that what the apostles believed was less defined and cloudier than what the later Church believed. In other words, from studying the Bible and the early writers, we see that their formulations and emphases often differed from later generations. For instance, the doctrine of original sin is rarely spoken of before Augustine, and early creeds were less clear about the Son's full equality with the Father, even though they called the Son "God." For those unfamiliar with Christian history, to see important doctrines develop might be troubling, although as many Christians already know, the development and clarification of a doctrine does not make it less true.

Pelikan covers all of the major figures and controversies, looking at orthodox and heretic arguments. He explains why orthodox doctrine prevailed, geographically, politically, and philosophically. The major chapters are, 1. Preparatio Evangelica, 2. Outside the Mainstream. 3. Faith of the Catholic Church, 4. Mystery of the Trinity, 5. Person of the God-Man, 6. Nature and Grace, and 7. Orthodox Consensus. Each is then broken down to several sub-chapters.

Do not expect a Biblical defense of the Trinity or any other doctrine from this book. Pelikan clearly explains that catholic belief came after a long and hard consideration of biblical concepts, with many dissenters who interpreted the Bible differently. The chapter on the Trinity for instance focuses on the varying ways of interpreting the relationship of Jesus to the Father. This includes heretic doctrines of Modalism, and Adoptianism, as well as proto-orthodox Logos-Theology, and the Nicene Trinity. While he explains the views of those outside the catholic mainstream, even often arguing on their behalf, he (and most scholars outside of a few in the 1800s) does not believe that the heretical groups throughout history agreed on doctrine and practice (they did not) and formed an underground church.

Overall, this is a fine book that I use as a reference quite often. His whole series, of which this is the first, is very useful. Another reviewer below, Alan Wong, provides the ISBN numbers of the other books. For anyone wanting to dig deeper in his or her study of Christian doctrine and history, I would suggest this book. It is not for beginners though. He often uses Greek and Latin terms, as well as other "churchy" terms that are probably unfamiliar to most people. Chadwick's "The Early Church" and Reader's Digest's "After Jesus," which is co-edited by Pelikan, are the best places to start. However, after those have intrigued you, move on to Pelikan and you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: An Antidote for Ahistorical Christians
Review: This book is the first of a series of five books that covers the historical development of Christian doctrines from the second until the 20th century.

In this book, Mr. Pelikan covers the development of Christian doctrines from the second until the seventh century which essentially was a crucial period in history of Christianity where early Christians struggled to formulate key doctrines, e.g. the Trinity, Christology, Anthropology, etc, that would ultimately shape the development of Christianity.

Mr. Pelikan has rendered the Christian community a great service through this book as it document the landmarks of the faith once delivered.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian who wishes to deepen his/her understanding of how and why Christians hold to certain teachings. This book is a welcome relief for any Christians who seeks to understand the historical dimension of the faith, thus enabling them to view how they are connected to the living apostolic Church from the early believers to today.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book for the intermediate student
Review: This book reviews the different doctrines and beliefs of the earliest Christians. Pelikan discusses each doctrine and shows the evolution of the Christian (and Heretical) beliefs. This book is not for a beginner. I think you need to have a good grasp of church history and the major theolgians' core beliefs. This book (part 1 of a series) is invaluable for the theologian or student of church history.