Readings in the History of Christian Theology: From Its Beginnings to the Eve of the Reformation (Readings in the History of Christian Theology Vol. I)

Rating:
Summary: A good book to get an overview of historical Christian views
Review: This book takes writings from church founders, and some who argued different points that have not survived well through today in order to compare and show the growth of christianity up till the reformation. It is good in that it uses the actual writings (or translated writings in many cases) of early church founders, which unfortunately can be dry reading, but is extremely informative reading. I recommend reading it along with Placher's other book, A History of Christian Theology, in order to get a full overview of what was happening in the church during the periods of the different writings, but it can be read alone also.

Rating:
Summary: In their own words...
Review: William Placher teaches religion and philosophy at a university nearby to my schools and residence; I've had the opportunity to hear him speak several times. During his time as a teacher, he has written books on religious studies, theology and history for use in classroom settings, and this two-volume set of readings is one such useful product of Placher's.

Originally intended to be reader companions to his earlier work, 'A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction' (1983), Placher discovered to his surprise and delight that these books are able to stand alone without the earlier volume as a useful narrative of the development of Christian ideas.

The first volume deals with Christianity from the earliest days in Apostolic times to the late Middle Ages, immediately prior to the Reformation. The first few chapters deal with the earliest Church Fathers, who were writing at a time Christianity was still trying to form an identity, often over and against beliefs commonly referred to as heresies. The first chapter deals with Gnosticism and opponents -- Placher pulls in writings from Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and a few anonymous pieces (the Gospel of Thomas, for example). The second chapter moves forward a century into more elaborate developments of Christian thought; Placher chose writings from Justin Martyr, Clement, Origen, and especially Tertullian. The third chapter deals with the Trinitarian and Christological issues that pushed forward through the various credal formulations -- here, Placher draws from a wide range of writers, including the Cappadocian fathers, writers on 'losing' sides such as Arius and Nestorius, and text from the creeds themselves.

Chapters 4 and 5 highlight East and West. The fourth chapter explores many of the leading lights in the Eastern church after the Ecumenical council of Chalcedon, including John of Damascus and Gregory Palamas. The fifth chapter, the only one to concentrate on a specific individual in either volume, deals with Augustine, drawing from his many writings, including the Confessions, the City of God, and lesser works.

The next three chapters look at the Middle Ages in successive Early, High, and Late periods. The Early Middle Ages includes figures such as Jerome, Gelasius I, John Cassian, and John Scotus Eriugena. The High Middle Ages include the greats Anselm, Aquinas, and Francis of Assisi. The Late Middle Ages, up to the period of the Reformation, included William of Ockham (Ockham's Razor), Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich (the only woman in the first volume), and Erasmus.

In all, this gives a very solid introduction to the pre-Reformation church in sense of ideas, beliefs, and struggles.

The books in this set are ecumenical in nature; it is generally Western in its bias, tending toward the northern-European and American development; of course, this is audience to whom Placher writes. This is not an institutional history, but rather a history of ideas. Placher has introductions to the chapters and again to each of the primary texts, but these are minimal percentage-wise of the overall text. Placher made the conscious effort to include the most common and familiar of the passages from history, making the persuasive argument that, for students, often the passages seemingly over-used by teachers and ministers, are in fact new.

Rating:
Summary: In their own words...
Review: William Placher teaches religion and philosophy at a university nearby to my schools and residence; I've had the opportunity to hear him speak several times. During his time as a teacher, he has written books on religious studies, theology and history for use in classroom settings, and this two-volume set of readings is one such useful product of Placher's.

Originally intended to be reader companions to his earlier work, 'A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction' (1983), Placher discovered to his surprise and delight that these books are able to stand alone without the earlier volume as a useful narrative of the development of Christian ideas.

The first volume deals with Christianity from the earliest days in Apostolic times to the late Middle Ages, immediately prior to the Reformation. The first few chapters deal with the earliest Church Fathers, who were writing at a time Christianity was still trying to form an identity, often over and against beliefs commonly referred to as heresies. The first chapter deals with Gnosticism and opponents -- Placher pulls in writings from Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and a few anonymous pieces (the Gospel of Thomas, for example). The second chapter moves forward a century into more elaborate developments of Christian thought; Placher chose writings from Justin Martyr, Clement, Origen, and especially Tertullian. The third chapter deals with the Trinitarian and Christological issues that pushed forward through the various credal formulations -- here, Placher draws from a wide range of writers, including the Cappadocian fathers, writers on 'losing' sides such as Arius and Nestorius, and text from the creeds themselves.

Chapters 4 and 5 highlight East and West. The fourth chapter explores many of the leading lights in the Eastern church after the Ecumenical council of Chalcedon, including John of Damascus and Gregory Palamas. The fifth chapter, the only one to concentrate on a specific individual in either volume, deals with Augustine, drawing from his many writings, including the Confessions, the City of God, and lesser works.

The next three chapters look at the Middle Ages in successive Early, High, and Late periods. The Early Middle Ages includes figures such as Jerome, Gelasius I, John Cassian, and John Scotus Eriugena. The High Middle Ages include the greats Anselm, Aquinas, and Francis of Assisi. The Late Middle Ages, up to the period of the Reformation, included William of Ockham (Ockham's Razor), Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich (the only woman in the first volume), and Erasmus.

In all, this gives a very solid introduction to the pre-Reformation church in sense of ideas, beliefs, and struggles.

The books in this set are ecumenical in nature; it is generally Western in its bias, tending toward the northern-European and American development; of course, this is audience to whom Placher writes. This is not an institutional history, but rather a history of ideas. Placher has introductions to the chapters and again to each of the primary texts, but these are minimal percentage-wise of the overall text. Placher made the conscious effort to include the most common and familiar of the passages from history, making the persuasive argument that, for students, often the passages seemingly over-used by teachers and ministers, are in fact new.