“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”
Ps. 145:4
“…the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
1 Tim. 3:15
“…The truth of the Lord endureth for ever.”
Ps. 117:2
.
.
Subsection
.
.
Order of Contents
Intro & Definition
History of
Dictionaries
Special Studies
By Period
. Early Church
. Medieval Church
. Protestantism
. The Reformation
. New England
By Tradition
. Anglican
.
.
Intro & Definition
Historical theology is Scriptural theology organized and viewed through the way it has been recognized and developed through the history of the Church.
Why is historical theology dearly precious? Because nearly every aspect of Scriptural teaching has been hammered out in more profound earnestness and depth by the godly giants of the past, and their personal stories, than we can comprehend.
.
.
The History of Historical Theology
Hodgson, Peter C. – The Formation of Historical Theology; a Study of Ferdinand Christian Baur (Harper & Row, 1966) 315 pp. ToC
Baur was a liberal.
.
Dictionaries
Blunt, John Henry – Dictionary of Doctrinal & Historical Theology (Rivingtons, 1870) 835 pp. Tabular Guide Index
ed. Hart, Trevor – Dictionary of Historical Theology Buy (Paternoster / Eerdmans, 2000) 625 pp. Index Abr Contributors
.
Special Studies
Briggs, Charles A. – History of the Study of Theology, vol. 1, 2 (1916)
Briggs was an American, liberal scholar. This work encompasses the whole of church history and gives background to the methods that historical theologians employed in studying.
.
.
Historical Theology by Historical Period
Being constructed
.
The Early Church
.
.
The Medieval Church
.
.
Protestantism
Dorner, Isaac, A. – History of Protestant Theology, Particularly in Germany, vol. 1, 2 (1871)
Dorner (1809–1884) was a German liberal.
Hurst, John Fletcher – History of Rationalism: Embracing a Survey of the Present State of Protestant Theology rev. & enlarged (London, 1867) This edition includes ch. 4 on Spinoza in the 1600’s that other editions don’t have.
Hurst (1834–1903) was an American bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church and the first Chancellor of the American University in Washington, D.C.
.
.
The Reformation Period
This section is incomplete, but we will add greatly to it in time.
.
Cunningham, William – The Reformers & the Theology of the Reformation Buy (1862) 608 pp.
Here Cunningham is at his best, church history and the principles of the Reformation being his life’s work.
.
.
New England
New England theology has generally been a downhill slide
ever since the death of Jonathan Edwards.
.
Articles
Dwight, William, T. – ‘Characteristics of New England Theology, a Discourse’ (Congregational Board of Publication, 1855) 30 pp.
Foster, Frank – ‘The History of the Original Puritan Theology of New England, 1620-1720’ (1897) 27 pp.
Beeke, Joel – ‘Preface’ 5 pp. to Timothy Dweight, Theology Explained & Defended, 4 vols. Buy (d. 1817; RHB, 2005)
.
Books
Pond, Enoch – Sketches of the Theological History of New England 1880 105 pp.
Pond, an American congregationalist, defends the New England theology.
Boardman, George Nye – A History of New England Theology 1899
Boardman was a professor in (the liberal) Chicago Theological Seminary.
Foster, Frank Hugh – A Genetic History of the New England Theology (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1907)
.
.
Historical Theology by Tradition
.
Anglican
Hall, Francis – Dogmatic Theology, 10 vols. (1907)
Hall was a professor of dogmatic theology at the Episcopal Church’s General Theological Seminary in the early 20th century. He was an American heir of the Tractarians and tended towards the Anglo-Catholic side of doctrine (which is highly not recommended).
.
.
.
Related Pages