Historical Theology

“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

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Subsection

Historical Theologies
Early Church Theology
Medieval Theology
Lutheran Theology

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Order of Contents

Intro & Definition
History
Dictionaries
Special Studies

By Period
.     Protestantism
.     Reformation
.     New England

By Tradition
.     Anglican


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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.


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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.


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Dictionaries

1800’s

Blunt, John Henry – Dictionary of Doctrinal & Historical Theology  (Rivingtons, 1870)  835 pp.  Tabular Guide  Index

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2000’s

ed. Hart, Trevor – Dictionary of Historical Theology  Buy  (Paternoster / Eerdmans, 2000)   625 pp.  Index  Abr  Contributors


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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.

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Historical Theology by Historical Period
Being constructed

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The Early Church

Early Church Theology

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The Medieval Church

Medieval Church Theology

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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.

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The Reformation Period

Under Construction

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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.

eds. Bagchi, David & David C. Steinmetz – The Cambridge Companion to Reformation Theology  (Cambrdige Univ. Press, 2004)  300 pp.  ToC

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New England

New England theology has generally been a downhill slide
ever since the death of Jonathan Edwards.

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Articles

Dwight, William, T. – ‘Characteristics of New England Theology, a Discourse’  (Congregational Board of Publication, 1855)  30 pp.

Foster, Frank Hugh – ‘The History of the Original Puritan Theology of New England, 1620-1720’  The American Journal of Theology, vol. 1  (1897), pp. 700-27

Beeke, Joel – ‘Preface’  5 pp.  to Timothy Dweight, Theology Explained & Defended, 4 vols.  Buy (d. 1817; RHB, 2005)

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Books

Pond, Enoch – Sketches of the Theological History of New England  1880  105 pp.  ToC

Pond, an American congregationalist, defends the New England theology.

Boardman, George Nye – A History of New England Theology  (1899)  310 pp.  ToC

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)  575 pp.  ToC

Holifield, E. Brooks – The Covenant Sealed: the Development of Puritan Sacramental Theology in Old & New England, 1570-1720  (Yale University Press, 1974)  255 pp.  ToC

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Historical Theology by Tradition

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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).

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Related Pages

Systematic Theologies

Biblical Theology