The History of Christian Doctrines

Author

Louis Berkhof

Category History & Biography, Theology Books

Look Inside Price

500 in stock

Weight	1.1 lbs
Dimensions	8.8 × 5.75 × 1.1 in
ISBN	9780851510057
Binding	Cloth-bound
Topic	General Theology, Pre-Reformation, Historical Theology
Original Pub Date	1937
Banner Pub Date	Dec 1, 1969
Page Count	288
Scripture	New Testament
Format	Book

Book Description

The study of doctrinal truth, apart from its historical background, leads to a truncated theology. There has been too much of this in the past, and there is a great deal of it even in the present day. The result has been the lack of a sound understanding and a proper evaluation of the truth. There was no appreciation of the fact that the Holy Spirit guided the Church in the interpretation and development of the truth as it is revealed in the Word of God. The checks and the road-signs of the past were not taken into consideration, and ancient heresies, long since condemned by the Church, are constantly repeated and represented as new discoveries.

The lessons of the past are greatly neglected, and many seem to feel that they should strike out entirely on their own, as if very little had been accomplished in the past. Surely, a theologian must take account of the present situation in the religious world, and ever study the truth anew, but he cannot neglect the lessons of the past with impunity. May this brief study of the history of doctrines serve to create a greater interest in such historical study, and lead to a better understanding of the truth.

A companion volume to the author’s Systematic Theology, also available from Banner of Truth.

Book Reviews

The Evangelical Quarterly: ‘This work is a truly great one and it promises to retain for a long time its place among the most valuable books in theology. It is especially serviceable as a handbook on the special subject dealt with. As might be expected from a man holding so high a position in the theological world as to be in line with such princely theologians as Charles Hodge and Benjamin Warfield, the book is ably executed, and forms a worthy companion to those by the same author, which preceded it. It makes a fitting completion of the set on Dogmatics. The matter is so well arranged and marked, that as a textbook, and for convenience of reference by the ordinary reader, it is ideal in construction. Attached to each section also is a number of questions as aids to further study. A list of books on each subject is also given. These add very considerable to the value of this volume.’

Table of Contents Expand ↓

	Prolegomena
I:	THE SUBJECT-MATTER OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA
	1. The meaning of the word 'dogma'	15
	2. The origin and character of dogmas	16
II:	THE TASK OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA
	1. Its presuppositions	20
	2. Its subject-matter	23
III:	METHOD AND DIVISIONS OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA
	1. Divisions of the history of dogma	25
	2. Method of treatment	26
IV:	HISTORY OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA
	1. Factors that gave rise to the history of dogma as a separate discipline	29
	2. Earlier works on the history of dogma	31
	3. Later works on the history of dogma	32
	Preparatory doctrinal development
I:	THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS AND THEIR DOCTRINAL VIEWS
	1. Their reputed writings	37
	2. Formal characteristics of their teachings	38
	3. Material contents of their teachings	40
II:	PERVERSIONS OF THE GOSPEL
	1. Jewish perversions	44
	2. Gentile perversions: Gnosticism	45
III:	REFORM MOVEMENTS IN THE CHURCH
	1. Marcion and his movement of reform	52
	2. The Montanist Reformation	54
IV:	THE APOLOGISTS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CHURCH'S THEOLOGY
	1. The task of the apologists	56
	2. Their positive construction of the truth	57
	3. Their significance for the history of dogma	59
V:	THE ANTI-GNOSTIC FATHERS
	1. The anti-Gnostic Fathers; Biographical	62
	2. Their doctrines of God, Man, and the history of redemption	63
	3. Their doctrine of the Person and work of Christ	64
	4. Their doctrines of Salvation, the Church, and the last things	67
VI:	THE ALEXANDRIAN FATHERS
	1. The Alexandrian Fathers; Biographical	70
	2. Their doctrines of God and Man	71
	3. Their doctrine of the Person and work of Christ	73
	4. Their doctrines of Salvation, the Church, and the last things	74
VII:	MONARCHIANISM
	1. Dynamic Monarchianism	77
	2. Modalistic Monarchianism	78
	The doctrine of the Trinity
I:	THE TRINITARIAN CONTROVERSY
	1. The background	83
	2. The nature of the controversy	84
	3. The Council of Nicaa	86
	4. The aftermath:
	[a] Unsatisfactory nature of the decision	87
	[b] Temporary ascendancy of semi-Arianism in the Eastern Church	87
	[c] The turning of the tide	89
	[d] The dispute about the Holy Spirit	90
	[e] Completion of the doctrine of the Trinity	91
II:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IN LATER THEOLOGY
	1. The doctrine of the Trinity in Latin theology	94
	2. The doctrine of the Trinity in the period of the Reformation	95
	3. The doctrine of the Trinity after the period of the Reformation	96
	The doctrine of Christ
I:	THE CHRISTOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES
	1. The first stage of the controversy:
	[a] The background	102
	[b] The parties to the controversy	103
	[c] The decision of the Council of Chalcedon	107
	2. The second stage of the controversy:
	[a] Confusion after the decision of the Council	108
	[b] The Monothelitic Controversy	109
	[c] The construction of the doctrine by John of Damascus	110
	[d] The Christology of the Western Church	111
II:	LATER CHRISTOLOGICAl DISCUSSIONS
	1. In the Middle Ages	114
	2. During the Reformation	115
	3. In the nineteenth century	117
	[a] The view of Schleiermacher	118
	[b] The conceptions of Kant and Hegel	119
	[c] The Kenotic theories	120
	[d] Dorner's conception of the Incarnation	121
	[e] Ritschl's view of the Person of Christ	122
	[f] Christ in modern theology	122
	The doctrine of sin and grace and related doctrines
I:	THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE PATRISTIC PERIOD
	1. The importance of anthropological problems	127
	2. The anthropology of the Greek Fathers	127
	3. The gradual emergence of another view in the West	129
II:	THE PELAGIAN AND AUGUSTINIAN DOCTRINES OF SIN AND GRACE
	1. Augustine and Pelagius	131
	2. The Pelagian ___ of sin and grace	132
	3. The Augustinian view of sin and grace	133
	[a] Augustine's view of sin	134
	[b] His view of grace	135
	4. Pelagian and Semi-Pelagian controversies	137
III:	THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE AGES
	1. The views of Gregory the Great	140
	2. The Gottschalkian controversy	141
	3. The contribution of Anselm
	[a] His doctrine of sin	142
	[b] His doctrine of the freedom of the will	143
	4. Peculiarities of Roman Catholic anthropology	144
IV:	THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE PERIOD OF THE REFORMATION
	1. The anthropology of the Reformers	147
	2. The Socinian position	149
	3. Arminian anthropology	150
	4. The position of the Synod of Dort	151
	5. The position of the School of Saumur	153
V:	ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEWS OF POST-REFORMATION TIMES
	1. Divergent views:
	[a] A modification of the Arminian view in Wesleyan Arminianism	155
	[b] A modification of the Reformed view in New England theology	156
	2. Some modern theories of Sin:
	[a] Philosophical	157
	[b] Theological	158
	The doctrine of the atonement or of the work of Christ
I:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT BEFORE ANSELM
	1. In Greek patristic theology	165
	2. In Latin patristic theology	168
II:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT FROM ANSELM TO THE REFORMATION
	1. The doctrine of the atonement in Anselm	171
	2. Abelard's theory of the atonement	174
	3. Reaction to Abelard in Bernard of Clairvaux	175
	4. Syncretistic views of the atonement
	[a] Peter the Lombard	176
	[b] Bonaventura	176
	[c] Thomas Aquinas	177
	5. Duns Scotus on the atonement	179
III:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT IN THE PERIOD OF THE REFORMATION
	1. The Reformers improve on the doctrine of Anselm	182
	2. The Socinian conception of the atonement	182
	3. The Grotian theory of the atonement	186
	4. The Arminian view of the atonement	188
	5. The compromise of the School of Saumur	190
IV:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT AFTER THE REFORMATION
	1. The Marrow controversy in Scotland	192
	2. Schleiermacher and Ritschl on the atonement	193
	3. Some of the more recent theories on the atonement:
	[a] The governmental theory in New England theology	195
	[b] Different types of the moral influence theory	196
	[c] The mystical theory of the atonement	198
	The doctrine of the application and appropriation of Divine Grace
I:	THE SOTERIOLOGY OF THE PATRISTIC PERIOD
	1. The soteriology of the first three centuries	203
	2. The soteriology of the remaining centuries of the Patristic Period	205
II:	THE SOTERIOLOGY OF THE SCHOLASTIC PERIOD
	1. The scholastic conception of grace	211
	2. The scholastic conception of faith	212
	3. The scholastic conception of justification and merit	213
III:	REFORMATION AND POST-REFORMATION SOTERIOLOGY
	1. The Lutheran order of salvation	217
	2. The Reformed order of salvation	219
	3. The Arminian order of salvation	221
	4. Minor conceptions of the order of salvation
	[a] Antinomian	222
	[b] Mystical	223
	The doctrine of the Church and the Sacraments
I:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
	1. In the Patristic Period	227
	2. In the Middle Ages	232
	3. During and after the Reformation
	[a] The Lutheran view	236
	[b] The Anabaptist view	237
	[c] The Reformed view	237
	[d] Divergent Post-Reformation views	238
II:	THE DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENTS
	1. The sacraments in general:
	[a] Development of the doctrine before the Reformation	242
	[b] The doctrine of the Reformers and of later theology	245
	2. Baptism:
	[a] Development of the doctrine before the Reformation	247
	[b] The doctrine of the Reformers and of later theology	249
	3. The Lord's Supper:
	[a] Development of the doctrine before the Reformation	251
	[b] The doctrine of the Reformers and of later theology	254
	The doctrine of the last things
I:	THE INTERMEDIATE STATE	259
II:	THE SECOND ADVENT AND THE MILLENNIAL HOPE	262
III:	THE RESURRECTION	265
IV:	THE LAST JUDGMENT AND FINAL AWARDS	267
	Literature	273
	Index of names	277
	Index of subjects	280