Adolf Von Harnack: Liberal Theology at Its Height (Making of Modern Theology) [Paperback]

Adolf Von Harnack (Author), Martin Rumscheidt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995 | Series: Making of Modern Theology

Von Harnack was the most outstanding student of early Christianity in modern times, and one of the most persuasive exponents of Liberal Theology.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 329 pages
• Publisher: T. & T. Clark Publishers, Ltd. (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0005991307
• ISBN-13: 978-0005991305
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,571,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A founding father of modern theology, June 19, 2004

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FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Adolf Von Harnack (The Making of modern theology) (Hardcover)

This volume on the works of Adolf von Harnack is part of a series entitled 'the Making of Modern Theology: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Texts'. Each of the volumes in the series focuses upon one particular theologian of note. These volumes are of use to students, seminarians, ministers and other readers interested in the development of theological ideas in the modern and postmodern world. Each volume is a reader of key texts from the theologian highlighted - the text entries are annotated a bit by the editors, and the editor of each volume provides an introduction setting the general stage for context and understanding. For some reason, when this series made the translation to paperback series by Fortress Press, this volume was not included in the number, which is a shame.

Editor Martin Rumscheidt describes von Harnack as being a theologian at the height of liberal theology -- this is not 'liberal' in terms of political liberalism of the twentieth century, but rather theology that takes account of contemporary science, culture, and philosophy (liberalism in particular draws origins from the Enlightenment and Immanuel Kant), as well as emphasising history, ethics, and religious sentiment over dogmatism.

Adolf von Harnack authored more than 1600 titles, while holding down various major professorships, while heading major theological and religious organisations and associations. von Harnack was so well-known and respected that he was frequently turning down prestigious appointments. The son of a church history professor, he spent his life in the academy, becoming known as a biblical scholar, an historian, and a theologian. Because of his views on scripture, resurrection and sacraments, he was attacked both by the Roman Catholic establishment for anti-Christian teaching, and by his own Lutheran church, who never permitted him into the ranks of the clergy.

His most famous work, 'What is Christianity?' originated as notes from lectures he delivered at the turn of the twentieth century. All but one of Rumscheidt's sections draw from this pivotal work, which sets out clearly and succinctly what von Harnack sees as the most important aspects of Christianity. In this, one also gets a sense of von Harnack's view on scripture and on history. Rumscheidt draws liberally from a wide range of von Harnack's works on the broad themes of history in service of theology, early church history and dogma (von Harnack once said that the course of Christianity will be guided by the progress of the discipline of church history), the idea of religious genius, the social gospel, and ideas of personal faith, an important issue for von Harnack, given that he was at odds with much of the non-academic religious establishment.

Each volume in this series also has a selected bibliography section -- this one for von Harnack is divided into three sections -- bibliographic works, including the definitive listing of 1611 of his works; a selected list of von Harnack's works in English; and secondary works in English. Rumscheidt mentions that much of von Harnack's works are not yet available in English. The book is not well indexed, compared to other volumes in this series, but it is still a serviceable one, divided into a names section and a subject section. This is a very good book for scholarship. the work here is in translation from the original German.