This volume seeks to "provide readers with a concise introduction to the lives and thought of more than 450 Christian theologians." Entries are alphabetically arranged and begin with the date and place of birth and death for each theologian. Whenever possible, the biographical articles describe not only the theologian's life and career, but also the contribution made to Christian theology. Article length varies from 250 to 2,000 words according to the importance of a person's influence as determined by the editors. Entries include short bibliographies of primary and secondary works and are signed by their authors, the majority of whom teach at North American colleges and academic seminaries. The dictionary concludes with a short bibliography of works on Christian theology and history, as well as an index. Boldface page references in the index indicate a separate biographical entry as opposed to mention in the body of an entry for another theologian. In addition, an asterisk before a name in the text of an entry signals that a separate entry can be found for that theologian as well.
Theologian is understood in this dictionary to describe someone "whose work was primarily in systematic and spiritual theology, or historians of the Christian Church whose work was primarily theological in orientation." The editors make clear that canon lawyers, biblical exegetes, and philosophers of religion are not included. Those theologians represented come from the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox traditions and range in time from the second century through the twentieth. Not surprisingly, men outnumber women. Famous women such as Catherine of Siena and Hildegard of Bingen are covered; so too are Americans Phoebe Worrall Palmer, an important figure in the Holiness Movement of the nineteenth century, and Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. A theologian must have died before 1994 to be covered, as that was the date work on this dictionary commenced."The primary readership that the editors had in mind was graduate students in a master's degree program in theology." This is an important point for libraries to remember when considering adding this work to their collection. Martin Luther may be important both as a Christian theologian and as a figure in Western European history, but the significance of most of the theologians treated here is far more specialized. Although libraries with strong collections in Christian theology and history will likely want to acquire this title, others might do better with the recently published third edition of
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (1997), which is a much broader reference tool. Those libraries choosing the Greenwood title may find the exclusion of theologians who had not passed away as of 1994 (e.g., Hans Kung and Rosemary Radford Ruether) problematic. Two works that will help in this regard and serve as good introductions are
A New Handbook of Christian Theologians (Abingdon, 1996) and
The Modern Theologians (2d ed., Blackwell, 1997).
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--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Here is a dictionary with a difference. Where else can you find in one volume the sweep of Christian theology from the earliest centuries forward, encapsulated in the life and work of 450 of the church's formative theologians? Designed originally for research libraries, this helpful anthology is now available in paperback for working clergy, seminarians, and literate laity. It speaks to the questions they are asking. Does Karl Rahner's notion of anonymous Christianity" give us any help in our world of religious pluralism? What did Luther teach about grace and faith that sheds light on the 1999 breakthrough Lutheran-Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification? Who can help us make some sense of the Trinity so central to our Christian faith? . . . This book is an invaluable addition to the pastor's study, the student's cubicle and the church library, as well as to the shelves of academe."
--Gabriel Fackre, Andover-Newton Theological School
"The learned authors recruited to write these articles treat their subjects succinctly, clearly, and fairly. It is hard to imagine a better place to begin serious study of Christendom's serious students of God."
--Mark A. Noll, Wheaton College -- Review
