What is Christianity (Fortress Texts in Modern Theology) [Paperback]

Adolf von Harnack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1986 | Series: Fortress Texts in Modern Theology

"Harnack's book is a theological-historical document of the greatest importance." --Rudolf Bultmann

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

About the Author

Adolf von Harnack (1851?1930), was a German theologian and prominent church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912. Harnack traced the influence of Hellenistic philosophy on early Christian writing and called on Christians to question the authenticity of doctrines that arose in the early Christian church. He rejected the gospel of John in favor of the synoptic gospels, criticized the Apostles' Creed, and promoted the social gospel. In the 19th century, higher criticism flourished in Germany, establishing the historical-critical method as an academic standard for interpreting the Bible and understanding the historical Jesus (see Tübingen school). Harnack's iconoclastic work is part of this tradition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press; 1st Fortress Press ed edition (January 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080063201X
• ISBN-13: 978-0800632014
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,446,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Work -- Faulty Binding, October 21, 2005

By 

Robert B. Price (La Mirada, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What is Christianity (Fortress Texts in Modern Theology) (Paperback)

Harnack's work is a classic in modern theology and deserves five stars for its influence alone. The binding of this edition, however, (at least the one I ordered for our university library) cracks almost anywhere you open it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A MAJOR WORK OF ONE OF THE GREAT "LIBERAL" THEOLOGIANS, July 21, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What is Christianity? (Classic Reprint) (Paperback)

Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930) was a German theologian and prominent church historian. This book contains Harnack's lectures that were originally given during the 1899-1900 winter semester at the University of Berlin.

For Harnack, "the Christian religion is something simple and sublime; it means one thing and one thing only: Eternal life in the midst of time, by the strength and under the eyes of God." He suggests, "either the Gospel is in all respects identical with its earliest form, in which case it came with its time and has departed with it; or else it contains something which, under differing historical forms, is of permanent validity."

Here are some representative quotations:

"Religion gives us only a single experience, but one which presents the world in a new light: the Eternal appears; time becomes means to an end; man is seen to be on the side of the Eternal."
"There is no sadder spectacle than this transformation of the Christian religion from a worship of God in spirit and truth into a worship of God in signs, formulas, and idols."
"The Roman Church in this way privily pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation."
"(I)t is religion, the love of God and neighbour, which gives life a meaning; knowledge cannot do it."

9 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What is Christianity if Jesus were merely a prophet, June 15, 2008

By 

Joe Rae (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What is Christianity? (Paperback)

Harnack considers himself an imitator of Jesus, the man who did nothing more than (as a mere man) manifest the way to the Father for his fellow man. His book quite eloquently walks through church history from this novel premise and perspective.

The book contains many astute points. To highlight a few:

He agrees with Goethe "Let intellectual and spiritual culture progress, and the human mind expand, as much as it will; beyond the grandeur and the moral elevation of Christianity, as it sparkles and shines in the Gospels, the human mind will not advance."

The Pharisees proclaimed God through commands and earthly trade in contrast to Jesus who proclaimed God through the soul's nobility and love.

Meanings given to life that are not eternal are merely trite sophisms.

The cross cannot be gainsaid by philosophical argument. It is too sublime for man to reason against.

The power of the nascent church demonstrated itself by keeping its integrity while conquering all the three entrenched powers of its time - nature worship, state religion and pagan philosophy

The Roman Catholic Church is merely the continuation of the Roman Empire and is the opposite of the early Christian church at Rome in many ways.

Reformation always applies Ockham's razor by purifying down to the essentials.

Now the problems:

Harnack denies miracle yet speaks of a God who can "compel Nature" and by this, speaks in riddles. If God is above nature why can't He overrule the Nature He has made? Furthermore, how does Harnack think he possesses the qualifications, as a creature within Nature, to explain on behalf of God His limitations within His creation? Remedial reading of Job chapter 38 could have erased Harnack's presumption.

Harnack states " The Gospel nowhere says that God's mercy is limited to Jesus' mission." Is Harnack aware of John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.?"

Finally, Harnack's denial of the Divinity of Christ and consequently the Trinity define him as a Christian heretic. His castigation of Luther for stopping short of eradicating these dogmatic curses from the church is certainly shocking to orthodox Christian ears.

For doctrine (which Harnack does not have much use for) the book is a zero star. For historical insight subsequent to 200 A.D. the book is at least a three. I will give it a two with hesitation.