Customer Reviews

The Dictionary of Historical Theology

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This recently published compendium of historical theology was prepared to fill a gap of no English based work on the history and development of Christian theology.

An outstanding group of international contributors makes up this volume of some 314 historical individuals or movements. These choices and the writing on each one is limited, as this effort does not define itself as total in its coverage, but does provide scholarly, informative broad coverage.

Features include a compiled index which goes beyond the 314, and each entry provides a "Further Reading" section as well.

Testing the meeting of its goals and objectives with this reviewer's own theological confession (Lutheranism), I find its entrees to be well done, sweeping with proper emphases and tensions illuminated. Inclusion of the works on Luther, Melanchthon and Chemnitz are illustrative of the sought after scope of this fine effort.

I look forward to using this has a handy resource to find one's historical bearings and then proceed further with its recommendations for further probe.

. . .useful for the scholar, the cleric, and the informed layman.

This book is far less comprehensive than, say, the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, but has the advantage of being much less expensive, and much less daunting for the beginning student. The volume covers the major events and figures throughout the history of the Christian Church in an alphabetized dictionary format. The information presented is clear and concise without being minimalistic and the book is not particularly "weighted" toward a specific Christian tradition (thus minimizing polemic).

This book would be a fine addition to a parish library.

The right approach to historical theology is team work. 173 world wide well known and well publishing experts, from various religious strands and nations tell you on scholarly level but in plain language and on 1 page essays, exactly what you need to hear on his own expertise field, then adding a brief list of books. This is how a 600 page book doesn't get you bored. And the book is cheap for what you get really.

Running a theology and bible education program of my own, I do consider this as approach: this book alongside a timeline of events and persons. Connections, in depth studies, or other things to be dug out from articles rather than books. The student is this way far better off than with a long book work written by one single person, whose ups and downs you'd have to swallow altogether, like Olson. The only downside is that this book, though much more thorough and up to date than any other introduction I know, yet is not exhaustive. The apostolic sadly are briefly treated together and so are the Capadocian fathers, you won't find many renaissance philosophers, you won't find popes and their doctrinal accomplishments. At the other hand, you will find lots of issues such as environmental, process or narrative theology. This is defenitely a book which the longer you use it, the more you rightly depend on it, if it covers the field.