A History of Christian Thought: Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon (Revised Edition) [Paperback]

Justo L González (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1987

A treatment of the evolution of Christian thought from the birth of Christ, to the Apostles, to the early church, to the great flowering of Christianity across the world. The first volume introduces the central figures and debates culminating in the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon among which the theologies of the early church were hammered out.

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press; 2nd,Revised edition (July 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0687171822
• ISBN-13: 978-0687171828
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful introduction and resource, August 31, 2002

By 

Joshua V. Schneider (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Christian Thought: Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon (Revised Edition) (Paperback)

In this first volume on the development of Christian thought, Gonzalez outlines the main currents of theology and how they progressed during the first ~450 years after Christ. He begins with an interesting look into the religious culture of the Jews and the Graeco-Romans around the time when Jesus Christ came into the world. He moves on to describe the writings of the "Apostolic Fathers," some of the oldest Christian literature written after the New Testament, and then progresses into the main stream of the book. The main course of the book is devoted to discussing the thought of the major theologians in the first 5 centuries, and how various controversies circulated through the church. Gonzalez explains how the church handled these issues, and the resulting theology that came from responding to various heresies. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the development of trinitarian doctrine and the corresponding refutation of Arianism, and then the later Christological controversies enter in during the latter portion of the book. There is certainly a great deal that the church today can learn from looking at its past, and this book offers a good overview of the main issues in Christianity during those early years. One might find themselves surprised that some of the same issues are still discussed today, reminding us that Solomon was right when he said "There is nothing new under the sun."

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introductory text with significant detail in places, August 3, 2004

By 

Stanford Gibson (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Christian Thought: Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon (Revised Edition) (Paperback)

Justo Gonzoles' comprehensive perspective on the historical development of doctrine can be both inspiring and overwhelming. His attempt to summarize the major movements and developments in the first four centuries of the church in Volume one was more successful than the following synthesis of a thousand years in fewer pages. The early church and ecumenical councils develop in a manner linear enough that are amenable to this sort of treatment. Gonzales' text is readable and could, at times, even be classified as fun (rare for a history of doctrine text). He does a particularly good job with the Apostolic Fathers and the early heresies.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summary of available early-christian documentation, October 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of Christian Thought: Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon (Revised Edition) (Paperback)

I found this book to be enlightening on the early Christian years. It seems to be an excellent summary of documentation that is currently available on the early church. Particularly interesting to me were the discussions on early schisms -- particularly with the gnostic movements. The book does well describing the issues that led to the many councils that defined the course of Christianity.