Listening to the Past: The Place of Tradition in Theology [Paperback]

Stephen R. Holmes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Shows what listening to the tradition of the church involves and how it can be used to aid theological work today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801026423
• ISBN-13: 978-0801026423
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,451,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the value of tradition, July 27, 2007

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listening to the Past: The Place of Tradition in Theology (Paperback)

This is not the book I thought it would be when I bought it, and in retrospect I wish I hadn't. I give it four stars because it does what it purports to do: show how theologians do not function in theological vacuums with their bibles at their side (not that Holmes disbelieves sola scriptura). I withhold a star because I disagree with its fundamental premise, as you'll read. So I write this review to let you know what it is not, so that you may be better informed, and to give possible alternatives to this book for selected readers.

This is not a book about early Christian thought, as I thought it would be. Rather it is, in my view, a disconnected assortment of case studies about the role that tradition plays (which is applied by the author in the broadest of terms) in the lives of theologians from such variant and diverse traditions (see my point!) as Calvin, Barth, Anselm, Edwards, Basil, John of Damascus, Anabaptists, etc. It is good in showing how each person or movement adapted or rejected the past to suit their own needs and fit their own perspectives and readings of the bible since, especially for the post-Reformation thinkers, that is the sole authoritative source, which many would argue is a misunderstanding of the tradition "once delivered", but anyway...

To counterbalance this, the author tries to show, not successfully in my view, the middle ground between the Roman two source theory and the individualistic sola scriptura readings of the Anabaptists. (I believe that there is in fact a third way, but it is found in plugging into the Orthodox tradition and not in the claim that the bible is the sole authoritative and self-authenticating source of theology, even if you hold moderate and somewhat traditional theological views, but that is not the point of this review.) Writing that tradition can be given a tentative and soft normative power over the reading and application of Scripture, he still holds to the sola scriptura stance. Here I feel he is not being totally honest about the nature of the canon itself, as if it created itself with no relation to the liturgical communities that produced and authenticated and interpreted the letters and gospels. I see his point, and for years I myself believed it, but it ultimately became unworkable, in my experience.

His chapter on baptism in the Fathers was very useful in its overview of the topic, yet it fails to get to the root of the matter. Yes, it is true that many of the Fathers themselves waited to their late teens or twenties to be baptized (one can mention Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzus, and Jerome). But they did not receive baptism because they thought of it only as an outward sign with no conveying of grace and regeneration. It is the exact opposite! They held too high a view of the purity to maintain afterward and wanted to avoid seriously sinning afterwards. Although itself a misunderstanding of baptism, it proves the opposite point that many Protestants try to make of the examples. Moreover, infants who were in danger of dying from sickness were always baptized, even though their parents may have waited until later had they been healthy. Holmes acknowledges this point, but it seems to not always be heard by his readers.

All in all a book very much worth reading, but be sure you know what you're buying.

Books that may be of more direct relevance to the question of tradition and its value are: The Vindication of Tradition: The 1983 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (Notre Dame Series in the Great Books, No 4), any of Jaroslav Pelikan's works, especially his Development of Christian Doctrine, Tradition & Traditions, The Meaning of Tradition, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God.
Please see my other reviews for similar topics in more detail.

Enjoy!

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A succinctly written study of lessons already learned, June 21, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listening to the Past: The Place of Tradition in Theology (Paperback)

Listening To The Past: The Place Of Tradition In Theology by Stephen R. Holmes (Lecturer in Christian Doctrine at King's College, London and Senior Researcher in Mission and Theology at the Bible Society) comprehensively examines the doctrine of communion of saints, bringing together wisdom concerning atonement, free will, theology, politics, and the importance of listening to and learning from tradition and history. Each individual chapter focuses on a different aspect of modern-day questions and conundrums involving God and faith, in a succinctly written study of lessons already learned throughout the centuries. Listening To The Past is especially recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in Christian Doctrine & Theology.