Historical theology
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Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Alister McGrath defines historical theology as 'the branch of theological inquiry which aims to explore the historical development of Christian doctrines, and identify the factors which were influential in the formulation and adoption.'[1] Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling describe it as, "The division of the theological discipline that seeks to understand and delineate how the church interpreted Scripture and developed doctrine throughout its history, from the time of the apostles to the present day. The twofold function of historical theology is to show the origin and development of beliefs held in the present day and to help contemporary theologians identify theological errors of the past that should be avoided in the present."[2]
Overview
According to Friedrich Schleiermacher, historical theology is a historical discipline, one that approaches areas of theology using methods that are employed in the study of any other historical phenomena.[3] This is based on the notion that theology has a historical rather than a speculative starting point.[4] For instance, the Bible and the writings of ecumenical councils are considered as historical sources and their contents are treated as witness accounts.[5] It covers the bulk of what Schleiermacher termed as the true body of theology and could include exegetical theology, dogmatics, and church history.[3]
As a branch of
An evangelical position maintains that historical theology must be aligned with the word of God or that it must always reference the Scripture.[7]
See also
References
- ISBN 9780470672853.
- ^ Grenz, Guretzki, and Nordling (1999). Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. p. 59.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ ISBN 9780227902462.
- ISBN 9780802829863.
- ISBN 978-0060654047.
- ^ Eddy, Matthew Daniel (2016). "The Cognitive Unity of Calvinist Pedagogy in Enlightenment Scotland". In Kovács, Ábrahám (ed.). Reformed Churches Working Unity in Diversity: Global Historical, Theological and Ethical Perspectives. Budapest: L'Harmattan. pp. 46–60.
- ISBN 9780310530008.
Further reading
- Finlayson, R. A. (1969). The Story of Theology (2nd ed.). London: Tyndale Press. ISBN 978-0-85111-029-5.
- ISBN 978-0-334-00264-2.
- Noble, T. A. “Historical Theology.” Edited by Martin Davie, Tim Grass, Stephen R. Holmes, John McDowell, and T. A. Noble. New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic. London; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press; InterVarsity Press, 2016.
External links
- HistoricalTheology.org - a site dedicated to the study of historical theology
- Doctoral Study in Historical Theology at Saint Louis University
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