Table of Contents

List of Illustrations. Mission Statement. Preface. To the Student: How to Use this Work. To the Teacher: How to Use this Book. Part I: Landmarks: Periods, Themes, and Personalities of Christian Theology: Introduction. 1. The Patristic Period, ca. 100-451. A Clarification of Terms. An Overview of the Patristic Period. Key Theologians. Justin Martyr. Irenaeus of Lyons. Origen. Tertullian. Athanasius. Augustine of Hippo. Key Theological Developments. The Extent of the New Testament Canon. The Role of Tradition. The Relation of Christian Theology and Secular Culture. The Fixing of the Ecumenical Creeds. The Two Natures of Jesus Christ. The Doctrine of the Trinity. The Doctrine of the Church. The Doctrine of Grace. Key Names, Words, and Phrases. Questions for Chapter 1. Further Reading . 2. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, ca. 1050-ca. 1500. A Clarification of Terms. The Middle Ages. The Renaissance. Scholasticism. Humanism. Key Theologians. Anselm of Canterbury. Thomas Aquinas. Duns Scotus. William of Ockham. Erasmus of Rotterdam. Key Theological Developments. The Consolidation of the Patristic Heritage. The Exploration of the Role of Reason in Theology. The Development of Theological Systems. The Development of Sacramental Theology. The Development of the Theology of Grace. The Role of Mary in the Scheme of Salvation. Returning Directly to the Sources of Christian Theology. The Critique of the Vulgate Translation of Scripture. Byzantine Theology. Key Names, Words, and Phrases. Questions for Chapter 2. Further Reading. 3. The Reformation and Post-Reformation Periods, ca. 1500-ca. 1750. A Clarification of Terms. The Lutheran Reformation. The Calvinist Reformation. The Radical Reformation (Anabaptism). The Catholic Reformation. Key Theologians. Martin Luther. John Calvin. Huldrych Zwingli. Key Theological Developments. The Sources of Theology. The Doctrine of Grace. The Doctrine of the Sacraments. The Doctrine of the Church. Developments in Theological Literature. The Catechisms. Confessions of Faith. Works of Systematic Theology. Post-Reformation Movements. Protestant Orthodoxy. Roman Catholicism. Puritanism. Pietism. Key Names, Words, and Phrases. Questions for Chapter 3. Further Reading. 4. The Modern Period, ca. 1750 to the Present. The Enlightenment. The Enlightenment and Protestantism. The Enlightenment Critique of Christian Theology: a General Overview. The Enlightenment Critique of Christian Theology: Specific Issues. Theological Movements Since the Enlightenment. Romanticism. Marxism. Liberal Protestantism. Modernism. Neo-Orthodoxy. Roman Catholicism. Eastern Orthodoxy. Feminism. Postmodernism. Liberation theology. Black Theology. Postliberalism. Evangelicalism. Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. . Theologies of the Developing World. Key Names, Words, and Phrases. Questions for Chapter 4. Further Reading. Part II: Sources and Methods: 5. Getting Started: Preliminaries. A Working Definition of Theology. The Development of Theology as an Academic Discipline. The Architecture of Theology. Biblical Studies. Systematic Theology. Historical Theology. Pastoral Theology. Philosophical Theology. Spirituality, or Mystical Theology. The Question of Prolegomena. Commitment and Neutrality in Theology. Orthodoxy and Heresy. Historical Aspects. Theological Aspects. Questions for Chapter 5. Further Reading. 6. The Sources of Theology. Scripture. Old and New Testaments. The Word of God. Narrative Theology. Methods of Interpretation of Scripture. Theories of the Inspiration of Scripture. Reason. Reason and Revelation: Three Models. Deism. Enlightenment Rationalism. Criticisms of Enlightenment Rationalism Addition. A Single-Source Theory of Tradition. A Dual-Source Theory of Tradition. The Total Rejection of Tradition. Theology and Worship: the Importance of Liturgical Tradition. Religious Experience. Existentialism: a Philosophy of Human Experience. Experience and Theology: Two Models. Feuerbach's Critique of Experience-Based Theologies. Questions for Chapter 6. Further Reading. 7. Knowledge of God: Natural and Revealed. The Idea of Revelation. Models of Revelation. Revelation as Doctrine. Revelation as Presence. Revelation as Experience. Revelation as History. Natural Theology: Its Scope and Limits. Thomas Aquinas on Natural Theology. Calvin on Natural Theology. The Reformed Tradition on Natural Theology. Approaches to Discerning God in Nature. Objections to Natural Theology. A Theological Objection: Karl Barth. A Philosophical Objection: Alvin Plantinga. Questions for Chapter 7. Further Reading. 8. Philosophy and Theology: Introducing a Dialogue. Some Philosophical Influences, Issues and Debates. Platonism. Aristotelianism. Rationalism and Empiricism. Realism and Idealism. Logical Positivism: The Vienna Circle. The Demand for Falsification: Karl Popper. The Nature of Faith. Faith and Knowledge. Faith and Salvation. Aquinas and Luther Compared. Can God's Existence be Proved?The Ontological Argument. Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways. The Cosmological Argument. The Kalam Argument. The Teleological Argument: William Paley. The Nature of Theological Language. Analogy. Metaphor. Accommodation. A Case Study: the Copernican Debate. Questions for Chapter 8. Further Reading. Part III: Christian Theology: 9. The Doctrine of God. Is God Male?A Personal God. Defining "Person". Dialogical Personalism. Can God Suffer?The Classic View: the Impassability of God. A Suffering God. The Death of God?The Omnipotence of God. Defining Omnipotence. The Two Powers of God. The Notion of Divine Self-Limitation. God's Action in the World. Deism: God Acts Through the Laws of Nature. Thomism: God Acts Through Secondary Causes. Process Theology: God Acts Through Persuasion. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: Point Omega. Theodicies: The Problem of Evil. Irenaeus of Lyons. Augustine of Hippo. Karl Barth. Recent Contributions. God as Creator. Development of the Doctrine of Creation. Implications of the Doctrine of Creation. Models of God as Creator. Creation and Time. Creation and Christian Approaches to Ecology. Creation and the Relation of Theology and the Natural Sciences. The Holy Spirit. Models of the Holy Spirit. The Debate over the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. Augustine of Hippo: the Spirit as Bond of Love. The Functions of the Spirit. Questions for Chapter 9. Further Reading. 10. The Doctrine of the Trinity. The Biblical Foundations of the Trinity. The Historical Development of the Doctrine: The Terms. The Historical Development of the Doctrine: The Ideas. Perichoresis. Appropriation. Two Trinitarian Heresies. Modalism. Tritheism. The Trinity: Six Models. The Cappadocians. Augustine of Hippo. Karl Barth. Karl Rahner. Robert Jenson. John Macquarrie. The Filioque Controversy. Questions for Chapter 10. Further Reading. 11. The Doctrine of the Person of Christ. The Relation between Christology and Soteriology. The Place of Jesus Christ in Christian Theology. Jesus Christ is the Historical Point of Departure for Christianity. Jesus Christ Reveals God. Jesus Christ is the Bearer of Salvation. Jesus Christ Defines the Shape of the Redeemed Life. New Testament Christological Affirmations. Messiah. Son of God. Son of Man. Lord. God. The Patristic Debate over the Person of Christ. Early Contributions: From Justin Martyr to Origen. The Arian Controversy. The Alexandrian School. The Antiochene School. The "Communication of Attributes". Adolf von Harnack on the Evolution of Patristic Christology. Models of Divine Presence in Christ. The Example of a Godly Life. A Symbolic Presence. Christ as Mediator. Presence of the Spirit. Revelational Presence. Substantial Presence. Kenotic Approaches to Christology. Questions for Chapter 11. Further Reading. 12. Faith and History: A New Christological Agenda. The Enlightenment and Christology. The Critique of Miracles. The Development of Doctrinal Criticism. The Problem of Faith and History. The Chronological Difficulty. The Metaphysical Difficulty. The Existential Difficulty. The Quest of the Historical Jesus. The Original Quest of the Historical Jesus. The Quest for the Religious Personality of Jesus. The Critique of the Quest, 1890-1910. The Retreat from History: Rudolf Bultmann. The New Quest of the Historical Jesus. The Third Quest of the Historical Jesus. The Resurrection of Christ: Event and Meaning. The Enlightenment: the Resurrection as Non-Event. David Friedrich Strauss: the Resurrection as Myth. Rudolf Bultmann: The Resurrection as an Event in the Experience of the Disciples. Karl Barth: The Resurrection as an Historical Event Beyond Critical Inquiry. Wolfhart Pannenberg: The Resurrection as an Historical Event Open to Critical Inquiry. Resurrection and the Christian Hope. Questions for Chapter 12. Further Reading. 13. The Doctrine of Salvation in Christ. Christian Approaches to Salvation. Salvation is Linked with Jesus Christ. Salvation is Shaped by Jesus Christ. The Eschatological Dimension of Salvation. The Foundations of Salvation: The Cross of Christ. The Cross as a Sacrifice. The Cross as a Victory. The Cross and Forgiveness. The Cross as a Moral Example. The Nature of Salvation in Christ. Some Pauline Images of Salvation. Deification. Righteousness in the Sight of God. Authentic Human Existence. Political Liberation. Spiritual Freedom. The Scope of Salvation in Christ. Universalism: All will be Saved. Only Believers will be Saved. Particular Redemption: Only the Elect will be Saved. Questions for Chapter 13. Further Reading. 14. The Doctrines of Human Nature, Sin, and Grace. The Place of Humanity within Creation. The Pelagian Controversy. The "Freedom of the Will". The Nature of Sin.

About the Author

Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. He is one of the world's leading theologians and the author of numerous popular theology textbooks, including The Christian Theology Reader (second edition, 2001), Christian Literature: An Anthology (2000), Christian Spirituality (1999), Reformation Thought (third edition, 1999), Historical Theology (1998), and An Introduction to Christianity (1997), all available from Blackwell. He is also author of A Brief History of Heaven (2003), and co-editor of The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism (2003).

Reviews

"This book is an extraordinary achievement, a tour de force which will introduce thousands of students to theology as a discipline with a rich heritage, a clear sense of its own methods and norms, and an elusive yet articulate understanding of Christian language." Reviews in Religion and Theology (of the previous edition)
"This publication is a seminal text for the student or teacher of Christian Theology. Its readability and general presentation make it a very accessible text for those with a general interest in this area of academic endeavour. In essence this is a text which would be a useful and valuable resource for the teacher or student of theology. For school-based practitioners it is a very sound teacher reference text. It contains in one volume a very thorough treatment of the key developments in Christian Theology over the past 2000 years." Religious Education Journal of Australia

"At this time when the interest in Christianity has become global and new interpretations are on the horizon, it is good to come across a scholar who is dedicated to the teaching of Theology worldwide to let us all see for ourselves what the great western thinkers said in the past. Having successfully used McGrath's Introduction to Christian Theology, I am pleased to see a reader of this kind allowing for the teaching of a more advanced courses where primary sources make a difference." Isabel Mukonyora, Western Kentucky University