Essay On Devel Of Christian Doctrine: Theology (Notre Dame Series in the Great Books, No 4)

Book Description

An Essay on the Devleopment of Christian Doctrine, reprinted from the 1888 imprint, "is rightly regarded as one of the most seminal theological works ever to be written," states Ian Ker in his foreword. "It remains," Ker continues, "the classic text for the theology of the development of doctrine, a branch of theology which has become especially important in the ecumenical era."

John Henry Cardinal Newman begins the Essay by defining how true developments in doctrine occur. He then delivers a sweeping consideration of the growth and development of doctrine in the Catholic Church, from the time of the Apostles to Newman's own era. He demonstrates that the basic "rule" under which Christianity proceeded through the centuries is to be found in the principle of development, and emphasizes that thoughout the entire life of the Church this law of development has been in effect and safeguards the faith from any real corruption.

Ker concludes that, "we may say that the Essay is not only the starting point for the study of doctrinal development, but so far as Catholic theology is concerned, it is still the last word on the subject, to the extent that no other theologian has yet attempted anything on the same scale or of similar scope. . . . But even if the Essay was not one of the great theological classics, it would still be of enduring interest for two reasons. First it is one of the key intellectual documents of the nineteenth century, comparable to Darwin's Origin of Species, which it predates by over a decade. Second, if this were the only book of Newman to survive, its rhetorical art and style would surely place him among the masters of English prose."

Customer Reviews:

To this day, the definitive work on the subject........2002-03-20

Before I begin my review, allow me one caveat: the casual reader, to be sure, who stumbles upon this work after seeing it quoted in popular apologetics books (i.e. Keating's Catholicism and Fundamentalism), risks being in over his/her head completely. Such was the case with me about 3 and a half years ago when I was starting out my study of doctrine and history. For 3 years this book sat on my shelf, all attemts that I made to read it having failed because I lacked the proper foundation. It was only after I spent considerable time studying history and especially the ancient heresies that I was able to grasp what Newman was saying. The following example, taken from a passage found on pages 314-315, should demonstrate my point:

"It is very observable that, ingenious as is their theory and sometimes perplexing to a disputant, the Monophysites never could shake themselves free of the Eutychians; and though they could draw intelligible lines on paper between the two doctrines, yet in fact by a hidden fatality their partisans were ever running into or forming alliance with the anathematized extreme. Thus Peter the Fuller the Theopaschite (Eutychian), is at one time in alliance with Peter the Stammerer, who advocated the Henoticon (which was Monophysite). The Acephali, though separating from the latter Peter for that advocacy, and accused by Leontius of being Gaianites (Eutychians), are considered by Facundus as Monophysites. Timothy the Cat, who is said to have agreed with Dioscorus and Peter the Stammerer, who signed the Henoticon, that is, with two Monophysite Patriarchs, is said nevertheless, according to Anastasius, to have maintained the extreme tenet, that "the Divinity is the sole nature of Christ." Severus, according to Anastasius, symbolized with the Phantasiasts (Eutychians), yet he is more truly, according to Leontius, the chief doctor and leader of the Monophysites. And at one time there was an union, though temporary, between the Theodosians (Monophysites) and the Gaianites."

That being said...

The premise of this book is to examine the developments of doctrine that have occured both within and without the Catholic Church since the earliest times. In the earlier part of the book, Newman spends considerable time discussing the methods used by the Anglican Divines to discern developments from corruptions, and shows how their methodology is flawed, and how in many cases they rejected things which had more early concensus than things they accepted.

Other points he makes throughout the book is the treatment of the Catholic church by the various heretical sects and dissident groups. He shows how despite their disagreements with each other, they were usually united in opposition to the Catholic Church, using the same blasphemous phrases to describe her as the Reformers did and many Protestants continue to this day, while the latter group would generally accept the body accused of these things as orthodox in earlier times.

After his rather long introduction, so to speak, Newman lays out his seven principles which will serve to distinguish developments from corruptions: 1. Preservation of Type, 2. Continuity of Principles, 3. Assimilative Power, 4. Logical Sequence, 5. Anticipation of its Future, 6. Conservative Action on its Past, and 7. Chronic Vigour. Newman then goes on to examine each of these in detail (though the first 4 are examined in far greater detail than the latter 3), showing how doctrinal developments in the Catholic Church throughout history, as well of those proposed by groups deemed heretical, have fared when these 7 principles are applied to them.

The details of his agruments are covered well in other reviews, and indeed a thorough examination of them cannot be done justice here in my 1,000 word limit. Suffice to say that this book will be guaranteed to give the informed reader, be he symathetic or skeptical, something to ponder seriously, as this is indeed the most comprehensive work written on the subject of the development of doctrine.

If Only the Church . . . ........2001-08-05

John H. Newman wrote four magisterial works (not including his large body of sermons) of which this Essay is one of the most important and influential. It is perhaps the most accessible of J.H.N.'s works, and the most significant.

The problem that Newman wants to resolve is how can Christian doctrine develop, if, as is commonly believed, Jesus embodied all revelation, once and for all. Another way of attacking the same problem is to determine how certain doctrines not stated in an overt manner in the Bible (e.g., purgatory) can be shown to be a licit and legitimate development based on scriptural integrity. Newman doesn't hold the view that the Bible itself is the only form of revelation, but he does hold the view that subsequent development of doctrine cannot repudiate biblical statements. Broadly and coherently developed, Newman shows that development of Christian doctrine under certain restrictions is both necessary and fundamental to the Christian dispensation.

Where Newman is less convincing is with more recent papal doctrines like the immaculate conception and the assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary. While these latter two doctrines have different aetiologies, one clearly developed in a manner consistent with scripture while the other is plainly contradictory. The Assumption (or else, Dormition, Glorification, etc.) of Mary has very ancient traditions and is the manifestation of the doctrine of our own glorification on the Last Great Day. Conversely, the immaculate conception was determined by Thomas Aquinas, the angelic doctor and preeminent theologian of the church, to be inconsistent with the sacred deposit once and forever revealed and directly contradicted by scripture.

What do these two doctrines have to do with Newman's book? Newman wants to insist the doctrine continues to "evolve" or "develop," but that this growth, be be licit and legitimate, must be consistent with the initial sacred deposit once received, and that this development must grow organically out of that which the Church has inherited and must not be a novation or innovation. The doctrine of Papal primacy has likewise remained consistent with some form of belief from the Church's earliest beliefs, but the notion of papal "supremacy" is of recent origin and not consistent with scripture or church history. Both papal supremacy and the immaculate conception are at odds with the Church's earliest positions, was repudiated in the Middle Ages, and is contrary to Scripture's insistence.

So Newman's task is a difficult one. He wants to defend the Roman tradition, but the Roman tradition, especially as it embarked on the nineteenth century, created a few novations that and innovations it heretofore had repudiated. Newman, I think, succeeds in walking this fine line of showing how the sacred deposit fully and for all time singularly received does develop over time by the synthesis of episcopal collegiality, consensus fidelium, sacred scripture, and venerable tradition. Newman's hermeneutic allows for the Spirit to breathe multiple understandings of the same ostensible dogma in such a way as to be said to "grow," but it remains consistent with the original deposit through the four-fold synthesis through which the Holy Spirit operates.

Where a chasm occurs is with doctrinal novations, such as the immaculate conception and papal supremacy. The dogma of the immaculate conception is not only INCONSISTENT and INCOHERENT, it is also CONTRARY, to the received tradtions; likewise, the magisterial belief in the primacy of the Petrine See having been remade into the supremacy of Papal infallibility. In all candor, it is Newman who remains consistent, while the Church that has breached its historical deposit.

Newman, except for these two important exceptions, shows how development of doctrine is not only consistent, but necessary, over time. To keep the Church static in one solitary interpretation or understanding is to deny the Church's variety of charisms. Perhaps more importantly, to deny an evolving and developing plethora of understandings is to stifle the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, which is the Person guiding and governing the Church since Pentecost, from expressing its kerygmatic and paraclitic mission.

These exceptions set aside, this wonderful book can be profitably read by all Christians of all stripes to great personal and collegial benefit and enlightenment.

Theological Realism.......2001-04-25

The sainted Cardinal Newman's "Essay" is a masterpiece, one of the few books of it's kind. This work, which was undertaken by him while he was in the process of deciding to convert to Roman Catholicism, is based upon a simple premise - that the nature of the human intellect is to grasp the full implications of an idea or set of related ideas slowly, over time, by a process of development. Because of this, any set of formal doctrines held to by a body of believers will necessarily grow and *apparently* change over time, in just the same way that a human being gorws and changes over the span of a lifetime. However, just as the human being is physiologically and metaphysically identical with himself over the course of his life, so too will be the body of doctrine and the standards of practice given to the faithful, provided it is guarded from corruption by a teaching authority insured from error.

N.B. - this is *not* the same thing as saying that revelation must be ongoing. The faith itself may be delivered once and for all, in it's entirety. What needs time to develop, and what can never be truly completed, is the systematic exposition of what that faith means, and why it is so rather than otherwise. For example, that there is a God is an article of the Creed that can be communicated once and adhered to forever. But why there should be a God, and only one rather than five or six, and why that God should have such attributes as He is said to possess - these matters are the doctrines that are historical and developmental, and each of them will in turn raise more questions that will need to be answered. Revelation is finished, but theology, the explanation of revelation, is a continuously growing enterprise.

Newman's book does not stop at these abstract considerations, which, after all, could apply to any religion built on a alleged revelation. It proceeds to examine the specific points of controversy between Protestants and Catholics as to whether or not the Catholic faith or the Protestant faith is the authentic inheritor of the Apostlic community. Needless to say, it comes down on the side of Rome. The only real flaw in these detailed portions of the book is the lack of specific footnotes for the points Newman cites in the Fathers of the Church. The editions he used, or course, would be long out of print, but it would still be useful to know what portion of St. Basil's or St. Augustine's texts he was quoting from.

If you are interested in the history of Christian dogma, orare looking for a highly erudite Catholic apologetic, this is a fine book to own.

An outstanding edition. . ........2001-04-06

. . .of an outstanding work.

This is it. This is the book which, upon its completion, convinced John Henry Newman that he needed to make his submission to the Catholic Church.

This painstakingly researched book describes the historical process by which doctrine develops in the Church. It has, in the years since its publication, become the primary text for anyone wishing to study this subject, regardless of their denominational background.

Unfortunately, the typical response to this book, by Christians of other denominations, is NOT to actually engage the specific points raised by Newman, but rather to attack Newman's person and character. This was true while Newman was alive, and remains true to this day. (The notable exception is Adolph von Harnak, who, while sharply disagreeing with Newman, actually did engage the concept of doctrinal development itself).

An interesting historical note: The Catholic Church was, at first, not particularly sympathetic to this work, as it was not written in Latin, nor in the fashion of Catholic theological works of the day.

This edition, with a forward by Ian Ker, is, for me, the preferred volume. Ker is noted world-wide as being a top Newman scholar - and his scholarship shows in this work.

Unfortunately there was no way to give it 10 stars..........2000-08-05

That might sound like an exaggeration but I am serious. There is no book in print that I am aware of that discusses this most crucial of areas in the Christian revelation with the degree of nuance and thoroughness then this work of John Henry Newman's does. One of the founders (and the soul) behind the Oxford Movement in England in the 1830's and early 1840's, Dr. Newman's research into Church history troubled him because he did not realize how far the Church of England had drifted in essence and principles from those of the early Church. Newman examines the different distinctions between the beliefs held by Catholics, the Eastern Churches, and Protestants and seeks to show through the records of history - both what they reveal and what they conceal - how to distinguish between "developments" of Revelation and "corruptions." The major doctrines of the different Christian churches are looked at with an eye towards explaining how often what appears to be an "addition" to the Christian faith is but a development or a greater understanding in an explicit manner of what was held in earlier times implicitly. These are properly termed "developments." Likewise, many beliefs that are taken as "givens" by Christians are shown to be anything but "givens" in terms of their relationship to the ancient Church or their profound absence from it in any form explicitly or implicitly (the latter are properly styled as "corruptions of Revelation", "inventions", or "traditions of men"). Undoubtedly the conclusions drawn will not make everyone happy of course. But then who said that the purpose of Truth was to conform itself to the individual whims of man? Rather, man must conform his views to that which is true. I firmly believe that this is the one book that every Christian honestly in search of the Truth should read and read again meditating upon its contents. A wonderful work by one of the most brilliant minds of the 19th century (or indeed any century) by a man who was as deeply spiritual as he was brilliant.

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

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Tells part, but not all of the story.
Both the "What" and the "Why" of Christian Doctrine
An extremely erudite and influential book

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Jaroslav Pelikan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition

ASIN: 0226653803

Book Description

Jaroslav Pelikan begins this volume with the crisis of orthodoxy that confronted all Christian denominations by the beginning of the eighteenth century and continues through the twentieth century in its particular concerns with ecumenism. The modern period in the history of Christian doctrine, Pelikan demonstrates, may be defined as the time when doctrines that had been assumed more than debated for most of Christian history were themselves called into question: the idea of revelation, the uniqueness of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the expectation of life after death, even the very transcendence of God.

"Knowledge of the immense intellectual effort invested in the construction of the edifice of Christian doctrine by the best minds of each successive generation is worth having. And there can hardly be a more lucid, readable and genial guide to it than this marvellous work."—Economist

"This volume, like the series which it brings to a triumphant conclusion, may be unreservedly recommended as the best one-stop introduction currently available to its subject."—Alister E. McGrath, Times Higher Education Supplement

"Professor Pelikan's series marks a significant departure, and in him we have at last a master teacher."—Marjorie O'Rourke Boyle, Commonweal

"Pelikan's book marks not only the end of a dazzling scholarly effort but the end of an era as well. There is reason to suppose that nothing quite like it will be tried again."—Harvey Cox, Washington Post Book World

Customer Reviews:

Tells part, but not all of the story........2002-12-28

My review relates to volume 5 of The Christian Tradition in particularly, but to the other 4 volumes in general, all of which I have read. There is no doubt that Jaroslav Pelikan is a scholar of considerable erudition, and he has drawn on a variety of sources to tell the story of doctrinal development. There are many things to praise in this series; one gets to know the lesser lights of church history as well as the more prominent leaders. At almost every juncture, Pelikan appears as a dispassionate guide whose interest is to tell the story rather than force a view. In this regard he has done his work well. I would guess that most readers are probably like me, in that they are most familiar with the last 200 years or so of doctrinal history, but less so with the early years or the middle ages. And here is where I found the account wanting. The history focuses almost entirely on the mainstream groups and thinkers, i.e. Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. In volume 4, he does mention the anabaptists, but only as they came in contact with the Lutherans and Reformed theologians. While the series is not church history per se, the anabaptists did make a doctrinal contribution to the life of the church which has continued to this day. See the book by Leonard Verduin called The Reformers and Their Step-Children for more of this. In volume 5, this ignoring of the non-mainstream continues. Like him or not, C. I. Scofield had a profound impact on evangelicalism in the 20th century, but he does not appear in Pelikan's history. Even among the mainstream there are individuals whose absence is puzzling. George N.H. Peters was a Lutheran minister in 19th century America who wrote a massive three volume work called the Theocratic Kingdom, outlining a premillennial eschatology. Peters was shunned by fellow Lutherans for his views, but the work has been studied by dispensationalists ever since. However, Pelikan never mentions Peters at all in his survey. In summary, (and this is not derogatory) this is the work of a liberal scholar who tends to give short shrift to the conservatitve elements in docrtinal history. I would not therefore tell conservative readers to take a pass on it, but rather to be aware of what the books deal with.

Both the "What" and the "Why" of Christian Doctrine.......2000-08-31

Pelikan's "The Christian Tradition" is a remarkable series that describes the manner in which Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox christians have interpreted the teaching of Jesus and the manner in which the doctrines of this "one, holy, catholic and apostolic" faith developed and diverged over twenty centuries. Thus, one learns not only what the various christian churches teach today but how and why these teachings differ. While scholarly, "The Christian Tradition" is clearly written and readable. Highly recommended.

An extremely erudite and influential book.......2000-06-22

I can do no better than to quote Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things: "The century's most comprehensive account of Christian teaching from the second century on." It ranked No. 79 on National Review's list of the 100 most influential books of the 20th century, ahead of classics like The Essays of E.B. White, Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and Kenneth Clark's Civilisation.

The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation: The Positive Development of the Doctrine

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A Great Masterpiece is back in Print

The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation: The Positive Development of the Doctrine
Albrecht Ritschl
Manufacturer: Wipf & Stock Publishers
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A Great Masterpiece is back in Print.......2007-08-09

Albrecht Ritschl is arguably the most important Protestant theologian of the latter part of the 19th century. In fact, many scholars deem him second only to the peerless Schleiermacher, who was, quite simply, the theologian of the 19th century. Ritschl, almost single handedly, dominated the liberal wing of the Protestant Church at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. His knowledge of Luther was extensive and profound and in learning he surpassed all other theologians of his day. Unfortunately for Ritschl Barth, who was usually charitable to great theologians he did not agree with, unleashed an attack on Ritschl's theology and his school that caused Ritschl's star to gradually dim during the middle of the 20th century. Lately, however, there has been a revival of interest in Ritschl. The great Church historian, Alisdair McGrath, has noted that Ritschl's own review of the history of the Christian doctrine of justification and reconcilliation (the topic of the first volume or Ritschl's magnum opus) was simply the most learned and penetrating that has ever been produced, and other theologians have recently praised the rigour and power of Ritschl's own postive theologcal system, a system that is carefully unfolded and skillfully defended in this, the third volume, of Ritschl's vast work. One might not always agree with Ritschl's positions (I do not), but no intelligent reader can come away from a careful study of this, his masterpiece, without the impression that it deserves a place on the short list of truly great works of Christian dogmatics. Make no mistake, the Christian Church (or at least the liberal wing of it) simply cannot ignore the thought and scholariship of this 19th century master. It is a very good thing that his towering work, so long out of print, is once again available for readers who have the interest and intelligence to study it with the care it deserves.

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

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Why can't I just rate the 5 volumes together.
A tapestry of medieval theology
Very comprehensive reference
Both the "What" and the "Why" of Christian Doctrine

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Jaroslav Pelikan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

"A magnificent history of doctrine."—New York Review of Books

"In this volume Jaroslav Pelikan continues the splendid work he has done thus far in his projected five-volume history of the development of Christian doctrine, defined as 'what the Church believes, teaches, and confesses on the basis of the word of God.' The entire work will become an indispensable resource not only for the history of doctrine but also for its reformulation today. Copious documentation in the margins and careful indexing add to its immense usefulness."—E. Glenn Hinson, Christian Century

"This book is based on a most meticulous examination of medieval authorities and the growth of medieval theology is essentially told in their own words. What is more important, however, then the astounding number of primary sources the author has consulted or his sovereign familiarity with modern studies on his subject, is his ability to discern form and direction in the bewildering growth of medieval Christian doctrine, and, by thoughtful emphasis and selection, to show the pattern of that development in a lucid and persuasive narrative. No one interested in the history of Christianity or theology and no medievalist, whatever the field of specialization, will be able to ignore this magnificent synthesis."—Bernhard W. Scholz, History

"The series is obviously the indispensable text for graduate theological study in the development of doctrine, and an important reference for scholars of religious and intellectual history as well. . . . Professor Pelikan's series marks a significant departure, and in him we have at last a master teacher."—Marjorie O'Rourke Boyle, Commonweal

Customer Reviews:

Why can't I just rate the 5 volumes together........2007-01-11

All of them get 5 stars. You wanna know why? Read the books.

A tapestry of medieval theology.......2007-01-06

This third volume of Dr. Pelikan's history of the Christian Tradition is, as expected, yet another treasure-trove of knowledge and scholarship. It is full of surprises and detailed analysis of the various theological controversies of the years between 600 and 1300 in the West. However, this volume wasn't as apprehensible or as satisfying for me as the first volume dealing with the Early Church. Since I would be more willing to question my own understanding than Pelikan's exposition, I believe this work merits a second reading. Still, for me, the real significance of medieval theology remains a mystery.

I suppose the greatest surprise of this volume was the theological diversity of an age that is usually mislabeled as monolithic and intellectually stagnant. Pelikan details the various controversies over such things as grace/free will, the Real Presence, church authority, Mary, salvation, etc. that took place during the darkest of the Dark Ages. However, because of the lacunae of historical context, it is unclear to me whether the theological dissidents actually had any influence or following in the church as a whole or were merely lone cranks whose theories were debated and discarded in the isolation of the monasteries or universities. We are given the various sides of a debate without being told how they were resolved by the Church. Perhaps a reading of the volume on the Reformation will reveal what influence, if any, these medieval controversies had on future religious developments, but because Pelikan rarely informs us about what the church- as an authority- actually_taught_during this period, I am left ignorant about what effect these debates actually had on the medieval church and the development of doctrine. Though he does mention one or two councils that condemned a certain theologian's theories, it seems like this book is more of a survey of questions raised than questions resolved and doctrines defined. I wanted to know what gospel the church- under the authority of Popes and bishops- was promulgating as truth during the Middle Ages, but I didn't get it. Still, this volume is a fascinating overview of intellectual ferment in the medieval church.

Very comprehensive reference.......2001-07-24

Jaroslav Pelikan, once again, provides readers with a thorough, pluralistic view of the major theological thoughts and innovations of the period. The work, which thankfully does not ignore the Eastern church and therefore gives a truly comprehensive picture, is based on quotations from major theologians, and neither is speculative nor dilutes the writings by trying to fit them into a modern mold.

This book is a superb reference for students of theology and history, and definitely "fills in the blanks" for anyone with a limited view of medieval theology. Pelikan's writing is surprisingly readable, though it is sometimes cumbersome to have to keep checking the "marginalia" and separate listing of sources to ascertain who wrote what. It is purely a scholarly work, and not likely to please those looking for engaging narratives, but is invaluable for those with a serious interest in the subjects.

Both the "What" and the "Why" of Christian Doctrine.......2000-08-31

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

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Good book
Superb - comprehensive and systematic

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Jaroslav Pelikan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

History | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
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Book Description

This penultimate volume in Pelikan's acclaimed history of Christian doctrine—winner with Volume 3 of the Medieval Academy's prestigious Haskins Medal—encompasses the Reformation and the developments that led to it.

"Only in America, and in this case from a Lutheran scholar, could we expect an examination so lacking in parti pris, a survey so perceptive, so free—and, one must say, the result of so much immense labor, so rewardingly presented."—John M. Todd, New York Times Book Review

"Never wasting a word or losing a plot line, Pelikan builds on an array of sources that few in our era have the linguistic skill, genius or ambition to master."—Martin E. Marty, America

"The use of both primary materials and secondary sources is impressive, and yet it is not too formidable for the intelligent layman."—William S. Barker, Eternity

Customer Reviews:

Good book.......2007-01-07

I haven't quite finished reading this, but so far it is the definitive work on the subject.

Superb - comprehensive and systematic.......2001-08-07

Jaroslav Pelikan, whose works always are very thorough and show a genuinely diverse collection of thought, has produced an outstanding volume which guides the reader through the often dark and stormy seas of Reformation theology. Part of the brilliance of the presentation is that it is not a strictly chronological, historical account. The thought of various Reformation era theologians are systematically set forth according to the doctrines they explored. As a result, one can see a total picture of the theological issues at stake, and why various theologians found a particular matter of crucial importance.

Pelikan wisely begins with the fourteenth century developments, which seldom are treated in the context of the later Reformation but were highly influential. One example, that makes later developments quite clear, is how theologians debated many doctrinal points during the very century when one would think all that prevailed was Thomism. It also is intriguing, reading through the various chapters, how Augustinian ideas (including those mis-read) were key to both Protestant and Catholic points of view by the sixteenth century.

The only drawback to using this volume is that, though the research and collection of quotes from varied sources is impeccable, one must constantly check the margins, where the names of authors and documents are abbreviated, to know "who wrote what."

Pelikan's work is unique for its truly systematic presentation of all viewpoints in Reformation thought, integrated with an introduction to the earlier theology which would be influential, and the "re-affirmation" Catholic efforts of Trent. The result is a smooth, comprehensive, understandable, and enlightening whole.

The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite
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a nice English introduction to Eastern Orthodox Liturgy

A Good Introduction

The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite
Hugh Wybrew
Manufacturer: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
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The Eucharist in the New Testament and in the Early Church

The Eucharist Sacrament of the Kingdom: Sacrament of the Kingdom

Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism

Introduction to Liturgical Theology

A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy

ASIN: 0881411000

Book Description

Observers from Western churches never fail to be awestruck at a celebration of the liturgy in an Orthodox church. Naturally, many questions follow: How has the Orthodox liturgy been shaped? How different is it from the Eucharistic rites of the Western churches? Hugh Wybrew's authoritative, but splendidly readable, book traces step-by-step the story of the development of the Orthodox liturgy from the Last Supper to the present day and vividly conveys a sense of the experience of the worshipers.

Hugh Wybrew is an Anglican priest who has studies Orthodoxy for many years. He is vicar of St Mary Magdalen, Oxford. He was previously Dean of St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, where he was in close contact with churches.

Customer Reviews:

a nice English introduction to Eastern Orthodox Liturgy.......2007-07-14

It has been several years since I last read this book, thus I will only submit the contents page information: Western Eucharist and Orthodox Liturgy, The sources of Tradition, The Fourth Century, The Eucharist at Constantinople in the time of John Chrysostom, The Liturgy in the time of Maximus the Confessor, The Liturgy after the Victory of the Icons, The Byzantine Liturgy in the Eleventh Century, The Completion of the Liturgy, Epilogue, Life of Christ Symbolism in the Litugy: Comparative Table.
I remember this book as an interesting read for those interested in the History of the Christian service, especially from an Eastern perspective.

A Good Introduction.......2003-11-19

This is a well-written introduction to the history of the development of the Orthodox liturgy. It is easy to read and uncluttered by jargon. The author provides snapshots of the liturgy at various stages of its development, with particular emphasis on how the practicalities of worship at the great church in Constantinople influenced this development.

I would recommend this book to anyone new to this fascinating subject.

Spare the Child: The Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse
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Deserves a wide audience

Fascinating book!!

A must read

Spare the Child

This book really opened my eyes!

Spare the Child: The Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse
Philip J. Jr Greven
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

The Child's Song: The Religious Abuse of Children

The Case Against Spanking: How to Discipline Your Child Without Hitting (Jossey-Bass Psychology Series)

Beating the Devil Out of Them: Corporal Punishment in American Children

Why Spanking Doesn't Work: Stopping This Bad Habit and Getting the Upper Hand on Effective Discipline

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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0679733388
Release Date: 1992-03-03

Amazon.com

This is a richly researched, acutely unsettling study of corporal punishment in the United States. It focuses on the "Christian" use of Biblical texts to justify corporal punishment and its destructive legacy in our culture. Greven's insightful scholarship traces rationales for parental brutality through generations of religious apocalyptic thinking. His forceful argument takes the issue of physical discipline from the realm of parental rights and tradition and makes finding an alternative a moral responsibility.

Book Description

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. These words provided generations of American Christians with the justification for physically disciplining their children, in ways that range from spankings to brutal beatings. This learned and deeply disturbing work of history examines both the religious roots of corporal punishment in America and its consequences -- in the minds of children, in adults, and in our national tendencies toward authoritarian and apocalyptic thinking. Drawing on sources as old as Cotton Mather and as current as today's headlines, Spare the Child is one of those rare works of scholarship that have the power to change our lives.

Customer Reviews:

Deserves a wide audience.......2006-03-23

I found out about this book through the bibliography of a parenting book I enjoyed. I almost did not buy it, because I needed no further convincing that corporal punishment was a bad idea. But I decided to buy it anyway, to better help me understand how the way I raised might have influenced the way I think -- I'd identified some connections, but suspected I hadn't found them all. I was right.

Greven pursues the connections between violence against children and depression, dissociation and apocalyptic thinking (all of which resonated with me). And he describes many others as well. Learning the beginnings of these problems does not necessarily solve them entirely, but it helps a lot.

Everyone in our society could benefit from reading this book. It provides a powerful argument against an all too common parenting tactic. It sheds light onto how corporal punishment has far-reaching emotional and psychological effects. And perhaps most important of all, it shows a strong connection between the apocalyptic thinking characteristic of evangelical Christians and the corporal punishment so many of them believe crucial to raising children.

Fascinating book!!.......2006-03-08

Mr. Greven is very intelligent. He is also very brave. I think this is a must read for every parent. He tells us why it is wrong to hit our children. People hit their children all the time and then they wonder why they turned out so bad. Violence is never the answer. Kids need love, attention and to be guided. I thank Mr. Greven so much for writing this book.

A must read.......2005-07-04

Every Christian should read this book. Watch out though, there is some scary truth in there.
Love, love, love your children with all your heart. They are a true blessing from the Lord.

Spare the Child.......2000-05-29

There are a mere handful of insightful, non-dogmatic, loving authors who understand the vulnerability of children (we, who were children, and those who now are children for awhile), and who can open up for us those feelings which arose in childhood and mold us the rest of our lives. Mr Greven and Alice Miller are the two I admire most. This book is honest, insightful, non-judgemental and enlightening. Do not be afraid to question the wisdom of your forefathers in regards to punishing your children - read this and learn.

This book really opened my eyes!.......2000-04-24

This book is a compelling rebuttal to all those who claim that corporal punishment does not harm children. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about how experiences in childhood can and do affect our adult selves.

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

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Every Christian needs to read this book
A monument of scholarship
Learn at the Feet of a Master Historian
Magisterial Work on History of Christian Doctrine, Vol. One
Good Perspective

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Jaroslav Pelikan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Binding: Paperback

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The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 2: The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition

ASIN: 0226653714

Book Description

In this five-volume opus—now available in its entirety in paperback—Pelikan traces the development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the twentieth.

"Pelikan's The Christian Tradition [is] a series for which they must have coined words like 'magisterial'."—Martin Marty, Commonweal

Customer Reviews:

Every Christian needs to read this book.......2007-08-31

If you profess to be a Christian you need to read this book and understand how what you have accepted on faith. The Good News from Jesus was forced through a Hellenic sieve of of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy; on the Platonic side the essence of the unknowable is stressed, on the Aristotelian side the existential details are laid out in a highly logical fashion.

In this book you will learn why the Apostle's creed reads the way it does. You will learn the dissenting views that were pushed aside as anathema; 3 participants at the Nicene council refused to sign the Apostle creed revision and were excommunicated on the spot.

Why is it important that Jesus was born of a virgin? Exactly how was Jesus God and man at the same time? When and where did original sin and infant baptism come about. Jaroslav Pelikan is a brillant man who expounds upon all this and more in an eluminating fashion. If your Greek is not strong, I do recommend having wireless laptop with you to help out at those tricky points to understand words like homoousia and homoiousia.

A monument of scholarship.......2006-09-27

Volume 1 of Dr. Pelikan's 5 volume magnum opus is a breathtaking panorama of the development of Christian doctrine over the course of its first 6 centuries. Dr. Pelikan tells us what the infant Church taught, and the fascinating process by which it came to those conclusions, introducing us to the specific arguments of the various positions regarding issues like the relationship of the Old Covenant to the New, the Trinity, the nature of Christ, the question of Christian authority, predestination, grace, salvation, etc. This book is a sumptuous feast for the theologically-oriented mind and an intellectual achievement for the ages.

Two words in the book's subtitle should be emphasized to clarify the book's purpose; firstly, that this is a study of Christian_doctrine_, not a history of Christianity per se. The mention of dates and years is rare, and indeed, this book seems to operate in a world outside of time, where spiritual ideas are debated by disembodied theologians unmoored from any earthly context. As a history-buff, that lack of chronological perspective sometimes grates, but I came to accept that this is a historical study of ideas, not events, and the book is made stronger by its single-minded focus on that area. Secondly, the starting point of this book that has to be accepted is that the basics of Christian doctrine have come down to us by a_process_of revelation, development, evolution, and scholarly dialectics, not from the self-exegesis of Scripture Alone. Pelikan himself once sarcastically asked what human being could sit in a room with the New Testament and come up with the idea of the Trinity without the benefit of Tradition. That kind of thinking is no obstacle to those sectors of Christianity which believe that the Holy Spirit works through properly appointed authority (Eph 4:11-14) to ensure that Christ's one Church will never err in doctrine, but it might be a stumbling block to those Christians (particularly religiously anarchic Americans) who think that the whole of Christian doctrine, history and devotion is, and was intended to be, contained in and clearly spelled out in the pages of the New Testament, which fell from the sky on Good Friday 33 A.D. leather-bound, annotated and translated into the King James Version, ready-made to be individually interpreted anew by every generation of average Joe-Christians. As a previous reviewer said, this book is an antidote for ahistorical Christians.

Unlike his predecessor Harnack, Pelikan doesn't take the historical development of doctrine as a justification for religious relativism. Pelikan always approached his subject from the perspective of a believer, and even though he wrote this book as a Lutheran and later converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, I-as a Catholic- find no cause for any accusation of sectarian bias in his work. This is a work of impartial scholarship through and through, on a subject which is ripe for the insertion of denominational proclivities. My criticisms are minor: as far as I can recall, this book barely touched on the questions of Biblical canon and pre- 5th century Roman claims of primacy, two subjects I would describe as "doctrinal" but of which Dr. Pelikan apparently disagreed. In his section on infant baptism, he apparently neglected the testimony of St. Polycarp (died ca 155-167- a self-described "Christian for 86 years") as an additional buttress to the tradition. And there are stray sentences which could have been rendered with less theological opacity. But these are minor. This is the standard reference work for any serious student of Christianity, and will likely remain so for many decades to come.

Learn at the Feet of a Master Historian.......2006-07-04

The late Jaroslav Pelikan demonstrates why he is the master ecclesiastical historian of our era in his five volume series _The Christian Tradition_. While Adolf Harnack made tremendous strides respecting Dogmengeschichte, there is no history of early church doctrine more readable and scholarly than Pelikan's five volume series. Jean Danielou's series is excellent. But still not on par with _The Christian Tradition_ by Pelikan.

In volume 1, we are treated to a non-linear discussion of doctrinal history from 100-600 CE. Pelikan touches on the notions of impassibility (apatheia), predestination, Christology, the Trinity and much more. He carefully defines key working nomenclature in the treatise and he packs the book with marginal notes for ease of reference. In the final analysis, Pelikan teaches us what the church has universally professed, taught and believed. Moreover, the author tries to be fair in his analyses while he offers some trenchant criticisms in volume one.

My favorite portion of this work is the discussion regarding Christology and the Trinity doctrine. In chapter four, which reviews the Arian Controversy, Pelikan argues that the Arians and orthodox pro-Nicenes had more in common than previously has been supposed. He reviews the factors that precipitated the famed controversy and supplies references demonstrating the common elements that obtained between Arius and those who opposed him.

Pelikan is never deterred from his primary goal of elucidating doctrinal history; nor does he allow political or social developments to distract him. Hence, if you enjoy reading about Dogmengeschichte, buy this work. You will have a chance to learn from the master historian. I own all five volumes and find them to be indispensable for serious historical research.

Magisterial Work on History of Christian Doctrine, Vol. One.......2005-12-16

Dr. Pelikan takes the jumble of early Christian writings, both orthodox and heterodox, and weaves from them a sensible history of the development of Christian Tradition. This is not a "history" as such in which game pieces move here and there along a strict chronology; Pelikan is less concerned with the Church councils than what people professed before and after the councils. This is also not recommended as an introductory text to the history of theology. I'd recommend first Henry Chadwick's "The Early Church" (a more accessible and linear history), then J.N.D. Kelly's "Early Christian Doctrines." Pelikan's is a much more detailed work.

In this first volume, Pelikan sets the stage by describing the religious and philosophical milieu into which Christianity was born, and from which Christianity inherited so much. Anyone who believes that the history of Christian doctrine is a thick, black, straight line may be suprised at the nuances and odd directions that doctrine took among some persons in some places at some times. Also, to what degree did eventually heterodox persons play in the development of orthodox doctrine? Example: Pelikan has some interesting observations of Tertullian's proto-Montanism vis-a-vis the personality of the Holy Spirit and the development of trinitarian thought. And while not a major criticism, Pelikan is a little weak when it comes to the Aramaic influences in very early Christian thinking; check out Fr. Joseph Fitzmyer's various Dead Sea Scrolls studies for that important aspect.

Pelikan's strengths, and they are significant, are in the tracking the development from Paul and other early Christians of the separation of Christians from "law" into "grace," and the effects of that movement with regard to salvation. He also tracks the development of Christology, stopping along the way to examine variant thinking (such as "angel Christology") that reflected other competing traditions. How was Christ divine? How was Christ human? Pelikan examines how early Christians answered these questions and reconciled the apparent paradox.

Of tremendous interest to me was the section on "Nature and Grace." What is "sin"? And how does the Christian reconcile his responsibility to live *as* a Christian and also acknowledge God's sovereignty? Pelikan steps through the written deposit of early Christian thinking of the first 600 years - some calm, some polemical and filled with the hyperbole that comes in the struggle to be heard - and organizes it for both the scholar and the enthusiastic and somewhat informed ordinary reader.

Pelikan also retains a delightful balance, always knowing what the value of his work is. Before launching into this five volume work that will occupy so much of his professional life, he observes in the first lines of this volume that "doctrine is not the only, not even the primary, activity of the church. The church worships God and serves mankind, it works for the transformation of the world and awaits the consummation of its hope in the next. 'Faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love' - love, and not faith, and certainly not doctrine." Amen, Dr. Pelikan. Still, this *is* a work on the development and history of doctrine. I accept it for what it is, and, that, it does very, very well.

Good Perspective.......2005-10-01

Pelikan's perception of tradition and doctrine are accurate and can be reckoned to the Christian faith in integrity. His understanding of the emergance of the catholic tradition is well-rounded and based in good evidence.

Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions

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Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions

Manufacturer: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Theosis: Deification in Christian Theology (Princeton Theological Monograph)
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Communion and Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church

ASIN: 0838641113

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 2: The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

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Pelikan does it again in Vol 2
Only so so
A Window into The Eastern Church
Another Great Book From Pelikan
A great book in a tremendous series

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 2: The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Jaroslav Pelikan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700) (The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700) (The Christian Tradition: ... of the Development of Christian Doctrine)
Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition

ASIN: 0226653730

Book Description

The line that separated Eastern Christendom from Western on the medieval map is similar to the "iron curtain" of recent times. Linguistic barriers, political divisions, and liturgical differences combined to isolate the two cultures from each other. Except for such episodes as the schism between East and West or the Crusades, the development of non-Western Christendom has been largely ignored by church historians. In The Spirit of Eastern Christendom, Jaroslav Pelikan explains the divisions between Eastern and Western Christendom, and identifies and describes the development of the distinctive forms taken by Christian doctrine in its Greek, Syriac, and early Slavic expression.

"It is a pleasure to salute this masterpiece of exposition. . . . The book flows like a great river, slipping easily past landscapes of the utmost diversity—the great Christological controversies of the seventh century, the debate on icons in the eighth and ninth, attitudes to Jews, to Muslims, to the dualistic heresies of the high Middle Ages, to the post-Reformation churches of Western Europe. . . . His book succeeds in being a study of the Eastern Christian religion as a whole."—Peter Brown and Sabine MacCormack, New York Review of Books

"The second volume of Professor Pelikan's monumental work on The Christian Tradition is the most comprehensive historical treatment of Eastern Christian thought from 600 to 1700, written in recent years. . . . Pelikan's reinterpretation is a major scholarly and ecumenical event."—John Meyendorff

"Displays the same mastery of ancient and modern theological literature, the same penetrating analytical clarity and balanced presentation of conflicting contentions, that made its predecessor such an intellectual treat."—Virgina Quarterly Review

Customer Reviews:

Pelikan does it again in Vol 2.......2007-01-11

i really don't know what to say. It's Pelikan.

Only so so.......2005-01-20

I was urged to read this by friends of mine as well as teachers and after much hype and time I finally bought and read it along with the first in the series. It was good and I appreciated the portions on Christianity meeting with Judaism and Islam, but I have to say, the work wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be.

In both of the books I read, he has a disclaimer in the introduction saying that this is a history of doctrine and not a history per se and that history per se, will be used very sparingly. True that is, he uses it extremely sparingly. I am a great lover of history and felt great disappointment when I saw I would go 10 or 11 pages, or even more, without seeing one date even once. He needs to set up a historical framework much more clearly before he launches into the finer points of the philosophy and theology which he fails to do.

His section on Iconoclasm (the anti-icon movement in the 7th-9th centuries) was poor. He refered to those who venerated icons as "Icon worshippers" without really realizing who incorrect that is. Iconodule is a person who venerates an icon, one who worships an icon, though, is called a idoloter. Also, that he failed to cover the argument and counter-argument for and against icons was poor. He never gets very indepth with the argument against icons that to venerate them is either Monophysitism or Nestorianism or the refutation which came from the Orthodox and finally defeated the argument concerning the hypostatic union of Christ.

My advise is to borrow the book or to get it used, don't expect even a large amount of history, but only the history of philosophical ideas, not even the dates of the people who expounded them.

A Window into The Eastern Church.......2004-08-15

In the second volume in his great series, Jaroslav Pelikan offers a clear and readable history of the development of Eastern Christianity. Many of the primary source materials for this portion of the history of Christianity are not easily accessible to Western readers, and for that reason alone, the book is a treasure.

In addition to the glowing notes of other reviewers, I'd like to add that the bibliography of secondary sources and the index in the book are superb, making it extremely useful as a window into the entire subject.

Another Great Book From Pelikan.......2004-06-25

Jaroslav Pelikan is one of the foremost scholars of Christian Thought and History. This book is the second volume in his monumental set, and like the other four volumes, it does not disappoint. This volume covers the often neglected "lung" of Christianity, the Eastern Church. Its neglect in the Western world is mainly because we tend to focus on Western history, to our detriment. The controversies over the interpretation of the Church Fathers, over icons, and the Trinity are given plenty of space, as is the development of the "Eastern Mindset." The political and doctrinal issues surrounding the Filioque (the "and the Son" clause of the Nicene Creed) and the "Great Schism" between East and West are also discussed, and handled very fairly. Pelikan seems to (wisely) hold both sides and the egos involved to be at fault for the schism. He looks at the events and controversies of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Ecumenical Councils too. He ends with the "Last flowering of Byzantine Theology" including the tragic almost complete loss of theological and liturgical contact between East and West.

Pelikan is fair and balanced in his appraisal of events, and concerns himself primarily with the development of doctrine, so some issues and events might seem downplayed or ignored. His style, while interesting, can also be rather academic. Many Latin and Greek words are used without translation. Many technical Church terms are used as well, which might be unfamiliar to those not versed in Church history. As such, this might not be the best beginner's introduction to the Eastern Churches.

It should be noted that Pelikan eventually joined the Orthodox Church, so the contents of this book (written in 1974) were probably part of his journey. I had the joy of hearing Pelikan speak and of attending an Orthodox service with him. He genuinely loves the Eastern Tradition, and certainly views the events in his books as more than just cold historical facts. This love of Christian history could be why his books are so well-written. However, they are still very scholarly and look at events critically, which might cause him to be dismissed as too "liberal" or "modernist". However, the Tradition of the Church is never dismissed out of hand, and Pelikan is quite traditional in his beliefs. Overall, this is a great part two in the History of the Development of Doctrine. For those who have a background in Christian history, volume two will probably teach you more new events and figures than any other of his volumes, because the East's history independent of the West has been neglected for too long.

A great book in a tremendous series.......2002-08-06

I was introduced to Jaroslav Pelikan's "The Christian Tradition," of which this is the second volume, last March while researching a term paper for a History of Christianity class. This volume was so invaluable to me during my research that I immediately went out and bought the rest of the series as my funds would allow. Pelikan is a clear and readable writer who conveys both the context and the importance of his subject matter. THE SPIRIT OF EASTERN CHRISTIENDOM is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in the Ecumenical Council's and their affects upon Church dogma and the growing apart of the Western and Eastern Churches. The marginalia is also an indispensable resource which makes the primary sources extremely accessible to the reader. I highly recomend this book to everyone.

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