Historical Theology

ALISTER E. MCGRATH, formerly Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, UK, is an acclaimed scholar, theologian, intellectual historian, lecturer, and author. His bestselling books and textbooks on theology with Wiley Blackwell include Reformation Thought: An Introduction (5e, 2021), Science and Religion: A New Introduction (3e, 2020), Theology: The Basics (4e, 2017), The Christian Theology Reader (5e, 2016), and Christian Theology: An Introduction (6e, 2016).

How to Use This Book xii Introduction 1 The Concept of Theology: A Brief Introduction 1 The Architecture of Theology 5 Historical Theology: Its Purpose and Place 9 1 Early Christian Theology: The Patristic Period, c.100451 17 A Clarification of Terms 18 Difficulties in Approaching Early Christian Theology 19 The Historical Background to Early Christian Theology 20 Centers of Early Christian Theological Reflection 24 Key Theologians 25 Key Theological Developments 28 Key Names, Words, and Phrases 37 Case Studies 38 2 The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, c.5001500 83 On Defining the Middle Ages 84 Medieval Theological Landmarks in Western Europe 86 The Rise of Scholasticism 90 The Italian Renaissance 91 The Rise of Humanism 92 Medieval Theological Landmarks in Eastern Europe 93 Key Theologians 95 Key Theological Developments 100 Key Names, Words, and Phrases 105 Case Studies 106 3 The Reformation and Post-Reformation Periods, 15001750 133 Reformation or Reformations? 134 A Clarification of Terms 135 Post-Reformation Movements 141 Key Theologians 145 Key Theological Developments 149 Developments in Theological Literature 151 Key Names, Words, and Phrases 155 Case Studies 156 4 The Modern Period, 1750 The Present Day 196 A Cultural Watershed: The Enlightenment 198 The Enlightenment Critique of Traditional Theology 199 Romanticism and the Critique of the Enlightenment 203 The Crisis of Faith in Victorian England 204 The Crisis of the First World War 205 Postmodernism and a New Theological Agenda 207 Key Theologians 209 Some Recent Western Theological Movements and Trends 212 Key Names, Words, and Phrases 227 Case Studies 228 Where Next? 300 A Glossary of Theological Terms 302 Sources of Citations 314 Suggestions for Further Reading 319 Index 321