History of Theology

By Bengt Hägglund and Bengt Hagglund

Book Overview

This book traces the movements and counter-movements of theological thought through the centuries from the New Testament to the present. This work is divided in three parts: Part 1 addresses the age... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0570032938
• ISBN13: 9780570032939
• Release Date: January 1968
• Publisher: Concordia Publishing House
• Length: 425 Pages
• Weight: 1.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Simple, but Good Overview of the History of Theology

This is a simple but good overview of the history of theology. Hagglund begins with the Patristic Fathers (Irenaeus, Tertullian, etc.) and works his way through certain major points in Christian history up to the early part of the 20th century (i.e. Karl Barth, etc.) The book is very simple to read, so it is a good text for someone who is perhaps just geting started with a study in historical theology. However, it is probably too basic for someone who is seasoned in the study of historical theology. Overall, the book is well organized, in a nice and easy to follow historical chronology, and covers more theologians that I thought possible for a 400 page text. The biggest pitfall in the book is its scope. What I mean is Hagglund is covering so much that often times he quickly brushes over certain thinkers that needed more attention. Moreover, the scope tends to make the things he does cover in detail still seem brief. However, Hagglund does do a fairly good job of overviewing the major events and their theological outcomes (i.e. the council of Nicaea, Luther and the Reformation, etc.) If you are wanting a simple text to get your feet wet in the shallow end (so to speak) of historical theology, then I recommend this work. If you are a serious student of this area of study, then you should know that this book may be too simple for you.

Know why things are as they are

This book traces theology from the Early Church period through the Lutheran Reformation. People often wonder why different Christian groups differ from one another in belief. This book is a big help. Although not light reading, it shows how individual religious leaders emphasized some point in such a way that it bent what was taught and believed in various movements. It is a very good resource to have and to use.