Adolf von Harnack: Liberal theology at its height (The Making of modern theology)

By Adolf von Harnack

Von Harnack was the most outstanding student of early Christianity in modern times, and one of the most persuasive exponents of Liberal Theology. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0005991315
• ISBN13: 9780005991312
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Collins
• Length: 329 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A founding father of modern theology

This volume on the works of Adolf von Harnack is part of a series entitled 'the Making of Modern Theology: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Texts'. Each of the volumes in the series focuses upon one particular theologian of note. These volumes are of use to students, seminarians, ministers and other readers interested in the development of theological ideas in the modern and postmodern world. Each volume is a reader of key texts from the theologian highlighted - the text entries are annotated a bit by the editors, and the editor of each volume provides an introduction setting the general stage for context and understanding. For some reason, when this series made the translation to paperback series by Fortress Press, this volume was not included in the number, which is a shame.Editor Martin Rumscheidt describes von Harnack as being a theologian at the height of liberal theology -- this is not 'liberal' in terms of political liberalism of the twentieth century, but rather theology that takes account of contemporary science, culture, and philosophy (liberalism in particular draws origins from the Enlightenment and Immanuel Kant), as well as emphasising history, ethics, and religious sentiment over dogmatism. Adolf von Harnack authored more than 1600 titles, while holding down various major professorships, while heading major theological and religious organisations and associations. von Harnack was so well-known and respected that he was frequently turning down prestigious appointments. The son of a church history professor, he spent his life in the academy, becoming known as a biblical scholar, an historian, and a theologian. Because of his views on scripture, resurrection and sacraments, he was attacked both by the Roman Catholic establishment for anti-Christian teaching, and by his own Lutheran church, who never permitted him into the ranks of the clergy. His most famous work, 'What is Christianity?' originated as notes from lectures he delivered at the turn of the twentieth century. All but one of Rumscheidt's sections draw from this pivotal work, which sets out clearly and succinctly what von Harnack sees as the most important aspects of Christianity. In this, one also gets a sense of von Harnack's view on scripture and on history. Rumscheidt draws liberally from a wide range of von Harnack's works on the broad themes of history in service of theology, early church history and dogma (von Harnack once said that the course of Christianity will be guided by the progress of the discipline of church history), the idea of religious genius, the social gospel, and ideas of personal faith, an important issue for von Harnack, given that he was at odds with much of the non-academic religious establishment. Each volume in this series also has a selected bibliography section -- this one for von Harnack is divided into three sections -- bibliographic works, including the definitive listing of 1611 of his works; a selected list of von Harnack's w