# Can you name 50 Great Theologians?



## Romans922

My friend has asked me if I could name 50 theologians. He said I could go about this by any means. So I ask you. Now I could come up with 50, but I'd like it to be the best 50 or the best that I or you can think of. 

So who would you name? Who would you put on this list. TOP 50 Theologians of all time (not including those in Scripture).


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## fredtgreco

In no particular order:



Augustine
Jonathan Edwards
John Owen
John Murray
John Calvin
Francis Turretin
Herman Bavinck
Wilhemus A'Brakel
William Ames
Thomas Aquinas
B.B. Warfield

Now if 4 others participate, you're done.


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## Romans922

Joshua said:


> If I had 50 Great Theologians, I would name them:
> 
> 1. Josh
> 2. George
> 3. John
> 4. Jack
> 5. Jerry
> 6. Joseph
> 7. Joe
> 8. Bill
> 9. Bob
> 10. Brak
> 11. Bradley
> 12. Boomer
> 13. Benji
> 14. Harry
> 15. Hector
> 16. Elmer
> 17. Eddie
> 18. Edwardo
> 19. Jose
> 20. Frank
> 21. Jackson
> 22. Larry
> 23. Randy
> 24. Rupert
> 25. Isaiah
> 26. Ivan
> 27. Jebediah
> 28. Geronimo
> 29. Keith
> 30. Kelly
> 31. Hogan
> 32. Quixote
> 33. Terry
> 34. Tyson
> 35. Tristan
> 36. Jed
> 37. Joshua
> 38. Wade
> 39. Hicks
> 40. Fyed
> 41. Bruce
> 42. Barry
> 43. Gary
> 44. Francis
> 45. Ace
> 46. Andy
> 47. Brett
> 48. Kerry
> 49. Patrick
> 50. Jason



Thanks Josh, that was exactly what I wasn't looking for. HA!


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## historyb

Was Spurgeon a theologian?


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## Prufrock

Luther, Melanchthon, Bucer, Oecolampadius, Zwingli, Bullinger, Musculus, Calvin, Vermigli, Ursinus, Olevianus, Beza, Zanchi, Chemnitz, Bucanus, Junius, Keckermann, Perkins, Polanus, Cartwright, Jewell, Knox, Hyperius, Viret, Pareaus, Piscator, Rivet, Aretius, Daneau, Trelcatius, Capito, Ames, Sibbes, Gomarus, Davenant, Ussher, Lightfoot, Ainsworth, Manton, Rutherford, Durham, Roberts, Ball, Twisse, Blake, Burgess, Witsius, Turretin, Cocceius, Voetius, Wollebius, Comrie, de Moor, Van Mastricht, a Brakel, Vanderkamp, Heiddegger, Leigh, My Neighbor Tim.

That's probably around 50. I just started typing the first names that came to me; there are probably better ones.

*Edit*
Whoops, I undermined Pastor Greco's good plan.


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## Romans922

who are the weird named one's? never heard of them.


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## Presbyterian Deacon

Romans922 said:


> who are the weird named one's? never heard of them.



The guys you should have learned about in Church History class. 

All except for Tim. I don't know him either.


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## DMcFadden

In somewhat historical order (with some notable exceptions)

Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Athanasius, Basil, Jerome, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, a'Kempis, Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, Melanchthon, Bullinger, Calvin, Ursinus, Olevianus, Chemitz, Perkins, Baxter, Arminius, Ames, Flavel, Sibbes, Gomarus, Ussher, Manton, Owen, Turretin, Witsius, Wollebius, Edwards, Wesley, Gill, Whitefield, Alexander, Clarke, Dabney, Dagg, A.A. Hodge, Charles Hodge, Shedd, Kierkegaard, Schaff, Schleiermacher, Warfield, Harnack, Barth, Vos, Bavinck, Kuyper, Berkhof, Brunner, Machen, Van Til, Clark, Henry, Niebuhr, Pannenberg, Berkouwer

Not included are some of my own favs: Spurgeon, Sproul, Packer, Bunyan, etc.


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## PresbyDane

DMcFadden said:


> In somewhat historical order (with some notable exceptions)
> 
> Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Athanasius, Basil, Jerome, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, a'Kempis, Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, Melanchthon, Bullinger, Calvin, Ursinus, Olevianus, Chemitz, Perkins, Baxter, Arminius, Ames, Flavel, Sibbes, Gomarus, Ussher, Manton, Owen, Turretin, Witsius, Wollebius, Edwards, Wesley, Gill, Whitefield, Alexander, Clarke, Dabney, Dagg, A.A. Hodge, Charles Hodge, Shedd, Kierkegaard, Schaff, Schleiermacher, Warfield, Harnack, Barth, Vos, Bavinck, Kuyper, Berkhof, Brunner, Machen, Van Til, Clark, Henry, Niebuhr, Pannenberg, Berkouwer
> 
> Not included are some of my own favs: Spurgeon, Sproul, Packer, Bunyan, etc.





Schleiermacher, really 

and I am not crazy about Kierkegaard either, eventhough he was danish.


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## steven-nemes

I want to find a truth that is true _for me_, Martin!!


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## sastark

fredtgreco said:


> In no particular order:
> 
> 
> 
> Augustine
> Jonathan Edwards
> John Owen
> John Murray
> John Calvin
> Francis Turretin
> Herman Bavinck
> Wilhemus A'Brakel
> William Ames
> Thomas Aquinas
> B.B. Warfield
> 
> Now if 4 others participate, you're done.



I'll bite (in no particular order):

12. Matthew Henry
13. Martin Luther
14. J. Gresham Machen
15. Cornelius Van Til
16. Greg Bahnsen
17. Jeremiah Burroughs
18. Basil of Caesarea (aka 'Basil the Great')
19. R. L. Dabney
20. Thomas Watson
21. Cotton Mather
22. John Knox


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## Rich Koster

Hagin,Copeland,Hinn,Meyer,Osteen.... wrong list


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## DMcFadden

Re4mdant said:


> DMcFadden said:
> 
> 
> 
> In somewhat historical order (with some notable exceptions)
> 
> Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Athanasius, Basil, Jerome, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, a'Kempis, Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, Melanchthon, Bullinger, Calvin, Ursinus, Olevianus, Chemitz, Perkins, Baxter, Arminius, Ames, Flavel, Sibbes, Gomarus, Ussher, Manton, Owen, Turretin, Witsius, Wollebius, Edwards, Wesley, Gill, Whitefield, Alexander, Clarke, Dabney, Dagg, A.A. Hodge, Charles Hodge, Shedd, Kierkegaard, Schaff, Schleiermacher, Warfield, Harnack, Barth, Vos, Bavinck, Kuyper, Berkhof, Brunner, Machen, Van Til, Clark, Henry, Niebuhr, Pannenberg, Berkouwer
> 
> Not included are some of my own favs: Spurgeon, Sproul, Packer, Bunyan, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schleiermacher, really
> 
> and I am not crazy about Kierkegaard either, eventhough he was danish.
Click to expand...


Not my list of people I agree with (especially not Origen, Jerome, Melanchthon, Chemitz, Wesley, Clarke, Kierkegaard, Schleiermacher, Barth, Brunner, Niebuhr, and Pannenberg!). I thought we were supposed to go for the "big guns."


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## Puritan Sailor

Ireneaus, Tertullian, Athanasius, Gregory Nazianzus, Basil, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, Calvin, Knox, Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, Ursinus, Olevianus, Beza, Turretin, Perkins, Ames, Sibbes, William Guthrie, Charnock, Rutherford, Manton, A'Brakel, Witsius, John Owen, John Bunyan, Matthew Henry, Thomas Boston, Jonathan Edwards, Thomas Chalmers, Charles Hodge, Thornwell, Dabney, AA Hodge, Spurgeon, Ryle, Warfield, Vos, Machen, Kuyper, Van Til, John Murray, Berkhof... 
I think that's 50...


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## Jesus is my friend




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## janimar

Continuing the list with some whose works I have read and enjoy

23. Francis Schaeffer
24. John Frame
25. Abraham Kuyper
26. Herman Dooyeweerd
27.D. H. Th. Vollenhoven
28. Zacharias Ursinus
29. James Thornwell
30. Al Wolters
31. Al Plantinga
32. Nicholas Wolterstorff

Some of these are Reformed from a Dutch perspective. I didn't see them in the other numbered list and each of these has had an impact on my theology.


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## Rogerant

Pink and Horton don't make the list?


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## Jimmy the Greek

You ought to be able to get 50 from the above. I question the value of the whole exercise. That's why I liked Josh's answer.


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## tgoerz

Romans922 said:


> who are the weird named one's? never heard of them.




If you have to ask, perhaps you should do a little homework. =)


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## Wannabee

This is interesting. How about defining what a "great theologian" is. Case in point:

A famous preacher and his wife were running a little behind to an engagement he had. While sitting at a traffic light they were rear ended. He was clearly upset and wrestling with anger and the realization that he was going to be late for his engagement. She quietly bowed her head and prayed, thanking God for what He was doing and acknowledging that it must be for their good, even if they couldn't see it.

Who was the great theologian?

The greatest theologians are most likely like the greatest preachers - they're out in the jungle somewhere and can't take the time to write down their theology because they're too busy ministering to souls and perhaps dodging martyrdom.

The greatest theologians have no names. Their names do not matter. The God they serve and the people they minister Christ to is what makes them great. Lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit through the faithful proclamation of Scripture are the testimony of their greatness. Mothers who train their children in the ways of God and pray day in and day out for the godliness of their children and for God to raise up godly spouses for them are the greatest theologians. The little girl who refuses to renounce Christ as her parents are butchered before her eyes is a great theologian. The list goes on and is innumerable - and their names are not in books that we read, but it that Great Book that only God knows. In God's economy greatness isn't in didactic prowess, but in a heart that is fully His. We will be amazed as the greatest in heaven will be those we knew not. Remember the widow's mites. Her offering was not the greatest because of it's size, but because of what she had to offer... If we would be great we must offer all...


Blessings,


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## Backwoods Presbyterian

No Rushdoony?


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## bug

The Lord Jesus Christ
Paul
Peter
John
Luke 
Matthew
Mark
James
Jude

I'm sorry, I can't miss them out, they should top any list  

After that, well there are already many on the list, one I didn't see was Nehemiah Coxe


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## puritanpilgrim

> Was Spurgeon a theologian?



yes


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