# Greatest books for different eras of history



## matt01 (Oct 27, 2012)

I am trying to find a list (or lists) of some of the greatest, most influential books related to theology for different eras of history (books that have contributed most to the development of Christian theology, or otherwise impacted it.) Similiar to the Great Books, but focused on theology. There are lists out there, but most of what I have found is modern vice covering different eras (ancient, early church, etc...). Any relevant recommendations would be appreciated.


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## Jackie Kaulitz (Oct 28, 2012)

*bump*


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## py3ak (Oct 29, 2012)

I'm not quite sure I know what you're looking for, but I'll offer a suggestion to see if I've apprehended your meaning correctly.

Augustine's book on the Trinity has been tremendously influential: it was the occasion of Boethius' writing on the Trinity, and in the Middle Ages it was frequently cited, not only for discussions about the doctrine of the Trinity itself but on many other points as well. I think it'd be fair to say that up to the present time it is still essential reading for anyone studying the doctrine of the Trinity in-depth.


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## Pilgrim72 (Oct 29, 2012)

*The Puritan Era:*


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## CharlieJ (Oct 29, 2012)

Great question. As a church historian, I've thought about this a lot. I can give only a partial list now. However, if I were to list 5 authors who I think give the best representation of Western Christendom, it would be 1) Augustine, 2) Thomas Aquinas, 3) Martin Luther, 4) John Calvin, 5) John Wesley.


Patristic era before Augustine:

Didache

Irenaeus, Adversus haereses (Against Heresies) 

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles), Contra Celsum (Against Celsus)

Tertullian, Adversus Praxean (Against Praxeas), Adversus Marcionem (Against Marcion)

Athanasius, De incarnatione verbi Dei (On the Incarnation)

Basil of Caesarea, De spiritu sancto (On the Holy Spirit)

Also, Early Christian Creeds by J. N. D. Kelly collects important church documents.

Edit: I forgot to include Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History (most important church history written in the patristic era)


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## matt01 (Oct 29, 2012)

py3ak said:


> I'm not quite sure I know what you're looking for...



I apologize for the lack of clarity. As I understand it, Church history can be divided into different eras (Apostolic, Ante-Nicene, Nicene, etc... through Modern). I am trying to find some of the most important books from each period. Augustine's On The Trinity would be an example of a book from a specific era that addressed the issues of the day. Does that make sense?


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## matt01 (Oct 29, 2012)

CharlieJ said:


> As a church historian, I've thought about this a lot. I can give only a partial list now...
> 
> Patristic era before Augustine...



Thank you. This is basically what I am looking for, across the eras of the early church -though a list for the whole of church history would be better.


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## hammondjones (Oct 29, 2012)

Not sure if the time period should be refined further beyond "Middle-Ages", but Lombard's _Sentences_, c. 1150,was very widely read and fairly influential in its day, not only because it set forth its theology in a systematic way, but because it also heavily referenced the Church Fathers. If I recall, anyone who was anyone wrote a commentary on it.


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## JimmyH (Oct 29, 2012)

Would Phillip Schaff's 8 volume "History of the Christian Church" be recommended for an overview ?


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## py3ak (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks for clarifying, Matt. The work I mentioned by Augustine would probably still be included, although if you were looking for a list as narrow as possible some might recommend _The City of God_ or _The Confessions_ instead. The difficulty lies in that for some periods you are going to find very little, and in others you will have an embarrassing abundance. It also adds some complication to the issue that when some people hear "important" they might think "characteristic" whereas others will think "influential" and others will think "best".


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## CharlieJ (Oct 29, 2012)

St. Augustine is THE most influential thinker in Western Christianity. He was the primary authority on almost every topic until the rediscovery of Aristotle in the 12th century, and remained a tremendous influence even after that. A Great Books list of Christian theology has to be weighted heavily toward him.

City of God Against the Pagans (perhaps Augustine's magnum opus - a theological treatise on history, politics, and culture)

Confessions (the beginning of autobiography and a major resource in Christian spirituality)

De Trinitate (a classic treatise in the Western filioque tradition)

De doctrina christiana (On Teaching Christianity, a guide to interpreting and preaching the Bible, also clarifies the relationship between general and biblical knowledge)


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## Supersillymanable (Oct 29, 2012)

Just a quick question (which kinda relates to what Reuben said), are we simply talking most influential? I mean, there have been plenty of influential theological books, but plenty of them were wrong, or even heretical. Are you talking within Orthodoxy? Heterodoxy? Anything? Or are we limiting it? Some would say Karl Barth would be included, others would sorely disagree (if you see my point).


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## CharlieJ (Oct 29, 2012)

Post #5 should have included Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History


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## JohnGill (Oct 30, 2012)

matt01 said:


> py3ak said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not quite sure I know what you're looking for...
> ...



I think you will need to clarify further. From the wiki you linked:



> The original editors of the series chose three criteria for inclusion: *a book must be relevant to contemporary issues, and not only important in its historical context; it must reward rereading; and it must be a part of "the great conversation about the great ideas," relevant to at least 25 of the 102 great ideas identified by the editors.* Books were not chosen on the basis of ethnic or cultural inclusiveness, historical influence, or the editors' agreement with the views expressed.



I think to make a similar list you would first need to codify your list of great ideas, if that makes sense. You may also find the following article of value: Full text of "The Great Conversation Vol I"

There is also the Harvard Classics set.

Without something similar to the guiding principle of the Great Books series, you may be left with all the writings of the Church Fathers, Creeds, Catechisms, Church histories. Great set of references, but it may not be what you're looking for.

Listing of the 102 great ideas and other such info: The Great Ideas & 103 Ideas

I think it's a "great" idea to do something similar for Christian works. We could probably use the same 102 great ideas and develop a Christian list.


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## py3ak (Nov 6, 2012)

Matt, one idea would be to read the theologians identified as "Doctors of the Church". That probably gives you a pretty good stab at finding the most influential figures, at least down to the time of the Reformation.
Doctor of the Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## TylerRay (Nov 6, 2012)

The Pentateuch was, and continues to be, _extremely_ influential in the development of theology, ever since it first came out.


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## arapahoepark (Nov 6, 2012)

py3ak said:


> Matt, one idea would be to read the theologians identified as "Doctors of the Church". That probably gives you a pretty good stab at finding the most influential figures, at least down to the time of the Reformation.
> Doctor of the Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Completely off topic, but nice avatar Ruben! I miss that show.


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## py3ak (Nov 6, 2012)

It was a sad blow for llamas everywhere when new episodes stopped being produced.


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## MW (Nov 6, 2012)

matt01 said:


> I am trying to find a list



Bromiley's Historical Theology would likely be the best place to begin. One might note his readings and build from there.


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