Can you name 50 Great Theologians?

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Romans922

Puritan Board Professor
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).
 
In no particular order:


  1. Augustine
  2. Jonathan Edwards
  3. John Owen
  4. John Murray
  5. John Calvin
  6. Francis Turretin
  7. Herman Bavinck
  8. Wilhemus A'Brakel
  9. William Ames
  10. Thomas Aquinas
  11. B.B. Warfield

Now if 4 others participate, you're done.
 
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!
 
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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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.
 
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 :confused:

and I am not crazy about Kierkegaard either, eventhough he was danish.
 
In no particular order:


  1. Augustine
  2. Jonathan Edwards
  3. John Owen
  4. John Murray
  5. John Calvin
  6. Francis Turretin
  7. Herman Bavinck
  8. Wilhemus A'Brakel
  9. William Ames
  10. Thomas Aquinas
  11. 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
 
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 :confused:

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

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."
 
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...
:2cents:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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,
 
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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