Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
12th out of 51 books
—
10 voters
The Christian Tradition 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition 100-600 (The Christian Tradition #1)
s/t: A History of the Development of Doctrine
In this five-volume opus--now available in its entirety in paperback--Pelikan traces the development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the twentieth.
"Pelikan's The Christian Tradition [is] a series for which they must have coined words like 'magisterial'."--Martin Marty, Commonweal
In this five-volume opus--now available in its entirety in paperback--Pelikan traces the development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the twentieth.
"Pelikan's The Christian Tradition [is] a series for which they must have coined words like 'magisterial'."--Martin Marty, Commonweal
Paperback, 442 pages
Published
August 15th 1975
by University of Chicago Press
(first published January 15th 1973)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
696)
Aug 04, 2011
Jacob Aitken
added it
This volume is the beginning of Jaroslav Pelikan's legendary treatment of Christian Tradition. Not only does he examine the beliefs of the ancient church, but he also highlights ideas and concepts, along with beliefs, that will spring up into controversies in the Medieval and Reformation periods.
Pelikan begins his treatment with a hearty emphasis on the importance of tradition. He notes that radical solae scripturae philosophies, while wanting to have orthodox conclusions, do so by denying yet p...more
Pelikan begins his treatment with a hearty emphasis on the importance of tradition. He notes that radical solae scripturae philosophies, while wanting to have orthodox conclusions, do so by denying yet p...more
Pelikan offers an excellent overview of the important features of patristic insight. It is not a Church History in the sense of providing the chronological details of the events of the relevant centuries, but he does offer a doctrinal chronology. His starting point is the starting point of Christian history, but as these concerns transcend chronology (e.g. the use of Christian apologetic in the 5th century), Pelikan does not limit his treatment chronologically. Pelikan is useful for his demonstr...more
I don't think that the English language has a word that is sufficient to describing just how excellent this book is. Every Christian and, really, every non-Christian should have to read this book. Pelikan describes in a good amount of detail, but in a nonetheless very approachable and readable manner, the development of doctrine from the close of the Apostolic era through to the time of St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and the Fifth Ecumenical Council, hinting at the developments of both Ea...more
This was a very good book. You always have to love books that have titles that aptly describe them. The title of this book does that well. However, something to be careful about is this is a book in the series of the development of doctrine. Do not expect an extremely detailed description of the rise of the papacy. He is primarily interested in the doctrinal controversies surrounding the 600 years of the Christian Church. So you can expect a detailed analysis of both orthodox and heretical theol...more
This book is the first in series that traces the development of Christian doctrine from the beginning (100) to the modern age after the Reformation. This volume covers the period from 100-600. This is the closest to a definitive history that I am of and should more than satisfy the needs of everyone short of a professional theologian. I won't attempt a summary and will note the this book will require very careful reading and much thought to process. This is a demanding volume that will reward th...more
This is the first in a five book series by Jaroslav Pelikan, who, before his recent death, might have known more about church history than anyone other English speaker. I gave it five starts because this series is, more or less, a perfect example of historical scholarship: insightful, easy to read, good for reference.
In this volume, Pelikan traces Christian doctrine from its origins to the end of the six century, after the creeds had been written, several councils had been formed, and the stand...more
In this volume, Pelikan traces Christian doctrine from its origins to the end of the six century, after the creeds had been written, several councils had been formed, and the stand...more
Dense, scholarly work covering all the ins and outs of the beginning history of the Christian church. Pelikan's work is fascinating, rich with incredible detail, and exhaustively annotated. This series best suited for the serious student.
Incredible work of historical scholarship. Not surprising for this Yale situated master of over a dozen languages. The damn guy could type by age 3. His mom said he never like holding pens much.
What's most notable about this work is the reasearch. He notes every reference, regardless of how obscure (and believe me, he knows them all), and in the end his bibliography adds up to nearly 200 pages. Quite impressive. And who can argue with his historical accuracy when he's re-presenting that history...more
What's most notable about this work is the reasearch. He notes every reference, regardless of how obscure (and believe me, he knows them all), and in the end his bibliography adds up to nearly 200 pages. Quite impressive. And who can argue with his historical accuracy when he's re-presenting that history...more
Lots of strong scholarship but also a fair bit of spiritual autobiography and personal pilgrimage. Various sections are too brief in light of their intended goals. Handle with care.
Great introductory volume describing the very beginnings of the Christian religion.
Nov 16, 2011
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Christians
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
religion
This book is comparable to Kelly's Christian Doctrine as regards content and approach, but more detailed as it is part of what became a five volume series. Pelikan is a constructive Christian in the sense that he essays a positive appropriation of the many streams of the tradition without much seeming to favor one over another. It is, in other words, an ecumenical Christian work. Pelican himself converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy in his later years and his work lacks the Western Roman orien...more
Best book in the five part series.
A definitive history of Christian Doctrine. This is probably not the best place to begin learning about the subject, since Pelikan assumes an acquaintace with such terms as Sabellianism, Pelagianism, hypostasis, ousia, etc, but I believe that even beginner--at least one equipped with a strong theological interest and a good theological dictionary--could benefit greatly from this volume. Pelikan is not only a profound thinker, but an organized one, and he writes clear, elegant, accessible prose.
This is not a chronological book on 'Church history,' but rather an examination of the formulation of Christian doctrine (be sure to have a good understanding of Church history before tackling this book). It is an astounding book that gives an in depth look at each doctrine under consideration (although much more could still be said). This is a must-read for all Christians in order to understand their apostolic and patristic heritage. I can't praise it enough.
This book provides a wonderful in-depth review of the early formation of Christian doctrine covering intellectual developments as outgrowths of the external challenges faced by the church as well as of the church's liturgical practice. As someone who has long grappled to come to a good understanding of the early development of Christianity, it is a wonderful book to keep around for reference purposes.
A History of the Development of Doctrine
In this five-volume opus--now available in its entirety in paperback--Pelikan traces the development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the twentieth.
"Pelikan's The Christian Tradition [is] a series for which they must have coined words like 'magisterial'."
In this five-volume opus--now available in its entirety in paperback--Pelikan traces the development of Christian doctrine from the first century to the twentieth.
"Pelikan's The Christian Tradition [is] a series for which they must have coined words like 'magisterial'."
An in depth look at the roots of Christianity. The different sects that were around in the early centuries after Christ, how the Catholics were able to eradicate most of those sects and become the dominant player in Christianity.
Good book for outlining the history of doctrine. A bit dry in some places, and requires a somewhat deeper understanding of finer philosophical and theological ideas. I liked it, I but I didn't absolutely love it.
Great overview of early christian thought as well as the development of the framework for later doctrinal discourse in the church
Overview of the development of doctrine in the first seven centuries of Christianity.
More to come later :)
More to come later :)
Kerry R. said this was possibly the best treatment of this subject, Christian doctrine, ever.
Boy he really had it in for Lutherans. A foretaste of things to come.
I have not fully finished but intend to since it is worthwhile.
Good on dialogue among early church fathers.
Dec 18, 2009
Steve
added it
This is one of the best ways to begin understanding what the Christian Faith teaches. Interesting to see that the "old" heresies still exist today.
May 15, 2013
Aranelcharis
is currently reading it
May 12, 2013
Justin
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
