The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318-381

by R.P.C. Hanson

This work examines the extant primary sources of the Christian doctrine of God from the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople.

"A great work. . . . As a resource book, this study of Arianism could not be bettered. It is thorough and comprehensive, a lasting work of scholarship and as such a fitting memorial to its author."-- Expository Times

Genres: History, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Church History, Christian History

954 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Richard Patrick Crosland Hanson, Bishop of Clogher, Church of Ireland.

Reviews

[Jack Francis]

Da gusto leer estas movidas cuando están así de bien escritas

[Ken McGuire]

There is a tension within Christianity. On the one hand, we are heirs of monotheism - in both Jewish and Greek forms. On the other hand, we have been offering hymns to Jesus as to God, as was observed by the Roman Pliny when Romans first noticed Christians.

So, how does that work? How can Christians speak of their God? Heck, who or what IS the Christian God? These questions exploded in the 4th century.

This conflict has been described in many ways - as evil heretics trying to change what the church had always believed - as the victory of Hellenism over Jewish ideas - as the elite making Jesus into a good Roman emperor - it is a discussion of abstract Greek metaphysics that none of the rest of us can understand. But even if these simple explanations have an appeal that is evident in youtube videos, they also only explain a small part of the data.

And Hanson will bring you to that data. His fluency with the original sources is amazing to me, as well as the extensive secondary literature on the era. And so the glowing reviews on the back are from a practical who's who of scholars of this conflict. Even those who try to go beyond Hanson's construction assume that you know Hanson, even if the book is almost thirty years old now.

Hanson goes to great lengths to let each person or "side" in this MANY sided discussion speak for itself. This is the strongest facet of this book. We get to meet interesting ideas instead of simple caricatures. This also places significant demands on the reader. You will find yourself flipping to the index quite a bit. Prepare to take notes.

In my opinion, the weakest part of the book is its treatment of Athanasius. While he is certainly right that we have to be careful against reading future doctrinal developments back into him, his reading is not as charitable as he is with many other figures. Is it really fair to describe him as only having a "Space Suit" Christology?

But the mass of detail available in one place in English (with significant greek quotes) makes this book useful for understanding the era. And Hanson is almost certainly correct in finding this as a struggle to find/create the distinctions and language needed to talk about it, and it is certainly a huge transition. So, if you have the interest, time, and background to tackle it, here is the the place to go.

[G Walker]

Good book. One of, if not the best on the subject. Hanson is clear and concise... that said, at times, it felt like I was drinking from a fire hydrant... a lot of information in a relatively small amount of space. GREAT BOOK though. A must have for studying historical theology, heresies, the counsels, the Trinity, etc. I hope one say to read more of his works.

[Franklin]

A good book - though inexcusable, thoughtless comments on Athanasius' understanding of the Incarnation. This is a good book on the history of the Arian Controversy.