Early Christian Doctrines, by JND Kelly ★★★★
I have read this book many years ago and decided on a refresher course in early Christian thought. JND Kelly writes a wonderful text detailing the systematic development of the most relevant doctrines of Christianity, including the formation of the canon of Scripture, the nature of Christ, the Trinity, and the nature of man, as well as the origin of the current practice of the Sacraments, and development of the doctrine of Mary. It is a delightful book to read and should be within the knowledge of every mature Christian man and woman. I will not go over the details of the text. Needless to say, doctrine was developed in response to heresy, and those heresies, such as Arianism, Sabellianism, etc., etc., still exist and often unknowingly in the theological constructs of many otherwise orthodox Christian people. My greatest complaint with the book is that it assumes that one is already quite familiar with the Patristic saints. Summary charts or illustrations could have been used to better clarify competing doctrines. Even still, it is the best text out there for gaining a grasp as to why our theology emerged the way it did.
Isn’t it amazing that so many heresies that plagued the early church and are still strong today have to do with theology proper and soteriology. Who is God? And what must we do to be right with him.
True story…. There’s nothing new under the sun.
I have noticed the rise and prevalence of what I call neo-Marcionism in the evangelical world. Instead of seeing the OT and Yahweh as the foundation of everything in the NT, it is effectively discarded with what are often antinomian quips (hardly arguments) about the Law of God having been done away with. How many evangelicals have a substantial knowledge of even the 10 Commandments?