Book Review: Learning Theology with the Church Fathers



Book Review: Learning Theology with the Church Fathers

Overview

The theology of Christian is the outcome of the necessary created due to heresy. The study will be based on some serious debates and contexts associated with the theology of Christian. The book, “Learning Theology with the Church Fathers” depicts the similar approach by highlighting the debates and contexts by merging theology and patristics together. This book is just the introduction of the Christian theology which is followed by the two other books, namely “Reading Scripture with the Church Father” and the other one “Worshiping with the Church Fathers”. This study will focus on the overview of the book along with some key issues and their analysis. Such analysis will include the importance of language, God's providence, and some problematic terms involved in the book.

Brief Summary

In the initial parts of the book, the writer Hall pointed out four different ways of defining the term Christian father. These terms were; holiness of life, antiquity, ecclesiastical approval, and orthodoxy. The author has focused his discussion on the notion of hermeneutical proximity. This proximity also provides an edge to the fathers in exegesis. A significant effort is being made by the modern day students, in order to analyze the context of the author.

The book also explains the key doctrinal areas through a contemporary approach. The author also described that the Nicene Creed is the base for all the Patristic theology, and in fact the most part of the debates are also the reflection of Nicene Creed.

In the second chapter, Hall discusses the Christology. It discusses Christology from the eye of Arian controversy along with the debates between Arius and Athanasius. The debate was focused on one key term, and that was “Father”. Then the questions of theological language were addressed in the author's discussion of homoousios and its alternating factors, these all areas are highlighted in the trinity. The early Trinitarian issues were filled with the departure of Augustine's writings as well as Gregory of Nazianus' theological oration. According to Nazianus, all the languages involving the son were the results of incarnation made by them and not due to their ontology. On the other hand, Augustine has devised more rational theory about the theology, which is clearly shown in this chapter of the book. After discussing the Nazian's and Augustine, the book then shifts its focus back to the Christianity followed by the study of Pneumatology.

The author then discusses the dual nature of Christ's, referring them with the Cyril of Alexandria. The critical issues are revealed in this stage of the study, where the debate was mad against Nestorius. This debate was very fairly highlighted in the book by Hall, but the entire study was revealing the fact that Nestorius was not being victimized due to his ideas; in fact he was victimized due to his own personality. Then there was also the study of language and grammar issues, highlighted by Basil, in the section of “On the Holy ...