Early Christian Theology A History

An essential guide for understanding early Christian doctrine The history of Christian theology is often presented as a series of conflicts between orthodox believers and heretics. But such an approach can be reductive, especially if the conflicts are presented primarily as contests for power. J. Warren Smith's Early Christian Theology offers a more nuanced account of these theological disputes. Smith explains the development of Christian theology in terms of diverse efforts to make sense of intellectual and spiritual complexities within Holy Scripture. In Smith's telling, Scripture is polyphonic; as such, it requires an interpretive framework that is flexible but also resistant to complete relativism. According to Smith, the early Christian creeds functioned as just such a framework. Writing with an experienced teacher's gift for making history meaningful, Smith traces the development of major theological themes and church dogma from the beginning of the second century to the Christological deliberations following the Council of Chalcedon in 451.