The Structure of the Book: The Fifth and Sixth Editions Compared
The Structure of the Book: The Fifth and Sixth Editions Compared
Both the author and publisher take feedback very seriously, and have introduced many improvements over the six editions of this work to ensure that it meets the needs of its many users, both students and teachers. During the past five years, we have received many requests for a separate chapter to be introduced that is dedicated specifically to the Holy Spirit. This reflects changes in the way in which Christian theology is now taught, and also the growing profile of the charismatic movement, especially within mainstream Christian denominations. In earlier editions, the material relating to the Holy Spirit was contained in sections of the chapter discussing the doctrine of the Trinity. The sixth edition now includes a new chapter dealing specifically with the theology of the Holy Spirit, and it includes expanded discussion of this important theological theme.
This has led to some related changes, designed to make the book as easy to use as possible. For pedagogical reasons, the chapter dealing with the doctrine of the Trinity (which originally followed immediately after the chapter dealing with the doctrine of God) has been moved so that it follows the new chapter on the Holy Spirit. It is much easier for readers to grasp some important aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity if they are already familiar with the theology of the Holy Spirit, especially the classic patristic debates concerning the divinity of the Spirit. A secondary change, again reflecting user feedback, is to reduce the amount of material relating to the “quest for the historical Jesus,” and relocate this at an appropriate point in the major chapter dealing with Christology.
These changes can be summarized as follows. No changes have been made to the order of presentation of material in Part I and Part II of this work; the topics and order of the first eight chapters remain unaltered. The order of the ten chapters which make up Part III of this work have been changed, for the reasons indicated above.