Having completed this introductory overview of the history of Christian thought, you may find yourself wondering where you go from here. This brief concluding section is intended to make some suggestions about how you can develop your interest in this fascinating subject.
You may find that you are attracted to a particular theologian. As you worked your way through the volume, it is possible that one individual writer has stood out as being of especial interest. If so, you might find it worth your while studying that writer in greater depth and detail. Among those writers who are known to repay careful study, the following may be noted in particular: Irenaeus of Lyons, Athanasius, Augustine of Hippo, Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Teresa of Avila, Jonathan Edwards, Karl Barth, Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Kathryn Tanner. Other religious writers – such as C. S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Marilynne Robinson – offer reflective correlations of Christian theology with cultural, intellectual, and social concerns. Engaging with a particular writer allows you to explore the writer’s personal biographical details and the cultural context against which those writings are to be set, as well as to engage with the writer’s distinctive ideas.
In much the same way, you may find yourself attracted to a particular period in the history of Christian thought. Many find the patristic period (now generally known as the “early Christian period”) especially fascinating (with some choosing to specialize in the Greek-speaking East and others in the Latin-speaking West); others find more tightly-defined periods fascinating – for example, nineteenth-century English religious thought. Among those periods that are known to repay study, the following may be noted (in addition to those just mentioned): early medieval theology (c.1000–1300); the Reformation; sixteenth-century Spanish religious thought; eighteenth-century American theology; and English mystical writers of the fourteenth century. This kind of study allows you to gain a deep understanding of a specific period in history and a number of writers who contributed to its theological enrichment.
In a similar way, you may find that you become interested in a specific area of Christian thought – for example, the doctrine of the person of Christ or the Trinity. Exploring the development of one general doctrinal area throughout Christian history is fascinating and allows you to explore the impact of philosophical and cultural factors upon theology, as well as to interact with some landmark theologians. In my own case, I began my study of historical theology with a detailed engagement with the history of the doctrine of justification. This provided a “window” on to historical theology in general, as well as offering me particular insights into the way in which theology and legal theories have interacted. The following doctrinal themes (in addition to the two just noted) are known to be especially interesting: the work of Christ; the doctrine of grace; the relation of faith and reason; and the doctrine of the church.
You may find a particular theological or ecclesiological tradition worth exploring – for example, a denomination (such as Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Greek Orthodoxy, or Roman Catholicism) or a trend within the denominations (such as modernism, liberalism, or evangelicalism). Once more, all the above mentioned are known to repay study and will open doors to further reflection and engagement.
These are simply suggestions for further exploration; you will find some basic resources identified in the “For Further Reading” section, which are supplemented by a much more extensive online bibliography.
