God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology

In addition to his systematic God is Love, Gerald Bray has written a history of Christian theology: God Has Spoken. Unlike the previous work, Bray does not limit himself to footnotes from Scripture. Instead, he interacts with major theologians throughout the history of the church.Structurally, Bray orders his work with a Trinitarian focus:Part 1: The Israelite LegacyPart 2: The Person of The FatherPart 3: The Work of The FatherPart 4: The Person of The SonPart 5: The Work of The SonPart 6: The Person of The Holy SpiritPart 7: The Work of The Holy SpiritPart 8: One God in Three PersonsIn presenting the material this way, Bray is able to move through the major discussions in theology in church history stemming from the Old Testament all the way to the modern Trinitarian renaissance. Because he seems focused on roots and development, there is a heavy focus on the early centuries of the New Testament church. As any student of historical theology will know, the early church councils dealt heavily with the nature of the Trinity and the person of Christ. As such, the first 4 parts of the book stay more or less in this neck of the woods.This differs very significantly from a similar book like Gregg Allison's Historical Theology which takes a doctrine per part of the book, then within each chapter traces the chronological development of one aspect of that doctrine. Because Bray's ordering is simultaneously chronological and to some extent systematic, you will get a good feel for how Christian thought has developed and been clarified through the years as you read through it. On the other hand, Allison's volume is more evenly ordered concerning the individual doctrines as well as the space spent on each time period within each doctrine.In the end, it isn't really right or wrong one way or the other, it's just worth knowing what you're getting into. Reading this book cover to cover would be quite a commitment since it is only about 300 pages shorter than N. T. Wright's recent work on Paul which is split into two volumes. Selective reading in this volume is not as easy as it would be in a book like Allison's which is also considerably shorter. Making your way through this volume then, will be quite a feat given the length of the book. Like any major undertaking, you'd be surprised at how quickly a few pages a day will add up. Or, if you're looking for some focused summer reading, this just might be what you need to fill out your understanding of the roots of Christian theology.[I received a free e-copy from the publisher and purchased my own hard copy]

A great book setting forth the development of Christian Theology.

God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology by Gerald BrayHow has the inception of Christianity in the ancient and modern world changed the lives of its inhabitants? Gerald Bray seeks to answer this question in his new book, God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology. This weighty tome begins with the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity, the development of Christian theology as providing an answer to the modus operandi of the church apart from the obsessive nature of those interested in the law. Bray comments early on that, “The church also had to explain how Jesus Christ was related to the Jewish God. This meant that biblical monotheism had to be interpreted in a way that could accommodate the divinity of Christ” (35). As such, the attributes of God were often communicated through the life and work of Jesus, his ministry, his law abiding, and his death.Part of the richness of Bray’s writing is his deft grappling with early concepts of theology such as monotheism. Bray writes, “Most ancient peoples, on the other hand, had no trouble in depicting their gods in personal terms. The problem was that, in their case, personhood was a sign of relativity and imperfection” (77). The personal nature of God was such that a reciprocal relationship was possible, one which was first characterized by the condescending acts of God.His goodness and compassion was seen from the beginning, starting in giving to humanity a good creation, rescuing his people from Egypt, and bringing them into a land of plenty. Bray also contends that early Jews and Christians held God to be eternal and sovereign. Nothing was out of his hand nor was he surprised by any human activity. Yet, there was a also a difference in the way the Judeo-Christian heritage looked at the body and the surrounding culture, for many Platonist and Gnostic thinkers derided the body as evil and yet praised the non-material elements (89).Gerald also brings out a most interesting point in his chapter on Christian theological vocabulary. He writes, “…the first problem that the early Christians had to address was how to explain who the biblical God was without causing misunderstanding” (317). The Christian message was that God was one in three persons, which was a stumbling block to Jew and Greek, but also that their theology was rooted in their practices. Bray mentions that Stoics would go out of their way to distance themselves from the commoners, a radically opposite to the gospel believing Christians of the early church. Further, the early Christians were full of people who defied the traditional notions of the privileged. Therefore, the early Christians were constantly engaging the process of translating their faith to others from different worldviews and backgrounds.With a sound background in understanding church history, the early church fathers, and Christian theology as it sprang up after Jesus, God Has Spoken is sure to be a wealth of wisdom for those who read it.Thanks to Crossway for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a superb text on historical theology. This copy was purchased for friends in Germany.

Truly excellent review of the development of Christian Theology. Highly recommended.

A good work which is full of material which helps the serious student; an essential tool.