The Faith of the Fathers
It has been said that many moderns suffer from a malady known as "fromlessness." In our fast-moving, transient society, people have lost a sense of their roots. They are disconnected from their history. This is especially true in the United States, which has the added burden of being a country of immigrants. It is also true of modern Christians. We too are a people who have become disconnected from our history and heritage. For many of us, knowledge of our Christian heritage extends back no further than the origins of our own local church or particular denomination.
It is becoming increasingly evident that this historical ignorance is an unacceptable state of affairs that leads to theological naivete and hermeneutical chaos among other things. There is some evidence that this unfortunate situation is changing as more and more evangelicals are coming to appreciate the same things that their Reformation forefathers appreciated — the theological and exegetical work of the early church fathers.
For those who are interested in studying the thought of the early church, there is no better introduction than Early Christian Doctrines by J.N.D. Kelly. Kelly is the author of a number of well-received books including Early Christian Creeds, The Oxford Dictionary of the Popes, Jerome, and Goldenmouth (a study of the life and work of John Chrysostom). In Early Christian Doctrines, Kelly has provided the church with a masterful examination of the doctrines of the church from the first century to the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451.
The book combines a chronological and topical approach as a means to survey the vast amount of available information in the clearest manner possible. In Part One, Kelly provides the reader with introductory materials that lay the foundation for all that follows. In chapter 1, he discusses the religious and philosophical context in which the early fathers lived and wrote. He continues in chapter 2 with a discussion of the way in which the early church understood the relationship between Scripture and tradition. This chapter includes a good introduction to the idea of the rule of faith as developed by Irenaeus and Tertullian. The third chapter discusses the nature of Scripture and biblical interpretation in more detail. Kelly explores early developing concepts of the canon as well as doctrines of inspiration. He also notes the conflict between the Antiochenes and Alexandrians regarding methods of interpreting of Scripture.
Part Two covers the ante-Nicene period of the early church (the first century to the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325). Kelly chooses to approach this period in a topical manner. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the development of the doctrine of the Trinity. Chapter 6 covers the development of the doctrine of Christology. Chapter 7 examines the doctrine of man and redemption, and chapter 8 discusses the doctrine of the Church.
Part Three is more extensive, covering a wider range of topics as they developed between the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon. In addition to continuing discussions of the subjects covered in Part Two, attention is also paid to the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon and their doctrinal conclusions, the Pelagian controversy, and the sacraments. In an epilogue, Kelly includes chapters that discuss eschatology and Mariology respectively.
Kelly's book has numerous strengths. It surveys a vast amount of material in a concise and readable manner without being shallow. Kelly clearly demonstrates an intimate knowledge of the primary and secondary sources. His discussions of the development of Trinitarian and Christological doctrine are particularly strong, as is his discussion of the early development of sacramental theology. The discussions of the Trinitarian and Christological debates become necessarily technical at points because of the inherent complexity of these doctrines, but Kelly manages to maintain a clear portrayal of the development of the different ideas and the interaction among the different theologians.
His discussion of the sacraments is surprisingly fair and irenic considering the amount of controversy that has surrounded this issue. He clearly demonstrates that there was general agreement among the fathers about a handful of eucharistic issues (e.g. that Christ was really present, that it was a sacrifice of thanksgiving), but that there was great ambiguity surrounding other issues (e.g. the manner of Christ's presence; the relation, if any, between the Eucharist and Christ's sacrifice on the cross).
The book's major feature is its one unavoidable weakness. Any author who decides to survey such a large amount of material must necessarily limit his discussion of each topic. So while the book offers excellent introductory surveys of the early church's thinking on a large number of topics, it cannot go into great detail on any one of them. Throughout most of the book, Kelly manages to walk the fine line between conciseness and incompleteness, but there are two sections of the book that could use further revision. Kelly's discussion of the relationship between Scripture and tradition in the early church should be supplemented with the research of men such as Heiko Oberman, Jaroslav Pelikan, and others on the subject. Oberman's chapter in The Dawn of the Reformation on the concept of tradition is particularly valuable. Kelly's evaluation of Basil's comments on the sources of divine revelation (p. 45) should also be compared to the analysis of Basil presented by Georges Florovsky. Florovsky persuasively argues that Basil was not advocating a two-source theory of revelation.
Kelly's chapter on the development of Marian doctrine in the early church is also inadequate. Considering the amount of attention paid to Mariology by the Roman Catholic Church in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the declaration of the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary, and the many lay movements devoted to the Blessed Virgin, a much more thorough study of the place of Mary in patristic thought would have been extremely valuable.
Early Christian Doctrines is an indispensable resource that should be read by all of those who are interested in coming to a better understanding of their Christian heritage and history. It is sheer arrogance to summarily discount the wisdom of our forefathers in the faith. The Reformers knew this and intently studied the theology and exegesis of the early church fathers. They desired continuity with the faith and life of the early church, a continuity they believed had been severely damaged by the distortions of the late medieval Roman Catholic Church. We tend to forget that Martin Luther came to an understanding of Paul's doctrine of justification while reading Augustine. We forget that Calvin was deeply indebted to the work of several early fathers. If we truly believe in the communion of the saints, then we cannot ignore the contributions of those who happen to have come before us. Kelly's book is an outstanding place to go for an introduction to the work of our forefathers. |
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