| The history of Dogmatics does not go back to the times Apostles,but only to the beginning of the third century, when Origen wrote his Peri Archon (De Principiis) . Several periods may be distinguished, namely, the period of the Old Catholic Church, the period of the Middle Ages, the period of the Reformation, the period of Protestant Scholasticism, the period of Rationalism and Supranaturalism, and the period of Modern Theology. A. The Period of the Old Catholic Church. See these periods for in depth information. See attached link for Origen http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Origen Note:Systematic Theology author Louis Berkhof inspection of the following Theologians Origen was the first to construct something like a system of Theology. His work was written about the year 218 A. D. In it the author attempts to transform the doctrine of the Church into a speculative science, acceptable to the cultural and philosophical classes of his day. Origen work lacks adequate treatment of Christology, Soteriology, and Ecclesiology. Augustine's Enchiridion AD Laurentium As the subtitle indicates, the plan of this work is derived from the three Pauline virtues, faith, hope, and love.Under the first heading the author discusses the main articles of faith: under second , the doctrine of prayer, following the order of the six petitions of the Lord's prayer: and under the third all kinds of moral questions. Though this arrangement is by no means ideal and the work is not always self-consistent, it gives evidence of deep thought and of an earnest attempt to construe the whole of Christian doctrine from a strictly theological point of view. He did more than any other scholar of pre-Reformation times to develop the Scriptural doctrine of sin and grace. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo Professor Louis Berkhof makes mention of Commonitorium of Vincentius Lerinensis, which gives a representation of the doctrine of the Old Catholic Church, but can hardly be regarded as a systematic exposition of dogmatical truth. It severed, however, to give an exposition of doctrine in harmony with the tradition of the Church, which he defined as quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est. The work has a Semi-Pelagian flavor. The theological doctrine propounded by Pelagius, a British monk, and condemned as heresy by the Roman Catholic Church in A.D. 416. It denied original sin and affirmed the ability of human beings to be righteous by the exercise of free will. Searching for a link to Vincentius Lerinensis John of Damascus' EKDOSIS AKRIBES TES ORTHODOXOU PISTEOS (An Accurate Exposition of Orthodox Faith), 700-760. This work represents by far the most important attempt in the Eastern Church to give a systematic exposition of dogmatic theology, at once speculative and ecclesiastical. It is divided into four books, dealing with (a) God and the Trinity: (b) creation and nature of man: (c) Christ's incarnation, death, and decent into hades ( Greek Mythology. a. The god of the netherworld and dispenser of earthly riches. b. This netherworld kingdom, the abode of the shades of the dead): and (d) the resurrection and reign of Christ, and further such subjects as faith, baptism, image-worship, and so on. The order of the last book is very defective,. Yet the work is of great importance, and is , from a formal point of view, certainly the best systematic presentations of truth in this period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Damascus B. The Period of the Middle Ages. Works of Anselm. The first name of more than ordinary importance is that of Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109). He was characterized at once by deep piety and great intellectual acuteness and penetration. While he did not produce a comprehensive systematic exposition of theology, he wrote several works of great dogmatical value, such as his Monologium and Proslogium, in which he discusses the nature of God and develops his ontological proof for existence of God; his de fide Trinitatis et de incarnatione Verbi, which, as the title indicates, deals with doctrine of the Trinity and of the incarnation; and his de Concordia, devoted to a discussion of predestination in the spirit of Augustine. Surpassing all these in importance, however, his Cur Deus Homo? offers a classical exposition of the satisfactory theory of the atonement. Anselm was the first to deal with this important subject in a thorough and systematic way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_of_Canterbury The Sentences of Peter The Lombard The first important systematic work of the Scholastic period, which aims at covering the whole field, is Peter the Lombard's Sententiarum libri IV, consisting of four book's: the first on God, the second on His creatures, the third on redemption, and the fourth on the sacraments and the last things. For several centuries it was widely used as a handbook of theology , and regarded as the most authoritative exposition of truth. Many scholars followed the example of Peter the Lombard in writing Sentences. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_the_Lombard The Summa of Alexander of Hales. Alongside of the Sentences Summae theologiae gradually made their appearance. Alexander of Hales, a man of great learning, wrote a Summa universae theologiae, which is really a commentary on work of Lombardus.His work is cast in a strict dialectical and syllogistic form, and served to establish the scholastic method. It treats of God, of the creature, of the Redeemer and His work, and of the Sacraments. Bonaventure, his disciple, added to the dialectical acuteness of his master the mystical element, which was coming to the foreground at this time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_of_Hales The Summa of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas Aquinas is undoubtedly the greatest of the Schoolmen. His Summa totius theologiae covers in three volumes nearly the whole field of Dogmatics. The first book deals with God and His works; the second with man as the image of God, finding in God the highest end of his existence ; and the third with Christ and means of grace. The work remained incomplete, but the material for the doctrine of the sacraments and of the last things was culled from some of his other works and added to the Summa. Formally, the work is controlled by the Aristotelian philosophy; and materially, by the work of Augustine, though the work of this early Church Father is modified in important points and brought into greater agreement with the doctrine of the Church. Thomas Aquinas is the great authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and Thomism is its standard theology. Duns Scotus was the great opponent of Thomas Aquinas, but his work was critical and destructive rather than systematic and constructive. It marks the decline of Scholasticism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas C. The Period of Reformation The theology of the reformation is characterized by the special prominence given to the absolute normative aythority od Scripture, and by the strong emphasis on the doctrine of justification by faith only, Luther was far more practical and polemical than scientific and dogmatical in his writings. The only doctrinal treatise with which he enriched the theological world, is his De Servo Arbitrio, which contains a clear exposition of the Augustinian doctrine of predestination. The Period of the reformation produced especially three works of a systematic character that were of more ordinary significance. Visit for further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justification_(theology) 1. Melanchton's Loci Communes This work of Melanchton was the first Protestant handbook of Dogmatics. It follows the order of the Epistle to the Romans in its exposition of the truth. In the first edition of the work the author was in entire agreement with Luther, but in the later editions he made concessions to several opponents and thus parted company with Luther on more than one point. In distinction from Luther, Melanchton stressed the ethical element in Christianity and preferred to place special emphasis on faith as the moral activity of the redeemed. In course of time he revealed an inclination also to soft-pedal the doctrine of predestination, and to sponsor the doctrine of the free will og man. In these points he yielded to the powerful influence of Erasmus. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus At the same time he also made concessions to Calvin in his Christology and in the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. His final position was somewhat of a half-way position between Luther and Calvin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Melanchthon Zwingli's Commentarius De Vera Falsa Religione Schaff speaks of this work of the great Swiss Reformer as the the first systematic exposition of the Reformed faith. But, while it does contain the fundamental thoughts of the Reformed faith, it can hardly be called a well-rounded, systematic whole. |