Best of
Church-History

1958

Saint John of Damascus: Writings (The Fathers of the Church, 37)


John of Damascus - 1958
    John of Damascus (ca. 675-749) is generally regarded as the last great figure of Greek Patrology. Outstandingly important for his support of images in the Iconoclastic Controversy, this priest-monk of St. Sabbas near Jerusalem is known also for his treatment of Christian morality and asceticism (the Sacred Parallels), for a small but precious group of powerful sermons, and even for verse contributions to the Greek liturgy. His reputation rests mainly, however, on one of his latest writings, the Fount of Wisdom. This relatively brief work is called by the late Fr. Chase, its new translator, ""the first real Summa Theologica""; and its most significant section was in fact known, in Latin translation, to Peter Lombard and St. Thomas Aquinas. The first part of the Fount of Wisdom, ""Philosophical Chapters"" (""Dialectica""), goes back to Aristotle mainly and, through Maximus the Confessor, to Plato. Epiphanius is the chief source of Part Two, with its exposition of 103 heresies. The third and most important section of the work, ""On the Orthodox Faith,"" is a comprehensive presentation of the teaching of the Greek Fathers on the main doctrines of Christianity, especially the Trinity, Creation, and the Incarnation. But what emerges is not a compilation but rather a synthesis, marked by originality in the mode of treatment and by a remarkable clarity of expression. In all three of its parts the Damascene's Fount of Wisdom is ""an indispensable aid to the study of the Greek Christian tradition.""

Mystery of the Lord's Supper: Sermons by Robert Bruce


Robert Bruce - 1958
    He gives a powerful conception through the Lord's supper of the saving work of Jesus Christ. This modern edition has been translated and edited by T. F. Torrance.

Church Dogmatics 4.2 The Doctrine of Reconciliation


Karl Barth - 1958
    Barth s theology found its expression mainly through his closely reasoned fourteen-part magnum opus, Die Kirchliche Dogmatik. Having taken over 30 years to write, the Church Dogmatics is regarded as one of the most important theological works of all time, and represents the pinnacle of Barth s achievement as a theologian.

The History of Israel


Giuseppe Ricciotti - 1958
    two volumes (1955, 1958)