A monumental work which combines theological acumen with a readable style, and remains an indispensable aid in the study of historical theology."-Cyril J. Barber from The Minister's Library"

These questions are irresistible to ponder. The Bible says, "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Romans 11:34-36a, Holman CSB).

William Cunningham (1805-1861) was an Scottish theologian. He was, in 1843, one of the founders of the Free Church of Scotland, and succeeded the doughty Thomas Chalmers as principal of the New College, Edinburgh, in 1847. His lectures surveying the history of theology, delivered between 1847 and 1861, became the basis for his Historical Theology. It remains a classic in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition. In his magnum opus Cunningham surveys the following topics: I. The Church II. The Council of Jerusalem III. The Apostles’ Creed IV. The Apostolical Fathers V. The Heresies of the Apostolic Age VI. The Fathers of the Second and Third Centuries VII. The Church of the First Two Centuries VIII. The Constitution of the Church IX. The Doctrine of the Trinity X. The Person Of Christ XI. The Pelagian Controversy XII. The Worship of Saints and Images XIII. Civil and Ecclesiastical Authorities XIV. Scholastic Theology XV. Canon Law XVI. Witnesses for the Truth During The Middle Ages XVII. The Church at the Era of the Reformation XVIII. Council of Trent XIX. The Doctrine of the Fall XX. The Doctrine of the Will XXI. Justification XXII. The Sacramental Principle XXII. The Socinian Controversy XXIV. Doctrine of the Atonement XXV. The Arminian Controversy XXVI. Church Government XXVII. The Erastian Controversy

The Historical Volume of what was originally called Reformed Dogmatics now appears with a new title, namely, History of Christian Doctrines. Works on the gradual development of theological truth in the Church of Jesus Christ usually appear alongside of those which deal with the systematic reproduction of it, and thus stand out as separate works. It was thought best to follow this practice, since this will stress the fact that, after all, the history of the development of Christian thought in the Church is a separate study.

"Who do you say that I am?" This question that Jesus asked of his disciples, so central to his mission, became equally central to the fledgling church. How would it respond to the Gnostics who answered by saying Jesus was less than fully human? How would it respond to the Arians who contended he was less than fully God? It was these challenges that ultimately provoked the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. In this volume covering the first half of the article in the Nicene Creed on God the Son, John Anthony McGuckin shows how it countered these two errant poles by equally stressing Jesus' authentic humanity (that is, his fleshliness and real embodiment in space and time) and his spiritual glory or full divinity. One cottage industry among some historical theologians, he notes, has been to live in a fever of conspiracy theory where orthodox oppressors dealt heavy-handedly with poor heretics. Or the picture is painted of ancient grassroots inclusivists being suppressed by establishment elites. The reality was far from such romantic notions. It was in fact the reverse. The church who denounced these errors did so in the name of a greater inclusivity based on common sense and common education. The debate was conducted generations before Christian bishops could ever call on the assistance of secular power to enforce their views. Establishing the creeds was not a reactionary movement of censorship but rather one concerned with the deepest aspects of quality control. Ultimately, what was and is at stake is not fussy dogmatism but the central gospel message of God's stooping "down in mercy to enter the life of his creatures and share their sorrows with them. He has lifted up the weak and the broken to himself, and he healed their pain by abolishing their alienation."

The Formation of Christian Doctrine is a high-level academic study of the history of Christian doctrinal development. The book distinguishes at length between the scholarly term “inventio” (making explicit what is implicit in the biblical revelation) and the idea of “invention” (presenting a novelty as Christian teaching that conflicts with the biblical revelation). Specifically, The Formation of Christian Doctrine identifies biblical inerrancy as an inventio but sees the “priesthood of believers” concept as a license to believe “whatever teaching seems right to me.” Sure to be of interest in academic circles, even to those who might disagree with the author, this book will appeal to three major groups: Evangelicals in relation to the twentieth-century development of a detailed doctrine of biblical inerrancy, Baptists in light of both biblical inerrancy and the seventeenth-century development of believer’s baptism, and Roman Catholics because of their respect for tradition and interest in such a challenging conservative Protestant perspective as is found here.