Lecture 1 - Church History as a Theological Discipline

Question 1

Literary Context

Answer 1

• Reading a text in context
• What style of literature is being read?
• Ex: theological trait, systematic theology, pastoral letter

Question 2

Theological Context

Answer 2

• Reading text in context
• What does the author already believe?
• Metaphysical presuppositions / commitments / principles about God an author brings to Scripture
• Ex: Roman Catholic, pre/post Enlightenment

Question 3

Social Context

Answer 3

• Reading text in context
• Where in history / society is this being written?
• Author’s individual position in society: halls of power, margins of society, educated, layperson, young/old
• ex: Martin Luther in 16th century / Machen 20th century

Question 4

Personal Context

Answer 4

• Reading text in context
• When in the author’s life is this written? How does it influence / inform our understanding of the text?
• Where in their personal story is this being written?
• Ex: Midlife crisis, after a death in the family

Question 5

Intellectual history

Answer 5

• Literary / Theological Context
• Synthesized ideas through historical progression
• Doctrine and large theological concepts
• Reformed theology is most comfortable in intellectual history
• Ex: Doctrine of God in the 4 - 5th century, Justification in the 16th - 17th century, Science/inerrancy debates in the 20th century

Question 6

Social History

Answer 6

• Social / Personal Context
• Socio-economic presuppositions:
• What are the political economic, educational aspects of individual’s life that give rise to a book?
• How is author personally affected by society around them?
• Liberal / progressive theologians most comfortable here
• Ex: Reformed theology student in 21st century v. pre-Reformation layperson

Question 7

Marco History

Answer 7

• Theological / Social
• Three thousand foot view
• Summarizes board categories
• Intellectual history is the progression of big doctrinal ideas. Marco history is the summarizing of each historical chapter within context.
• Ex: Doctrine of God in Reformation, Slave owners during colonial America pre-civil war

Question 8

Micro History

Answer 8

• Literary / Personal
• Why would an individual write within the context of macro history?
• Personal accounts within larger historical movements
• Ex: Augustine’s Confessions , earlier v. later writings of Luther

Question 9

“Why study church history?”

Answer 9

1. Helps integrate systematic, biblical, and practical theology.
   - theology by example
2. Become more able pastors, teachers, Christians, etc
   - practical doxology
3. Better grasp of false teaching
   - history develops both truth and error
   - Shows error and heresy are easy to far into
4. Gain perspective on the present
   - Our ideas came from somewhere
   – “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living”
   Jaroslav Pelikan: The Vindication of Tradition
5. Love God
   - Ultimately, it is the Lord who builds his church, and we see His faithfulness.