A History of Christian Thought Volume II: From Augustine to the Eve of the Reformation

Gonzalez argues that in interpreting the Middle Ages there was no uniform theology to which a sweeping evaluation can be made over a 1,000 year period. During the middle ages (whatever that means?), philosophy, economics, politics, language, and even architecture changed--all having huge theological ramifications. Gonzalez goes on to note that any such judgment made will reflect the presuppositions of the one who makes the judgment. Accordingly, we must judge the Middle Ages according to its high points, and no to its dark centuries (336). Highlights: Gonzalez gives a basic overview of Augustinianism and Aristoteliansim. He displayed respectable command over the historical nuances and movements. He is somewhat sympathetic to Scotus (moreso than I am), but gives a clear and succinct evaluation of Scotus' thought. The sections on the Eucharistic controversies during the period marked the best part of the book. It is interesting to see how Berengar's thought anticipates Calvin's (sometimes word for word). Because, and Gonzalez does a good job noting it, transubstantiation is a rather late development in medieval thought, and even when it was developed there was no clear agreement on what it meant. The Predestinarian controversies were both sad and funny. They remind one of certain conservative Presbyterian denominations. Protestants will be glad to note how divided and schismatic certain medieval popes were (thus blunting a common Catholic charge). Catholics will note, as Gonzalez does, that with the exception of Gottsalc and Berengar, the medieval church didn't teach Protestantism (but they didn't teach Tridentineism either). The student of St Augustine needs to read this. Benjamin Warfield's famous dictum that the Reformation was the triumph of Augustine's soteriology over Augustine's ecclesiology. As the middle ages show, this is fundamentally not true. Augustine's ecclesiology and soteriology were directly tied together, and in any case they were further nuanced over 1000 years. This really was a good book. Only one criticism: He placed the so-called "Dark Ages" period later than most historians and he had the nerve to call them dark.

Gonzalez's 3 volume church history is an interesting read for both students of history and readers who simply have a general curiosity about church history. He does an excellent job of explaining issues that have faced the Christian Church and includes facinating insights on the personalities of the major figures in church history. This set is a great starting point for those new to the subject. I also use it to get an overall understanding issues that I don't comprehend from reading other books on church history. If you're looking for a great introduction to the history of the Christian Church, buy this.

Justo establishes a rather well based description of Medieval Christian theology and philosophy. He explains Augustine and the other fathers of the Church in a scholarly objective sense. He does not hide from Christian controversies, but addresses them in a manner that simplifies the matter for even the casual reader. This is certainly worth reading for those who are casually interested in Church history, but who are not scholars.