Pocket History of Theology

This little book was a quick read at a little over 100 pages. I particularly enjoyed the attention given to the formulation of early Christian doctrine and the development of Orthodoxy. With all the dogmas out there and everyone claiming that thiers is authentic it can be hard to know who's telling the truth. The authors point out that before the council of Nicea church unity was hard to come by, however the fundamnetal doctrines such as the diety of Christ and the nature of the atonement were never in question. The council of Nicea unified the bishops and marginalized the fringes of the faith by identifying heresies such as the Gnostics and Modalists. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone interested in understanding the roots of modern theology.

This is an abridged version of a larger work. Quick read. Gives a good high-level overview of history. Made me interested in getting the unabridged version to learn even more.

Excellent summary of complex issues, and complicate history, and written well, with the non-professional in mind. Footnotes to work - and a good index. Definitely a good investment of time and money for freshmen theologians!