Abstract

A MONUMENTAL WORK OF SCHOLARSHIP, CONSISTING OF THOROUGH AND COMPREHENSIVE TREATMENTS OF FOUR RELATIVELY DISTINCT MOTIFS IN THE THOUGHT OF THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS. PART ONE DEALS WITH THE ORIGIN OF THE PROBLEM OF FAITH AND REASON, TOGETHER WITH THE VARIOUS SOLUTIONS PROPOSED; PART TWO TREATS THE TRINITY, THE LOGOS, AND PLATONIC IDEAS; PART THREE EXAMINES THE THREE CHRISTIAN "MYSTERIES"--THE TRINITY, THE INCARNATION, AND THE GENERATION OF THE LOGOS; AND PART FOUR DETAILS THE RISE OF THE HERESIES, PARTICULARLY GNOSTICISM. THIS IS A WORK OF EXPOSITION RATHER THAN OF PHILOSOPHICAL EVALUATION; BUT ITS SCOPE AND DETAIL MAKE IT AN INDISPENSABLE STARTING-POINT FOR ANY FUTURE EFFORT TO APPRAISE THE THOUGHT OF THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS. (RM)