Church History CST360 || Theologians

Athanasius

Bishop of Alexandria, exiled 5 times for opposing Arianism. Defended Christ's full divinity and humanity as essential for salvation. Writings shaped orthodoxy; listed the 27 books of the NT canon.

Augustine of Hippo

"Architect of the Middle Ages." Taught original sin and divine grace. Wrote Confessions and The City of God. Defended Christianity after Rome's fall.

John of Damascus

Defended icons during the iconoclast controversy. Argued veneration ≠ worship; icons affirm the Incarnation. Wrote Fount of Wisdom, influenced East & West theology.

Anselm of Canterbury

Formulated the ontological argument for God's existence. Developed the "satisfaction theory" of atonement (Why God Became Man). Famous phrase: "I believe in order to understand."

Thomas Aquinas

Greatest medieval theologian; called the "Dumb Ox." Synthesized faith and reason using Aristotle. Wrote Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles. Taught that reason shows God exists, revelation shows who He is.

Martin Luther

Leader of the Protestant Reformation. Justification by faith alone. Wrote 95 Theses (1517) against indulgences. Translated the Bible into German; wrote hymns like A Mighty Fortress.

John Calvin

Systematized Reformed theology (Institutes of the Christian Religion). Emphasized God's sovereignty, predestination, grace. Helped build Geneva into a model Protestant city.

Jacob Arminius

Opposed Calvinist predestination. Stressed free will and resistible grace. Taught that Christ died for all, not just the elect. Influenced John Wesley and Methodism.

Jonathan Edwards

America's greatest theologian; preacher of the Great Awakening. Famous sermon: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Wrote Religious Affections and Freedom of the Will. Stressed personal conversion and divine sovereignty.

Karl Barth

Swiss theologian; resisted Nazi influence on the church. Wrote Church Dogmatics. Emphasized God's revelation in Christ over human religion. Key figure in 20th-century Neo-Orthodoxy.