I don’t visit the Parchment and Pen blog all that often lately, but I’m glad I went there this morning. The most recent post was yesterday’s by Tim Kimberly, on Augustine. I was soon absorbed in learning the historical and intellectual context of Augustine’s life and writings.
Based on the post’s title, I thought this was the first in a series about the Top Ten Theologians. But when I finished reading it, I discovered that – like many top ten lists – this one had been written starting with number 10 and finishing with number 1.
The order chosen for the ten of them, and in fact the selection of the ten to begin with, is naturally open to disagreements. But the series is well worth reading, unless you already have a good background in the history of theology and influential theologians.
I’ve read a good deal on the subject of theology, and knew something about all ten already, but I learned more by reading these posts. The writing is clear and direct, and does not require previous knowledge of either theology or history. Each post goes through the historical context, the theologian’s life, thought, and writings, his shortcomings (personal and/or theological), and influence on us today.
I hope you also enjoy these posts and learn from them.
Thanks for sharing this, Pauline. I’ll check that out.