Acknowledgements
Introduction: Snobs, Bumpkins, and Dinosaurs

1. Only Let Me Reach Jesus Christ!
   The Apostalic Fathers
2. To Arms!
   Justin Martyr and Irenaeus
3. Against the World
   Athanasius
4. Loving Wisdom
   Augustine
5. Faith Seeking Understanding
   Anselm
6. The Dumb Ox
   Thomas Aquinas

Intermezzo

7. The Word Did Everything
   Martin Luther
8. Knowing a Loving God
   John Calvin
9. Let Us Seek Heaven
   John Owen
10. America's Theologian
    Jonathan Edwards
11. The Father of Modern Theology
    Friedrich Schleiermacher
12. The Bombshell in the Playground of the Theologians
    Karl Barth
13. The Puritan Theologizer
    J. I. Packer

Back to the Sources!
General Index
Scripture Index

“Historical theology is the study of the formulation of doctrine from the church of the past. As such, it provides a storehouse of wisdom, a wonderful legacy handed down from earlier theologians to the church today. Though hundreds of theologians contributed to this legacy, Michael Reeves introduces us to the theologians you should know. It is one of the best introductions to historical theology and its purveyors that exists!”
Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Secretary, Evangelical Theological Society; author, God, Gift, and Guide: Knowing the Holy Spirit

“Among our ‘great cloud of witnesses’ are monumental theologians—Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, and more—who have plumbed the depths of God’s truth, that we might know God better. Theologians You Should Know reintroduces these figures in a fresh, incisive, and authoritative manner.”
Thomas S. Kidd, Yeats Endowed Chair of Baptist Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Michael Reeves helps readers engage with great Christian thinkers of the past in a critical and appreciative manner. The educated layperson and the thoughtful church leader will find themselves informed and edified by this book.”
Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies, Grove City College

“What a marvelous introduction to the greatest giants of the faith! Michael Reeves has done us a tremendous service by pulling back the curtain of the past and throwing open the window of history to allow, as C. S. Lewis so felicitously put it, ‘the clean sea breeze of the centuries’ to blow through our minds. From Irenaeus to Barth and Athanasius to Packer, they’re all here—a treasure trove of wisdom and insight!”
Todd Wilson, Cofounder and President, The Center for Pastor Theologians

“This fascinating volume covers the massive influence of great thinkers, apologists, and ‘death wish’ martyrs, like ‘food for wild beasts’ Ignatius, the courageous alleged murderer and ‘black dwarf’ Athanasius, and the friendly giant Aquinas, all of whom faced the challenges we face. Reeves breathes life into dead men, with historical writing that’s about as good as it gets—full of interest, burningly relevant, and totally scintillating. Christians need to rediscover their roots, if only to prevent them from poisoning the church’s new shoots with ancient heresies. Ignorance is not bliss. Let Reeves tell you why.”
Greg Haslam, Senior Minister, Westminster Chapel, London

“Someone has suggested that history only repeats itself because no one bothered to listen the first time around. Reeves invites us to listen to our Christian history and to learn from it, telling the stories with energy and humor. He introduces us to great thinkers who faced questions and problems uncannily like our own, and who found answers in the Scriptures that we would do well to reflect on. This is an important and wonderfully written book that every thoughtful Christian will enjoy and will benefit greatly from.”
Steve Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Theology, University of St. Andrews   

“Today, evangelical Christians too often read the Bible as if it had just dropped out of heaven, with little or no appreciation of church history. Michael Reeves offers a good corrective to this with his very readable introduction to many of the key figures and works of the early church.”
Tony Lane, Professor of Historical Theology, London School of Theology