History of Christian doctrine Author:George Park Fisher Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART I ANCIENT THEOLOGY PERIOD I THE RISE AND EARLY TYPES OF THEOLOGY TO THE COMPLETE SYSTEM OF ORIGEN AND TO THE FULLY ESTABLISHED CONCEPTION OF THE PR... more »E-MUNDANE PERSONAL LOGOS (c.A.D. 300) CHAPTER I APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANITY — PALESTINIAN AND HELLENISTIC JUDAISM GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND GENTILE CULTURE The testimony and teachings of the Apostles constitute the authentic sources of Christian theology. They are comprised in the New Testament writings. The exposition of these documents is the proper work of Biblical Theology, for which the Introduction to the New Testament prepares the way. It is only brief comments on the New Testament doctrine that can here find a place. The bond that unites the Old Testament with the New, the religion of Israel with the Gospel, is the idea of the kingdom of God. It is predicted, prefigured, initiated, in the earlier system ; it is realized in the later. The new dispensation is the fulfilment of that which was foretokened in the old. John the Baptist discerned that his office was that of a herald of the messianic kingdom.1 So it was represented by Jesus.2 Jesus Himself appeared 1 Matt. iii. 11. 2 Matt. xi. 13, 14 (Luke xvi. 16); Mark ix. 12, 13 (cf. Malachi iii. 23). in the character of the head of the kingdom. If He avoided publicly proclaiming His regal station, it was to preclude popular demonstrations springing from false ideals of the Messiah and the messianic reign. The Sermon on the Mount was the legislation of the new kingdom. The Mount of the Beatitudes succeeded to the Sinai of the Decalogue. Holiness and peace are offered to those who come to Him and surrender themselves to His guidance. The contrast between the course which He pursued and the ideas and expectations even of those who believed in Him, naturally gave r...« less