10 theology books that changed my life
We should read old books that have stood the test of time. Here are ten of those, not in any particular order. I could add many more.
1. Irenaeus: Against Heresies
Probably the most important book that I've ever read is Irenaeus' "Against Heresies." I didn't read him in a vacuum but alongside many of the apostolic fathers from earlier times. Later, I connected him with other apologists like Justin Martyr.
The reason why Irenaeus was so important to me is because he opened up my mind and heart to a thrilling world of theological reflection. He didn't just confine himself to reading Bible verses in his local setting; he showed how Christ touched every aspect of creation. His work provides a deeply historically sensitive, apostolic, and profound theological approach to see the gospel and the rule of faith articulated against not only false teaching but against any kind of falsely so-called knowledge.
2. Athanasius: On the Incarnation
The second book that has been hugely influential in my life is Athanasius' "On the Incarnation." I wouldn't say it was that alone because his other works have influenced me too, but this work and its prequel "Against the Gentiles" have been very important because: one, it's quite easy to understand; two, it bears deeper reflection on the meaning of the text; and three, the categories he uses for salvation and incarnation are so different than what I was taught that it stretched me to actually understand the judgments he was making rather than being caught up on the concepts.
I think for Protestants this is a serious problem – we believe in things like justification by faith, but when we read the early church where they talk about justification and works, we're often unable to read them well because we get tied up on our current definitions of concepts instead of paying close attention to their affirmations in Scripture.
3. Origen of Alexandria: “The Whetstone of Us All”
The third influential figure is Origen of Alexandria. While I can't locate a singular book of his that has been so transformative, I think it's a collection of his commentaries, theological writings, dialogues, his apology to Celsus, and even his "First Principles."
As Gregory of Nazianzus says, Origen is "the whetstone of us all," and that remains true. He desires to know the Bible so much that he collected extant versions of the text and put them in columns with Greek or Hebrew, spending his whole life trying to understand the text of Scripture. He lived alongside Jewish people in Caesarea and apparently learned Hebrew from them. Despite occasionally saying things imperfectly or at least in ways that later theology would reject, you can read him with benefit. His allegorical interpretation is not nearly as unthoughtful as the stereotype suggests.
4. Augustine: Confessions
The fourth book is Augustine's "Confessions." I have read this book multiple times and taught on it for years. It is a work of profound spiritual insight that shows not only Augustine's descent into sin and ascent back to God throughout his entire life, but also how the whole world is returning to God. It ends in deep reflection on memory, time, and creation. What's fascinating is that the entire book is a prayer to God – a confession in the sense of both confessing praise and sin.
5. Augustine: On the Trinity
The fifth book is also by Augustine: his work "On the Trinity." No work has opened my mind more to how much I didn't know about the Trinity, particularly in attention to the details of the biblical text. Augustine is a master of the literal sense – the meaning of a text as articulated according to its scope and sequence.
6. Gregory of Nyssa: The Life of Moses
The sixth book is Gregory of Nyssa's "The Life of Moses." While his writings against Eunomius have actually had more impact on me, those writings are almost impossible for the average person to find. "The Life of Moses" is accessible and gives insight into Gregory's thinking. Through the narrative of Moses, he shows that as Moses gets closer to God, he enters into darkness, having less knowledge – highlighting how the nature of God is infinite and incomprehensible. Gregory brings out that our mode of knowledge is wonder; only wonder helps us anything.
7. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica
Seventh is Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica." As Peter Kreeft has said, Thomas Aquinas is the master of common sense. Every time I read him and reflect, I realize what he said was the most reasonable, logical thing that could be said. If I have questions, he provides all the counter-arguments better than I could. He's such a clear thinker. The reason I might still privilege Augustine over Aquinas is simply the mode of presentation – Aquinas's scholastic method, while clear, is not as accessible as Augustine's confessions.
8. Gregory of Nyssa: On the Soul
The eighth book is Gregory of Nyssa's "On the Soul," a Christian version of Plato's "Phaedo" where he argues for the immortality of the soul. It helped me see how faith and philosophy are fast friends, not enemies. While the objects of faith like the Trinity come from revelation, philosophical reflection afterward isn't wrong – there's an order of knowing where we first receive truths beyond human understanding, then use reason to articulate their interconnectedness.
9. John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion
The ninth book is John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion." I've been reading this book for about 20 years, taught through every chapter, and found Calvin is always worth returning to. His minor weakness, which may actually be a strength, is that Calvin wasn't trained in theological schools, so he doesn't always know how his views contrast with other theological positions with precision. However, this frees him to speak without jargon, which might be why his work remains valuable today.
10. Epictetus: Discourses
The tenth book is Epictetus' "Discourses." This first-century Stoic helped me realize I need wisdom wherever it can be found. His practical advice opened my eyes to the common-sense notion that we should listen to those with lived experience. Sometimes Christians think they can't learn general principles of life from outside divine revelation, which makes life impossible to live. Just as children listen to parents, we should be open to wisdom from various sources.
So while it is not a theology book, it helped me to think about how wisdom and theology work together.
These ten books have profoundly shaped my thinking, though there are many others I could include. I've recently been shaped by Homer's "Odyssey," but haven't had enough time to reflect on how it's changed me. As a bonus, I would add that Byung-Chul Han’s work has always been helpful and deeply influenced me in ways that are hard to explain.
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Good Morning, Wyatt. Thank you for suggesting these books. It reminds me to reread a couple of them. Blessings, Richard.
I'm currently reading Institutes but find it a bit cumbersome and I have to look up lots of words because Calvin has a vocabulary like I've never seen! A more readable version is being produced and hopefully will be available this year. Thanks for the list...I'll be jumping on these books as soon as I finish my current list.