The Unity of Christ: Continuity and Conflict in Patristic Tradition. By CHRISTOPHER A. BEELEY.

Abstract

This is a good book. Dr Beeley writes clearly and with authority on the person of Christ as presented by undeniably influential—indeed he might justly claim the most influential—theologians of the first eight centuries. The dust jacket carries commendations from Mark Edwards for Dr Beeley’s account of Origen’s Christology and from Frederick Norris, who praises the ‘highly developed theological insights’ on ‘this large canvas sketching a new “story line” for patristic Christology that will have to be studied for decades’. I gladly offer my own endorsement. ‘Will have to be studied for decades’ overdoes it, but it might perhaps even turn out to be the case. The new ‘story line’ is, of course, not truly new, as Professor Norris and Dr Beeley are both well aware. It is, though, a welcome and refreshing shift in the interpretation of a classic theme. The story is that the theologians who established the Church’s doctrine were in theology and Christology followers of Origen of the kind that Eusebius was: Christ is divine in person, exact reproduction of his Father, though there might be doubts over consubstantiality; they were unitive thinkers in their account of Christ, who would eventually accommodate the post-Nicene to the older understanding with much the same arguments. Dr Beeley surveys the views of the relay of theologians who carry the baton of patristic tradition and evaluates their contribution to the race. Origen starts it off, followed by Eusebius of Caesarea, now rightly, I am glad to see, here rescued from long-standing undervaluation: the rot set in after the Nicene doctrinal settlement and, so far as I know, nobody has counted him as a ‘Church Father’. Athanasius loses his gold medal; Gregory of Nazianzus is upgraded to most significant amongst the Cappadocians and allowed to be a prime influence on Cyril of Alexandria and so on all subsequent interpretation of the person and work of Christ. The Latins Hilary and Ambrose are not neglected and Augustine is granted a pithy discussion. Post-Chalcedonian Christology gets a briefer treatment with accounts of the contributions of Leontius, Maximus, and John Damascene. Dr Beeley’s book has the added merit of being useful to newcomers to the subject. It does not aspire to the level of Dorner, Harnack, or Grillmeier in either depth of analysis or scope but it is undeniably more approachable.