"This welcome study combines detailed attention to the foundation of creedal Christianity (especially Nicaea and Chalcedon) with authoritative accounts of later confessional traditions. It is especially effective in showing how early Christian worship of one name, Christ the Lord, led over the centuries and in different local contexts to elaborate accounts of Christian faith. A good book for beginning theologians and an excellent review for those who have traversed this ground before."  
\--__Mark A. Noll__, editor of Confessions and Catechisms of the Reformation  
  
"This lovely book takes an inspired idea--telling the story of the Christian churches and their theological convictions through the history of the creeds and confessions--and executes it brilliantly. The result is an informed, thoughtful, and highly readable tour of the ideas and events that continue to shape the Christian faith today."  
\--__Simeon Zahl__, University of Cambridge  
  
"A wonderful introduction to the creeds and confessions of the Christian church. Fairbairn and Reeves witness to the desirability of taking these documents seriously not only as historical artifacts but also as ongoing witnesses, insisting that what binds Christians together is of much greater significance than what separates them."  
\--__Paul T. Nimmo__, University of Aberdeen  
  
"For theology to be ecclesiastically and historically responsible, a knowledge of the creeds and confessions of the church is vital. Yet those unfamiliar with church history often find the field confusing and intimidating. It is therefore a pleasure to recommend this book, which is both a fine guide to creeds and confessions and an engaging narrative of church history from the perspective of doctrinal development."  
\--__Carl R. Trueman__, Grove City College  
  
"In a remarkable accomplishment not witnessed since Jaroslav Pelikan's Credo more than fifteen years ago, Fairbairn and Reeves trace in readable fashion the entire history of the church's creeds and confessions. Uniting Protestant convictions, ecumenical sensitivity, and scholarly acumen, this book is a solid introduction to the common heritage of the church."  
\--__Hans Boersma__, Nashotah House, Wisconsin  
  
"Fairbairn and Reeves clearly and thoughtfully tell the story of the form, substance, and significance of Christian belief as this has been set forth in creeds and confessions. An excellent guidebook."  
\--__W. David Buschart__, Denver Seminary

__Donald Fairbairn__ (PhD, University of Cambridge) is the Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity at the Charlotte, North Carolina, campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  
  
__Ryan M. Reeves__ (PhD, University of Cambridge) has taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, and the University of Cambridge.

Creeds and confessions throughout Christian history provide a unique vantage point from which to study the Christian faith. To this end, Donald Fairbairn and Ryan Reeves construct a story that captures both the central importance of creeds and confessions over the centuries and their unrealized potential to introduce readers to the overall sweep of church history. The book features texts of classic creeds and confessions as well as informational sidebars.

Shows how the creeds and confessions represent the collective wisdom of the church throughout history, providing a unique vantage point from which to study the Christian faith.

__Contents__  
  
1. Beginning the Story  
__Part 1: The Era of the Creeds (100-500)__ 2. The Creedal Impulse in Scripture and the Early Church  
3. A Christian Empire and Creedal Standardization  
4. The Nicene Creed: A Creed for the Entire Church 5. The Chalcedonian Definition: Explaining the Nicene Creed 6. The Apostles' Creed: A Regional Creed with Traditional Authority 7. The Athanasian Creed: A Creedal Anomaly with Staying Power __Part 2: Exploring Creedal Theology (500-900)__ 8. Clarifying Chalcedon in the East  
9. The West Charts Its Own Theological Course  
10. Creedal Dissension and the East-West Schism  
__Part 3: From Creeds to Confessions in the West (900-1500)__ 11. Setting the Stage for Medieval Developments  
12. Catholic Confessions in the High Middle Ages  
__Part 4: The Reformation and Confessionalism (1500-1650)__ 13. The Crisis of the Reformation  
14. Early Protestant Confessions  
15. New Generations of Protestant Confessions  
16. Catholic and Orthodox Responses to Protestant Confessions  
17. Protestant Confessions in the Late Reformation  
__Part 5: Confessions in the Modern World (1650-Present)__ 18. The New Grammar of Modern Confessions  
Conclusion  
Index

Fairbairn, Donald ;Reeves, Ryan M.

Back Cover

\["For anyone seeking to better understand Church history","This book explores how we developed creeds and confessions as part of faith","You'll discover a sweep of church history that fills out the texts of the creeds"\]

1\. Beginning the Story  
Part 1: The Era of the Creeds (100-500)  
2\. The Creedal Impulse in Scripture and the Early Church  
3\. A Christian Empire and Creedal Standardization  
4\. The Nicene Creed: A Creed for the Entire Church  
5\. The Chalcedonian Definition: Explaining the Nicene Creed  
6\. The Apostles' Creed: A Regional Creed with Traditional Authority  
7\. The Athanasian Creed: A Creedal Anomaly with Staying Power  
Part 2: Exploring Creedal Theology (500-900)  
8\. Clarifying Chalcedon in the East  
9\. The West Charts Its Own Theological Course  
10\. Creedal Dissension and the East-West Schism  
Part 3: From Creeds to Confessions in the West (900-1500)  
11\. Setting the Stage for Medieval Developments  
12\. Catholic Confessions in the High Middle Ages  
Part 4: The Reformation and Confessionalism (1500-1650)  
13\. The Crisis of the Reformation  
14\. Early Protestant Confessions  
15\. New Generations of Protestant Confessions  
16\. Catholic and Orthodox Responses to Protestant Confessions  
17\. Protestant Confessions in the Late Reformation  
Part 5: Confessions in the Modern World (1650-Present)  
18\. The New Grammar of Modern Confessions  
Conclusion  
Index

Donald Fairbairn and Ryan M. Reeves explore how we have developed creeds and confessions as part of faith

The Story of Creeds and Confessions

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The Story of Creeds and Confessions

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