Faith in Formulae

A Collection of Early Christian Creeds and Creed-related Texts

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig

Oxford Early Christian Texts

The first complete collection of the Early Christian creeds in four volumes
Provides a full, critical, survey of modern scholarship of the creeds
Gathers all the available evidence for the composition and use of the creeds from the beginnings of Christianity until the ninth century
An invaluable resource for scholars and students interested in the development of the Christian faith and of Christian doctrine

Faith in Formulae

A Collection of Early Christian Creeds and Creed-related Texts

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig

Description

Creeds, such as the Apostolic and Nicene creeds, have shaped the core of the Christian faith. It is therefore surprising that for over a century there has been no comprehensive collection of the early Christian creeds in their original languages. However, the study of their history has made excellent progress. In the general introduction to this volume, Wolfram Kinzig summarizes the present state of research. This is followed by a collection of all creeds and credal formulae of the early Church in Greek and Latin, covering the whole period from the writings of the New Testament down to the early Middle Ages. The source texts are taken from the most up-to-date critical editions available and newly found texts have been added. They are accompanied by English translations and where applicable introduced individually by brief remarks on their authorship, date, and provenance. The volumes feature useful notes and cross-references.

Faith in Formulae

A Collection of Early Christian Creeds and Creed-related Texts

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig

Oxford Early Christian Texts

Preface
List of Abbreviations and Editorial Signs
1:Introduction
2:Credal Formulae in the Old Testament
3:Credal Formulae in the New Testament
4:Symbolum and Its Meanings in the Early Church
5:Baptismal Interrogations from the Second and Third Centuries
6:Credal Formulae and Rules of Faith from the Second and Third Centuries
7:Eastern Creeds, Credal Formulae, and Creed-Related Texts (4th-8th Centuries)
8:Western Creeds, Credal Formulae, and Creed-Related Texts (4th-8th Centuries)
9:Laws and Synodal Canons Relating to the Creed (4th-8th Centuries)
10:The Creed in the Liturgy and in Daily Life (4th-8th Centuries)
11:The Creed in the Carolingian Reform
Appendix I. Further Unpublished Creeds and Credal Statements
Appendix II. Synopsis of Hahn/Kinzig
Appendix III. Addenda
Bibliography
Indices
I. Biblical Passages
II. Ancient and Medieval Authors and Sources
III. Inscriptions, Papyri,Ostraca, Wooden Tablets, and Parchments
IV. Manuscripts

Faith in Formulae

A Collection of Early Christian Creeds and Creed-related Texts

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig

Oxford Early Christian Texts

Author Information

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig, Professor of Church History, Evangelical-Theological Faculty, University of Bonn

Wolfram Kinzig studied Evangelical Theology and Latin in Heidelberg and Lausanne. He completed both his PhD in theology and his Habilitation in Church History in Heidelberg. From 1985 until 1986 he was a Graduate Visiting Student in Christ Church, Oxford, followed by a Visiting Studentship in Trinity College, Cambridge (1986-7), a Research Fellowship in Peterhouse, Cambridge (1988-92), and a Senior Research Fellowship in King's College, Cambridge (1992-5). Since 1996 he has held the Chair of Church History (patristics) at the Evangelical-Theological Faculty of the University of Bonn. He is also the founder and speaker (director) of the Centre for Religion and Society (ZERG) at his university.

Faith in Formulae

A Collection of Early Christian Creeds and Creed-related Texts

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig

Oxford Early Christian Texts

Reviews and Awards

"Faith in Formulae will be an indispensable resource in patristic/early Christian/late antique studies for the foreseeable future... For an authoritative and comprehensive guide to early Christian creeds, look no further." - Mark S. M. Scott, Reading Religion

"In these four volumes Wolfram Kinzig has put together the largest compilation to date of texts which profess to set out the principal tenets of the Church between the second and the eighth centuries of the Christian era ... The result is a monument of erudition, an invaluable resource for all future scholarship, and pleasurable reading for those who have hitherto been unable to approach the texts for want of an English rendering ... In scope there is nothing to match it, and it makes many texts available for the first time to Anglophone readers in translations which are invariably accurate and lucid." - Mark Edwards, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"[E]very theological library must own this four-volume set, Faith in Formulae. Without question it has become the new standard in its field and promises to remain that way for many years to come ... This set is a stunning achievement in primary source material." - Kelly M. Kapic, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

"Wolfram Kinzig's Faith in Formulae is an essential acquisition for any research library with holdings in early or medieval Christianity... Kinzig's writing is clear and graceful, and engaged with scholarly questions about authorship and dating. His translations, and those of Christopher M. Hays, are sound and unstilted... Scholars owe a debt of gratitude to Kinzig, whose work will shape scholarship for the foreseeable future." - Joel Kalvesmaki, Catholic Historical Review

Faith in Formulae

A Collection of Early Christian Creeds and Creed-related Texts

Edited by Wolfram Kinzig

Oxford Early Christian Texts

From Our Blog

Creeds and Christian freedom

It is no exaggeration to say that, historically speaking, next to the Bible the early Christian creeds are the most important texts of Christianity. Paradoxically in many western churches today these texts are regarded with a high degree of suspicion. Creeds are recited but are little understood, and in the minds of many might as well be abolished altogether.

Posted on October 18, 2017

Read the blog post