Priest of the ChrlstiaQ Doctrine.
I>OCTRINES, HISTORY OF 847 DOCTRINES, HISTORY OF
Church ; while in the treatment by a Bationalistic au- thor it will lose the character of a branch of Christian theology, and appear as simply historical. But, though conception and definitbn, and, consequently, mode of treatment and division of matter vary, all works on the history of doctrines embrace a histoxy of the contro- rersies which have been carried on in the Christian Church on doctrinal questions.
2. As regards the relation of the History of Doctrines to other branches of theological science, it is evident- ly a subdivision of Church history, separately treated on account of its special importance for theologians, and on account of its wide ramifications. It presup- poses Biblical theology as its basis (or as its first pe- riod). As it recounts the formation and contents of public confessions of faith, and the distinguishing prin- ciples set forth in them, it forms itself the basis of symbolics, or comparative dogmatic theology, which stands to it in the same relation as Church statistics of any particular period stand to the advancing history of the Church. As the opinions of the prominent, es- pecially the earliest, fathers of the Church are of con- siderable importance in the history of any Christian doctrine, it has fi-equently occasion to refer to the re- sults of Patristics (q. v.). Of the " history of Here- sies," the beginning will always have to be noticed in a comprehensive history of doctrine ; its furtiier prog- ress only in so far as the heresies remain of importance for the Christian world at large. To a ** general his- tory of religion" it may have occasionally to refer; and with the history of philosophy and the history of Christian ethics it may sometimes have to travel over the same ground, though in the latter case it will treat the same subjects fh>m a different point of view. Ar- chaeology, and the sciences auxiliary to Church his- tory, such as universal history, ecclesiastical philology, ecclesiastical chronology, diplomatics, etc., also aid in furnishing materials.
8. The value of the History of Doctrine8,in a scientif- ic point of view, is evident. Though the history of no doctrine can have a decisive infiuence in determining the faith of an evangelical theologian, who to this end searches the Bible exclusively, it is for him the most important portion of the history of the Christian Church, leads him into a more minute contemplation, andire- qnentiy into a deeper insight of Biblical doctrines, and furnishes him with powerftil weapons, both apologetic and polemic, against the various forms of error.
4. The periods of the history of doctrines have been differentiy determined by the writers on the subject. Hagenbach assumes the following five periods : 1. The Age of Apologetics, fh>m the close of the apostolic age to the death of Origen (A.D. 80-264). 2. The Age of Polemics, from the death of Origen to John Damascenus (254-730). d. The Age of Systems, fh>m John Damas- cenus to the Reformation (Scholasticism in its widest sense) (780-1617). 4. The Age of Polemico-ecclesi- astical Symbolism (the conflict of confessions), from the Reformation to the rise of the Philosophy of Leib- nitz and Wolf in Germany (1617-1720). 5. The Age of Criticism, of Speculation, and of the antagonism be- tween Faith and Knowledge, Philosophy and Chris- tianity, Reason and Revelation, including the attempts to reconcile them, from the year 1720 to the present day. Neander's division is : 1. To Gregory the Great. 2. To the Reformation. 8. From the Reformation to the present time. MUnscher, Engelhardt, and Meier adopt the division into Ancient, MedisBval, and Modem times. Klee (Rom. Cath.) coincides almost with Ha- genbach. Baumgarten-Cruriiu (Rationalist) adopts in his Compendium six periods: 1. To the Council of Nice ; Formation of the System of Doctrines by reflec- tion and opinion. 2. To the Council of Chalcedon ; Formation by the Church. 8. To Gregory VII ; Con- firmation of the System by the Hierarchy. 4. To the end of the 16th century ; Confirmation by the Philoso- phy of the Church. 6. To the beginning of the 18th
ame blind, but continued to preach and work for
extension of his society until his death in 1607.
e successor of De Bus, Vigier, caused new trouble
iiin the society by an attempt to convert the society
0 a regular ** monastic congregation" (q. v.) by the rodnction of solemn vows. This led pope Paul Y subject the society to the general of the Somaskians. is measure, however, increased the disturbance, and ye Innocent X on that account repealed the union, i subjected the priests of the Cluistian Doctrine to i diocesan bishops. These were henceforth again odety of secular priests, who only took simple vows.
1 the outbreak of the French Revolution, the society d in France 8 provinces, 16 houses, and 26 colleges, le society was abolished by the French Revolution ; sir last superior, M. de Bonnefour, died in 1806. 2. A CcngregaHon qf Sitters of the Chrittian Doctrine IS likewise founded by Ciesar de Bus. They were )re commonly called Ursulines of Toulouse. 8. A Congregation of Doctrinariant was founded in ily about the middle of the 16th century by Marco
Sadis Cusani. The object of this society was like- ise to give instruction. Benedict XIII and Benedict lY gave to this society the direction of several ele- entary schools in the city of Rome. The society d not extend much beyond Rome, where they still ve elementary instruction in a few schools.