List of Christian theologians
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Christian
theologians. They are listed by century. If a particular theologian crosses over two centuries, he may be listed in the latter century or in the century with which he is best identified.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
theologians. They are listed by century. If a particular theologian crosses over two centuries, he may be listed in the latter century or in the century with which he is best identified.
1st century
- Paul of TarsusPaul of TarsusPaul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
(d. c. 60-65) - John the EvangelistJohn the EvangelistSaint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
- Ignatius of AntiochIgnatius of AntiochIgnatius of Antioch was among the Apostolic Fathers, was the third Bishop of Antioch, and was a student of John the Apostle. En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early Christian theology...
(c. 35 or 50 – between 98 and 117) - Clement of RomePope Clement IStarting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
(fl. c. 96)
2nd century
- PolycarpPolycarpSaint Polycarp was a 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him...
(c. 69 – c. 155) - Papias of Hierapolis (d. c. 155?)
- ValentinusValentinus (Gnostic)Valentinus was the best known and for a time most successful early Christian gnostic theologian. He founded his school in Rome...
(c. 100 - c.160) - Quadratus of AthensQuadratus of AthensSaint Quadratus of Athens is said to have been the first of the Christian apologists. He is said by Eusebius of Caesarea to have been a disciple of the Apostles...
(fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
124/125) - BasilidesBasilidesBasilides was an early Gnostic religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt who taught from 117–138 AD, notes that to prove that the heretical sects were "later than the catholic Church," Clement of Alexandria assigns Christ's own teaching to the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius; that of the apostles,...
(d. c. 132) - Aristides the AthenianAristides the AthenianAristides the Athenian was a 2nd century Greek Christian author who is primarily known as the author of the Apology of Aristides. His feast day is August 31 in Roman Catholicism.-Life:...
(d. c. 133 or fl. c. 140) - Aristo of PellaAristo of PellaAristo of Pella, Jordan was a hellenized Jewish Christian writer , who like Hegesippus represents a school of thought more liberal than that of the Pharisaic and Essene Ebionites....
(fl. c. 140) - Marcion (c. 110 - c. 160)
- Justin MartyrJustin MartyrJustin Martyr, also known as just Saint Justin , was an early Christian apologist. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue survive. He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
(c. 110 - c. 165) - HegesippusHegesippus (chronicler)Saint Hegesippus , was a Christian chronicler of the early Church who may have been a Jewish convert and certainly wrote against heresies of the Gnostics and of Marcion...
(c. 110 - 180) - Melito of SardisMelito of SardisMelito of Sardis was the bishop of Sardis near Smyrna in western Anatolia, and a great authority in Early Christianity: Jerome, speaking of the Old Testament canon established by Melito, quotes Tertullian to the effect that he was esteemed a prophet by many of the faithful...
(d. c. 180) - Athenagoras of AthensAthenagoras of AthensAthenagoras was a Father of the Church, a Proto-orthodox Christian apologist who lived during the second half of the 2nd century of whom little is known for certain, besides that he was Athenian , a philosopher, and a convert to Christianity. In his writings he styles himself as "Athenagoras, the...
(c. 133 - c. 190) - Dionysius of CorinthDionysius, Bishop of CorinthSaint Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth lived about the year 171. His feast day is commemorated on April 8.The date is fixed by the fact that he wrote to Pope St Soter. Eusebius in his Chronicle placed his "floruit" in the eleventh year of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius...
(fl. c. 171) - HeracleonHeracleonHeracleon was a Gnostic who flourished about AD 175, probably in the south of Italy. He is described by Clement of Alexandria as the most esteemed of the school of Valentinus; and, according to Origen Heracleon was a Gnostic who flourished about AD 175, probably in the south of Italy. He is...
(fl. c. 175) - Apollinaris ClaudiusApollinaris ClaudiusSaint Apollinaris Claudius, otherwise Apollinaris of Hierapolis or Apollinaris the Apologist, was a Christian leader and writer of the 2nd century.-Life:...
(fl. c. 177) - PtolemyPtolemy (gnostic)Ptolemy the Gnostic, or Ptolemaeus Gnosticus was a disciple of the Gnostic teacher Valentinius, and is known to us for an epistle he wrote to a wealthy woman named Flora, herself not a gnostic....
(fl. c. 180?) - PantaenusPantaenusSaint Pantaenus was a Christian theologian who founded the Catechetical School of Alexandria about AD 190. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the development of Christian theology....
(d. c. 200) - Irenaeus of Lyons (d. c. 202)
- Apollonius of EphesusApollonius of EphesusApollonius of Ephesus was an anti-Montanist Greek ecclesiastical writer, probably from Asia Minor.He was thoroughly acquainted with the Christian history of Ephesus and the doings of the Phrygian Montanists. The unknown author of Praedestinatus says he was a Bishop of Ephesus. However, the lack of...
(fl. c. 180 - c. 210) - Serapion of AntiochSerapion of AntiochSerapion was Patriarch of Antioch . He is known primarily through his theological writings. Eusebius refers to three works of Serapion in his history, but admits that others probably existed: first is a private letter addressed to Caricus and Pontius against Montanism, from which Eusebius quotes an...
(d. 211) - Clement of AlexandriaClement of AlexandriaTitus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
(c. 150 - 211 or 216) - Bardaisan (154 - 222/3)
- TertullianTertullianQuintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
(c. 160 - c. 220)
3rd century
- Minucius Felix (2nd or 3rd century)
- Caius, Presbyter of RomeCaius (presbyter)Caius, Presbyter of Rome was a Christian author who lived and wrote towards the beginning of the 3rd century. Only fragments of his works are known, which are given in the collection entitled The Ante-Nicene Fathers. However, the Muratorian fragment, an early attempt to establish the canon of the...
(early 3rd century) - Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170 - c. 236)
- Origen of Alexandria (c. 184 - 254)
- SabelliusSabelliusSabellius was a third century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome, but may have been an African from Libya. Basil and others call him a Libyan from Pentapolis, but this seems to rest on the fact that Pentapolis was a place where the teachings of Sabellius thrived, according to...
(fl. c. 215) - CyprianCyprianCyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...
(d. 258) - NovatianAntipope NovatianNovatian was a scholar, priest, theologian and antipope who held the title between 251 and 258. According to Greek authors, pope Damasus I and Prudentius gave his name as Novatus....
(c. 200 - 258) - Paul of SamosataPaul of SamosataPaul of Samosata was Bishop of Antioch from 260 to 268. He was a believer in monarchianism, and his teachings anticipate adoptionism.-Life:...
(c. 200 - c. 275) - Dionysius of AlexandriaDionysius of AlexandriaPope Dionysius of Alexandria, named "the Great," was the Pope of Alexandria from 248 until his death on November 17, 265 after seventeen years as a bishop. He was the first Pope to hold the title "the Great" . We have information on Dionysius because during his lifetime, Dionysius wrote many...
(d. 265) - Gregory ThaumaturgusGregory ThaumaturgusGregory Thaumaturgus, also known as Gregory of Neocaesarea or Gregory the Wonderworker, was a Christian bishop of the 3rd century.-Biography:Gregory was born at Neo-Caesarea around 213 A.D...
(c. 213 - c. 270) - Methodius of OlympusMethodius of OlympusThe Church Father and Saint Methodius of Olympus was a Christian bishop, ecclesiastical author, and martyr.-Life:Few reports have survived on the life of this first scientific opponent of Origen; even these short accounts present many difficulties. Eusebius does not mention him in his Church...
(d. c. 311) - Lucian of AntiochLucian of AntiochSaint Lucian of Antioch , known as Lucian the Martyr, was a Christian presbyter, theologian and martyr. He was noted for both his scholarship and ascetic piety.-History:...
(c. 240 - 312) - LactantiusLactantiusLucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius was an early Christian author who became an advisor to the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his religious policy as it developed, and tutor to his son.-Biography:...
(c. 240 - c. 320)
4th century
- AmbroseAmbroseAurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
(337/340 - 397) - Arnobius of Sicca (d. c. 330)
- Athanasius (296 - 373)
- Basil of CaesareaBasil of CaesareaBasil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian...
(c. 330 - 379) - Gregory of NyssaGregory of NyssaSt. Gregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory of Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity...
(c. 330 - c. 395) - Gregory Nazianzus (329 - 389)
- John ChrysostomJohn ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
(347 - 407)
5th century
- AugustineAugustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
(354 - 430) - Jerome (c. 347 - 420)
- Cyril of AlexandriaCyril of AlexandriaCyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...
(ca. 378 - 444) - NestoriusNestoriusNestorius was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 22 June 431.Drawing on his studies at the School of Antioch, his teachings, which included a rejection of the long-used title of Theotokos for the Virgin Mary, brought him into conflict with other prominent churchmen of the time,...
(ca. 386–c. 451)
12th century
- Peter AbelardPeter AbelardPeter Abelard was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, theologian and preeminent logician. The story of his affair with and love for Héloïse has become legendary...
(1079–1142) - AnselmAnselm of CanterburyAnselm of Canterbury , also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109...
(1033–1109) - Bernard of ClairvauxBernard of ClairvauxBernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
(1090–1153)
13th century
- Albertus MagnusAlbertus MagnusAlbertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
(c.1200 - 1280) - BonaventureBonaventureSaint Bonaventure, O.F.M., , born John of Fidanza , was an Italian medieval scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was canonized on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the...
(1221 - 1274) - Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
(1224–1274) - Peter QuesnelPeter QuesnelPeter Quesnel , Franciscan, was warden of the Franciscan house at Norwich, and died about 1299. He enjoyed a high repute as "theologian and doctor of the canon law," and was author of Directorium Juris in Foro Conscientiæ et Juridiciali.-Works:His work is divided into four books: De summa...
(died, 1299)
14th century
- Scotus Johannes Duns (1265? - 1308?)
- Meister EckhartMeister EckhartEckhart von Hochheim O.P. , commonly known as Meister Eckhart, was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic, born near Gotha, in the Landgraviate of Thuringia in the Holy Roman Empire. Meister is German for "Master", referring to the academic title Magister in theologia he obtained in Paris...
(1260–1328) - William of OckhamWilliam of OckhamWilliam of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of...
(1285–1347) - Dionigi di Borgo San SepolcroDionigi di Borgo San SepolcroDionigi di Borgo San Sepolcro was an Augustinian monk who was at one time Petrarch's confessor, and who taught Boccaccio at the beginning of his education in the humanities. He was Bishop of Monopoli in Apulia. He was surnamed, not uncommonly for the trecento, for the town in which he was born,...
(1300–1342)
15th century
- Thomas à KempisThomas à KempisThomas à Kempis was a late Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion. His name means, "Thomas of Kempen", his home town and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen...
(1380–1471) - Jan HusJan HusJan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
(ca.1369 - 1415) - Catherine of SienaCatherine of SienaSaint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor...
(1347–1380) - Julian of NorwichJulian of NorwichJulian of Norwich is regarded as one of the most important English mystics. She is venerated in the Anglican and Lutheran churches, but has never been canonized, or officially beatified, by the Catholic Church, probably because so little is known of her life aside from her writings, including the...
(c.1342 - 1416) - Nicholas of CusaNicholas of CusaNicholas of Kues , also referred to as Nicolaus Cusanus and Nicholas of Cusa, was a cardinal of the Catholic Church from Germany , a philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and an astronomer. He is widely considered one of the great geniuses and polymaths of the 15th century...
(1401–1464)
16th century
- Alexander Alesius (1500–1565)
- Teresa of AvilaTeresa of ÁvilaSaint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
(1515–1582) - Heinrich BullingerHeinrich BullingerHeinrich Bullinger was a Swiss reformer, the successor of Huldrych Zwingli as head of the Zurich church and pastor at Grossmünster...
(1504–1575) - Theodore BezaTheodore BezaTheodore Beza was a French Protestant Christian theologian and scholar who played an important role in the Reformation...
(1519–1605) - Charles BorromeoCharles BorromeoCharles Borromeo was the cardinal archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was a leading figure during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests...
(1538–1584) - Martin BucerMartin BucerMartin Bucer was a Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a member of the Dominican Order, but after meeting and being influenced by Martin Luther in 1518 he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled...
(1491–1551) - John CalvinJohn CalvinJohn Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
(1509–1564) - John of the CrossJohn of the CrossJohn of the Cross , born Juan de Yepes Álvarez, was a major figure of the Counter-Reformation, a Spanish mystic, Catholic saint, Carmelite friar and priest, born at Fontiveros, Old Castile....
(1542–1591) - Thomas CranmerThomas CranmerThomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
(1489–1556) - Desiderius ErasmusDesiderius ErasmusDesiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
(1469–1536) - Richard Hooker (1554–1600)
- John KnoxJohn KnoxJohn Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
(c. 1513-1572) - Ignatius of LoyolaIgnatius of LoyolaIgnatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
(c. 1491-1556) - Martin LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
(1483–1546) - Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560)
- Huldrych ZwingliHuldrych ZwingliUlrich Zwingli was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system, he attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, a scholarly centre of humanism...
(1484–1531) - William Perkins (1558–1602)
- Michael ServetusMichael ServetusMichael Servetus was a Spanish theologian, physician, cartographer, and humanist. He was the first European to correctly describe the function of pulmonary circulation...
(1511–1553) - Menno SimonsMenno SimonsMenno Simons was an Anabaptist religious leader from the Friesland region of the Low Countries. Simons was a contemporary of the Protestant Reformers and his followers became known as Mennonites...
(1496-1561)
17th century
- James Arminius (1560–1609)
- Moses AmyrautMoses AmyrautMoses Amyraut , also known as Amyraldus, was a French Protestant theologian and metaphysician. He is perhaps most noted for his modifications to Calvinist theology regarding the nature of Christ's atonement, which is referred to as Amyraldism or Amyraldianism.-Life:Born at Bourgueil, in the valley...
(1596–1664) - Richard BaxterRichard BaxterRichard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
(1615–1691) - Jakob Boehme (1575–1624)
- Zachary BoydZachary BoydZachary Boyd was a Scottish religious writer.Boyd was born into the family of Boyd of Pinkhill, Ayrshire. He first studied at the University of Glasgow and then went to Saumur in France. There he followed courses of his kinsman Robert Boyd and in 1611 became Regent Professor. He returned to...
(1585–1653) - Francis de SalesFrancis de SalesFrancis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva and is a Roman Catholic saint. He worked to convert Protestants back to Catholicism, and was an accomplished preacher...
(1567–1622) - Fenelon (1651–1715)
- Owen FelthamOwen FelthamOwen Feltham was an English writer, author of a book entitled Resolves, Divine, Moral, and Political , containing 146 short essays. It had great popularity in its day. Though sometimes stiff and affected in style, it contains many sound, if not original or brilliant, reflections, and occasional...
(c. 1602-1668) - John MiltonJohn MiltonJohn Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
(1608–1674) - John FlavelJohn FlavelJohn Flavel was an English Presbyterian clergyman and author.-Life:Flavel was born at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire and studied at Oxford. Ordained as a Presbyterian in 1650, though later a Congregationalist, he held livings at Diptford and Dartmouth...
(1627–1691) - George FoxGeorge FoxGeorge Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
(1624–1691) - John GoodwinJohn Goodwin (preacher)John Goodwin was an English preacher, theologian and prolific author of significant books.-Early life:Goodwin was born in Norfolk and educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he graduated M.A. and obtained a fellowship on 10 November 1617. He left the university and married, took orders and...
(1593–1665) - Hugo GrotiusHugo GrotiusHugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...
(1583–1645) - John OwenJohn Owen (theologian)John Owen was an English Nonconformist church leader, theologian, and academic administrator at the University of Oxford.-Early life:...
(1616–1683) - Anton PraetoriusAnton PraetoriusAnton Praetorius was a German Calvinist pastor who spoke out against the persecution of witches and against torture.-Life and writings :...
(1560–1613) - Francis TurretinFrancis TurretinFrancis Turretin was a Swiss-Italian Protestant theologian.Turretin is especially known as a zealous opponent of the theology of the Academy of Saumur , as an earnest defender of the Calvinistic orthodoxy represented by the Synod of Dort, and as one of the authors of the Helvetic...
(1623–1687) - Herman Witsius (1636–1708)
18th century
- George BullGeorge BullGeorge Bull was an English theologian and Bishop of St David's.-Life:He was born, 25 March 1634, in the parish of St. Cuthbert, Wells, and educated in the grammar school at Wells, and then at Blundell's School in Tiverton under Samuel Butler. Before he was fourteen years old he went into...
(1634–1710) - Thomas BurnetThomas BurnetThomas Burnet , theologian and writer on cosmogony.-Life:He was born at Croft near Darlington in 1635. After studying at Northallerton Grammar School under Thomas Smelt, he went to Clare Hall, Cambridge in 1651. There he was a pupil of John Tillotson...
(1635?-1715) - Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758)
- John Fletcher (1729–1785)
- John GillJohn Gill (theologian)John Gill was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology. Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, he attended Kettering Grammar School where he mastered the Latin classics and learned Greek by age 11...
(1697–1771) - Philipp Jakob SpenerPhilipp Jakob SpenerPhilipp Jakob Spener was a German Christian theologian known as the "Father of Pietism."...
(1635–1705) - Emanuel SwedenborgEmanuel Swedenborgwas a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
(1688–1772) - Charles WesleyCharles WesleyCharles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
(1707–1788) - John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
(1703–1791) - George WhitefieldGeorge WhitefieldGeorge Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
(1714–1770)
19th century
- Archibald AlexanderArchibald AlexanderArchibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
(1772–1851) - William Alexander (bishop)William Alexander (bishop)William Alexander was an Irish cleric in the Church of Ireland.-Life:He was born in Derry on the 13 April 1824, the third child of Rev Robert Alexander. He was educated at Tonbridge School and Brasenose College, Oxford....
(1824–1911) - Nathan BangsNathan BangsNathan Bangs, was an American Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition. Born in Stratford, Connecticut, he received a limited education, taught school, and in 1799 went to Upper Canada in search of work as either a teacher or a land-surveyor...
(1778–1862) - Nikolai BerdyaevNikolai BerdyaevNikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev was a Russian religious and political philosopher.-Early life and education:Berdyaev was born in Kiev into an aristocratic military family. He spent a solitary childhood at home, where his father's library allowed him to read widely...
(1874–1948) - William BoothWilliam BoothWilliam Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...
(1829–1912) - Borden Parker BowneBorden Parker BowneBorden Parker Bowne was an American Christian philosopher and theologian in the Methodist tradition. In 1876 he became a professor of philosophy at Boston University, where he taught for more than thirty years. He later served as dean of the graduate school. Bowne was an acute critic of positivism...
(1847–1910) - Horace BushnellHorace BushnellHorace Bushnell was an American Congregational clergyman and theologian.-Life:Bushnell was a Yankee born in the village of Bantam, township of Litchfield, Connecticut. He attended Yale College where he roomed with future magazinist Nathaniel Parker Willis. Willis credited Bushnell with teaching...
(1802–1876) - Adam ClarkeAdam ClarkeAdam Clarke was a British Methodist theologian and Biblical scholar, born in the townland of Moybeg Kirley near Tobermore in Ireland...
(1762–1832) - Charles Grandison FinneyCharles Grandison FinneyCharles Grandison Finney was a leader in the Second Great Awakening. He has been called The Father of Modern Revivalism. Finney was best known as an innovative revivalist, an opponent of Old School Presbyterian theology, an advocate of Christian perfectionism, a pioneer in social reforms in favor...
(1792–1875) - Wilbur FiskWilbur FiskWillbur Fisk , also known as Wilbur Fisk, was a prominent American Methodist minister, educator and theologian. He was the first President of Wesleyan University. Willbur Fisk (August 31, 1792 – February 22, 1839), also known as Wilbur Fisk, was a prominent American Methodist minister,...
(1792–1839) - Adolf Von HarnackAdolf von HarnackAdolf von Harnack , was a German theologian and prominent church historian.He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912....
(1851–1930) - Karl HeimKarl HeimKarl Heim was a professor of dogmatics at Münster and Tübingen. One of his students was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He retired in 1939. His idea of God controlling quantum events that do and would seem otherwise random has been seen as the precursor to much of the current studies on divine action...
(1874–1958) - A. A. Hodge (1823–1886)
- Charles HodgeCharles HodgeCharles Hodge was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. A Presbyterian theologian, he was a leading exponent of historical Calvinism in America during the 19th century. He was deeply rooted in the Scottish philosophy of Common Sense Realism...
(1797–1878) - Hugh Price HughesHugh Price HughesHugh Price Hughes , was a Welsh Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition. He was the founder of the Methodist Times and the first superintendent of the West London Methodist Mission, a key Methodist organisation today...
(1847–1902) - Søren KierkegaardSøren KierkegaardSøren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
(1813–1855) - Frederick Denison Maurice (1805–1872)
- John MileyJohn MileyJohn Miley was an American Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition who was one of the major Methodist theological voices of the 19th century....
(1813–1895) - John Henry Newman (1801–1890)
- Heinrich PaulusHeinrich PaulusHeinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus was a German theologian and critic of the Bible. He is known as a rationalist who offered natural explanations for the biblical miracles of Jesus....
(1761–1851) - William Burt PopeWilliam Burt PopeWilliam Burt Pope was an English Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition.Ordained in 1842, Pope became a successful linguist and translator of German anti-rationalist critics. He taught at Didsbury Wesleyan College in Manchester, England from 1867 to 1886...
(1822–1903) - Albrecht RitschlAlbrecht RitschlAlbrecht Ritschl was a German theologian.Starting in 1852, Ritschl lectured on "Systematic Theology". According to this system, faith was understood to be irreducible to other experiences, beyond the scope of reason. Faith, he said, came not from facts but from value judgments...
(1822–1889) - Walter RauschenbuschWalter RauschenbuschWalter Rauschenbusch was a Christian theologian and Baptist minister. He was a key figure in the Social Gospel movement in the United States of America.-Evolution of Thought:...
(1861–1918) - Philip SchaffPhilip SchaffPhilip Schaff , was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and a historian of the Christian church, who, after his education, lived and taught in the United States.-Biography:...
(1819–1893) - Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834)
- Charles SpurgeonCharles SpurgeonCharles Haddon Spurgeon was a large British Particular Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers"...
(1834–1892) - Bernhard StadeBernhard StadeBernhard Stade was a German Protestant theologian, born at Arnstadt, in Thuringia.He studied at Leipzig and Berlin, and in course of time became professor ordinarius at Giessen...
(1848–1906) - Henry Barclay SweteHenry Barclay SweteHenry Barclay Swete was an English Biblical scholar. He became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1890. He is known for his 1906 commentary on the Book of Revelation, and other works of exegesis....
(1835–1918) - William Temple (archbishop)William Temple (archbishop)William Temple was a priest in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Manchester , Archbishop of York , and Archbishop of Canterbury ....
(1881–1944) - Richard Watson (1781–1833)
- Christian Hermann WeisseChristian Hermann WeisseChristian Hermann Weisse , was a German Protestant religious philosopher.- Philosophy :He was born at Leipzig, and studied at the university there, at first adhering to the Hegelian school of philosophy. In the course of time, his ideas changed, and became close to those of Schelling in his later...
(1801–1866) - George MacDonaldGeorge MacDonaldGeorge MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, E. Nesbit and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S...
(1824–1905) - Charles Taze "Pastor" RussellCharles Taze RussellCharles Taze Russell , or Pastor Russell, was a prominent early 20th century Christian restorationist minister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement, from which Jehovah's Witnesses and numerous independent Bible Student groups emerged...
(1852–1916)
20th century
- Greg BahnsenGreg BahnsenGreg L. Bahnsen was an influential Calvinist philosopher, apologist, and debater. He was an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and a full time Scholar in Residence for the Southern California Center for Christian Studies.-Early life and education:He was the first born of two...
(1948–1995) - Hans Urs von BalthasarHans Urs von BalthasarHans Urs von Balthasar was a Swiss theologian and priest who was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church...
(1905–1988) - Karl BarthKarl BarthKarl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
(1886–1968) - Louis BerkhofLouis BerkhofLouis Berkhof was a Reformed systematic theologian whose written works have been influential in seminaries and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada and with individual Christians in general throughout the 20th century.-Personal life:...
(1873–1957) - Marie-Émile BoismardMarie-Émile BoismardClaude Boismard was a French biblical scholar.He was educated in Rome, he was professor of the New Testament. As part of the École Biblique, he was one of the translators who created the Jerusalem Bible...
(1916–2004) - Dietrich BonhoefferDietrich BonhoefferDietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
(1906–1945) - Edgar S. BrightmanEdgar S. BrightmanEdgar Sheffield Brightman was a philosopher and Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition, associated with Boston University and liberal theology, and promulgated the philosophy known as Boston personalism....
(1884—1953) - F.F. Bruce (1910–1990)
- Emil BrunnerEmil BrunnerHeinrich Emil Brunner was a Swiss Protestant theologian. Along with Karl Barth , he is commonly associated with neo-orthodoxy or the dialectical theology movement....
(1889–1966) - Rudolf Karl Bultmann (1884–1976)
- G. B. CairdG. B. CairdGeorge Bradford Caird , D.Phil., D.D., FBA, was a British churchman, theologian, humanitarian, and biblical scholar...
(1917–1984) - Gordon ClarkGordon ClarkGordon Haddon Clark was an American philosopher and Calvinist theologian. He was a primary advocate for the idea of presuppositional apologetics and was chairman of the Philosophy Department at Butler University for 28 years...
(1902–1985) - Edmund ClowneyEdmund ClowneyEdmund Prosper Clowney was a theologian, educator, and pastor. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in 1939, a Bachelor of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1942, a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale Divinity School in 1944, and a...
(1917–2005) - John B. CobbJohn B. CobbJohn B. Cobb, Jr. is an American United Methodist theologian who played a crucial role in the development of process theology. He integrated Alfred North Whitehead's metaphysics into Christianity, and applied it to issues of social justice.-Biography:John Cobb was born in Kobe, Japan in 1925 to...
(1925– ) - James Hal ConeJames Hal ConeJames Hal Cone is an advocate of Black liberation theology, a theology grounded in the experience of African Americans, and related to other Christian liberation theologies. In 1969, his book Black Theology and Black Power provided a new way to articulate the distinctiveness of theology in the...
(1938- ) - Yves CongarYves CongarYves Marie Joseph Congar was a French Dominican cardinal and theologian.-Early life:Born in Sedan, in northeast France, in 1904, Congar's home was occupied by the Germans for much of World War I...
(1904–1995) - Oscar CullmannOscar CullmannOscar Cullmann was a Christian theologian in the Lutheran tradition. He is best known for his work in the ecumenical movement, being in part responsible for the establishment of dialogue between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic traditions...
(1902–1999) - Dorothy DayDorothy DayDorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...
(1897—1980) - Ignacio EllacuriaIgnacio EllacuríaIgnacio Ellacuría, S.J. was a Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian who did important work as a professor and rector at the Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" , a Jesuit university in El Salvador founded in 1965...
(1930–1989) - Avery Dulles (1918– )
- Frederic William FarrarFrederic William FarrarFrederic William Farrar was a cleric of the Church of England .Farrar was born in Bombay, India and educated at King William's College on the Isle of Man, King's College London and Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he won the Chancellor's Gold Medal for poetry in 1852...
(1831–1903) - Paul S. Fiddes (1947-)
- Peter Taylor ForsythPeter Taylor ForsythPeter Taylor Forsyth, also known as P. T. Forsyth, was a Scottish theologian.The son of a postman, Forsyth studied at the University of Aberdeen and then in Göttingen...
(1842–1921) - Hans Wilhelm FreiHans Wilhelm FreiHans Wilhelm Frei is best known for work on biblical hermeneutics, especially on the interpretation of narrative...
(1922–1988) - Justo GonzalezJusto GonzalezJusto L. González is a Cuban-American Methodist historian, theologian, a prolific author, and an influential contributor in the development of Latino/Latina [Hispanic] theology.-Education:...
(1937- ) - J. Kenneth GriderJ. Kenneth GriderJ. Kenneth Grider is a Nazarene Christian theologian and former seminary professor primarily associated with the followers of John Wesley who are part of the Holiness movement. A member of the Church of the Nazarene, he graduated from the Nazarene Theological Seminary in 1947 and received his PhD...
(1921- ) - Gustavo GutiérrezGustavo GutiérrezGustavo Gutiérrez Merino, O.P., is a Peruvian theologian and Dominican priest regarded as the founder of Liberation Theology...
(1928– ) - Georgia HarknessGeorgia HarknessGeorgia Elma Harkness was a Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition. Born in Harkness, New York, a town named after her grandfather, Harkness has been described as one of the first significant American female theologians and was important in the movement to gain ordination for women in...
(1891–1974) - Adolf von HarnackAdolf von HarnackAdolf von Harnack , was a German theologian and prominent church historian.He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912....
(1851–1930) - Carl F. H. HenryCarl F. H. HenryCarl Ferdinand Howard Henry was an American evangelical Christian theologian who served as the first editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today, established to serve as a scholarly voice for evangelical Christianity and a challenge to the liberal Christian Century.-Early Years and...
(1913–2003) - Dietrich von HildebrandDietrich von HildebrandDietrich von Hildebrand was a German Catholic philosopher and theologian who was called by Pope Pius XII "the 20th Century Doctor of the Church."...
(1889–1977) - Leonard HodgsonLeonard HodgsonLeonard Hodgson was an Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, historian of the early Church and Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford from 1944 to 1958.-Early life :...
(1889–1969) - Anthony A. HoekemaAnthony A. HoekemaAnthony Andrew Hoekema was a Calvinist minister and theologian who served as professor of Systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, for twenty-one years.- Biography :...
(1913–1988) - Heinrich Julius HoltzmannHeinrich Julius HoltzmannHeinrich Julius Holtzmann , German Protestant theologian, son of Karl Julius Holtzmann , was born at Karlsruhe, where his father ultimately became prelate and counsellor to the supreme consistory....
(1832–1910) - E. Stanley JonesE. Stanley JonesE. Stanley Jones was a 20th century Methodist Christian missionary and theologian.He is remembered chiefly for his interreligious lectures to the educated classes in India, thousands of which were held across the Indian subcontinent during the first decades of the 20th century...
(1884–1973) - Meredith G. KlineMeredith G. KlineMeredith G. Kline was an American theologian and Old Testament scholar advance in Archeology, both Assyriology and Egyptology.-Academic career:...
(1922–2007) - Albert C. KnudsonAlbert C. KnudsonAlbert Cornelius Knudson was a Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition, associated with Boston University and the school of liberal theology known as Boston personalism.-Biography:...
(1873–1953) - Kosuke KoyamaKosuke Koyamawas a Japanese, Protestant Christian theologian. Koyama was born in Tokyo in 1929, of Christian parents . He later moved to New Jersey in the United States, where he completed his B.D. at Drew Theological Seminary and his Ph.D., on the interpretation of the Psalms of Martin Luther, at Princeton...
(1929–2009) - Hans KüngHans KüngHans Küng is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he has been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic . Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing", but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology...
(1928– ) - Abraham KuyperAbraham KuyperAbraham Kuijper generally known as Abraham Kuyper, was a Dutch politician, journalist, statesman and theologian...
(1837–1920) - C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
(29 November 1898 - 22 November 1963) - Edwin LewisEdwin LewisEdwin Lewis was an American Methodist theologian primarily associated with Drew University in New Jersey.Born in Great Britain, Lewis traveled to Canada as a missionary before continuing his education in the United States...
(1881–1959) - Bernard LonerganBernard LonerganFr. Bernard J.F. Lonergan, CC, SJ was a Canadian Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian widely regarded as one of the most important Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century....
(1904–1984) - Henri de LubacHenri de LubacHenri-Marie de Lubac, SJ was a French Jesuit priest who became a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century...
(1896–1991) - John F. MacArthurJohn F. MacArthurJohn Fullerton MacArthur, Jr. is a United States evangelical writer and minister noted for his internationally known and broadcast radio program titled Grace to You...
(1939-) - J. Gresham MachenJohn Gresham MachenJohn Gresham Machen was an American Presbyterian theologian in the early 20th century. He was the Professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary between 1915 and 1929, and led a conservative revolt against modernist theology at Princeton and formed Westminster Theological Seminary as a more...
(1881–1937) - John MacquarrieJohn MacquarrieJohn Macquarrie FBA TD was a Scottish theologian and philosopher, the author of Principles of Christian Theology and Jesus Christ in Modern Thought...
(1919-) - Martin E. MartyMartin E. MartyMartin Emil Marty is an American Lutheran religious scholar who has written extensively on 19th century and 20th century American religion. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1956, and served as a Lutheran pastor from 1952 to 1962 in the suburbs of Chicago...
(1928- ) - Thomas MertonThomas MertonThomas Merton, O.C.S.O. was a 20th century Anglo-American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion...
(1915–1968) - Johann Baptist MetzJohann Baptist MetzJohann Baptist Metz is a Catholic theologian. He is Ordinary Professor of Fundamental Theology, Emeritus, at Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster, Germany....
(1928– ) - John MurrayJohn Murray (theologian)John Murray was a Scottish-born Calvinist theologian who taught at Princeton Seminary and then left to help found Westminster Theological Seminary, where he taught for many years.-Life:...
(1898–1975) - Reinhold NiebuhrReinhold NiebuhrKarl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
(1892–1971) - H. Richard NiebuhrH. Richard NiebuhrHelmut Richard Niebuhr was one of the most important Christian theological-ethicists in 20th century America, most known for his 1951 book Christ and Culture and his posthumously published book The Responsible Self. The younger brother of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, Richard Niebuhr taught for...
(1894–1962) - Anders NygrenAnders NygrenAnders Theodor Samuel Nygren was a Swedish Lutheran theologian. He was professor of systematic theology at Lund University from 1924 and was elected Bishop of Lund in 1948...
(1890–1978) - Rudolf OttoRudolf OttoRudolf Otto was an eminent German Lutheran theologian and scholar of comparative religion.-Life:Born in Peine near Hanover, Otto attended the Gymnasium Andreanum in Hildesheim and studied at the universities of Erlangen and Göttingen, where he wrote his dissertation on Martin Luther's...
(1869–1937) - Albert C. Outler (1908–1989)
- J. I. PackerJ. I. PackerJames Innell Packer is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia...
(1926- ) - Johannes PedersenJohannes Pedersen (theologian)Johannes Pedersen was a noted theologian and linguist.Pedersen believed that "objective thought, that is to say, inactive, disinterested thought" does not exist in most instances...
(1883–1977) - Karl RahnerKarl RahnerKarl Rahner, SJ was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century...
(1904–1984) - Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)Pope Benedict XVIBenedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
- Rosemary Radford RuetherRosemary Radford RuetherRosemary Radford Ruether is an American feminist scholar and theologian.-Biography:Ruether was born in 1936 in Georgetown, Texas, to a Roman Catholic mother and Episcopal father. She has reportedly described her upbringing as free-thinking and humanistic as opposed to oppressive...
(1936– ) - Francis SchaefferFrancis SchaefferFrancis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland...
(1912–1984) - Albert SchweitzerAlbert SchweitzerAlbert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
(1875–1965) - Fulton Sheen (1895–1979)
- Albert Benjamin SimpsonAlbert Benjamin SimpsonAlbert Benjamin "A.B." Simpson was a Canadian preacher, theologian, author, and founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance , an evangelical Protestant denomination with an emphasis on global evangelism....
(1843–1919) - Frank Stagg (1911–2001)
- John StottJohn StottJohn Robert Walmsley Stott CBE was an English Christian leader and Anglican cleric who was noted as a leader of the worldwide Evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974...
(1921-2011) - Henry Barclay SweteHenry Barclay SweteHenry Barclay Swete was an English Biblical scholar. He became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1890. He is known for his 1906 commentary on the Book of Revelation, and other works of exegesis....
(1835–1918) - Paul TillichPaul TillichPaul Johannes Tillich was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. Tillich was one of the most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century...
(1886–1965) - Thomas F. Torrance (1913–2007)
- A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)
- Cornelius Van TilCornelius Van TilCornelius Van Til , born in Grootegast, the Netherlands, was a Christian philosopher, Reformed theologian, and presuppositional apologist.-Biography:...
(1895–1987) - Nikolaj Velimirović (1880–1956)
- Geerhardus VosGeerhardus VosGeerhardus Johannes Vos was an American Calvinist theologian and one of the most distinguished representatives of the Princeton Theology. He is sometimes called the father of Reformed Biblical Theology.-Biography:...
(1862–1949) - John WalvoordJohn WalvoordJohn F. Walvoord was a Christian theologian, pastor, and president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He was the author of over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology including The Rapture Question, and was co-editor of The Bible Knowledge Commentary with Roy B....
(1910–2002) - Henry WansbroughHenry WansbroughThe Very Reverend Dom Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA , STL , LSS , is a biblical scholar and a monk of Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire, England....
- B. B. Warfield (1851–1921)
- H. Orton WileyH. Orton WileyHenry Orton Wiley was a Christian theologian primarily associated with the followers of John Wesley who are part of the Holiness movement...
(1877–1961) - Karol Wojtyła (Pope John Paul II)Pope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
(1920–2005) - John Howard YoderJohn Howard YoderJohn Howard Yoder was a Christian theologian, ethicist, and Biblical scholar best known for his radical Christian pacifism, his mentoring of future theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas, his loyalty to his Mennonite faith, and his 1972 magnum opus, The Politics of Jesus.-Life:Yoder earned his...
(1927–1997)
21st century
- James AlisonJames AlisonJames Alison is a Catholic theologian and author. He is noted for his work on gay issues and the application of René Girard's anthropological theory in theology....
(1959- ) - Dale AllisonDale AllisonDale C. Allison is a Christian theologian who currently serves as Errett M. Grable Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Early Christianity at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Prior to joining Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1997, Allison served on the faculties of Texas Christian University...
- Marcella Althaus-ReidMarcella Althaus-ReidMarcella Althaus-Reid was Professor of contextual theology at New College, University of Edinburgh. When appointed, she was the only woman professor of theology at a Scottish University, and the first woman professor of theology at New College in its 160 year history .She was born in Rosario, ,...
- Marilyn McCord AdamsMarilyn McCord AdamsMarilyn McCord Adams is an American philosopher working in philosophy of religion, philosophical theology and medieval philosophy.-Family:Adams is the daughter of William Clark McCord and Wilmah Brown McCord...
(1943- ) - Gregory BoydGregory A. BoydGregory A. "Greg" Boyd is an evangelical pastor, Christian theologian and author. He is Senior Pastor of the Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States and is President of Christus Victor Ministries.-Biography:...
- D.A. Carson
- Jack CottrellJack CottrellJack Cottrell is a Christian theologian and author associated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ, which is part of the Restoration Movement. He has been a professor of theology at Cincinnati Christian University since 1967...
- William Lane CraigWilliam Lane CraigWilliam Lane Craig is an American analytic philosopher, philosophical theologian, and Christian apologist. He is known for his work on the philosophy of time and the philosophy of religion, specifically the existence of God and the defense of Christian theism...
- Marva DawnMarva DawnMarva J. Dawn is an American Christian theologian, author, musician and educator, associated with the parachurch organization Christians Equipped for Ministry in Vancouver, Washington. She also serves as Teaching Fellow in Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dawn...
- Richard FosterRichard Foster (religion)Richard J. Foster is a Christian theologian and author in the Quaker tradition. His writings speak to a broad Christian audience. He has been a professor at Friends University and pastor of Evangelical Friends churches. Foster resides in Denver, Colorado...
- John FrameJohn FrameJohn M. Frame is an American philosopher and Calvinist theologian especially noted for his work in epistemology and presuppositional apologetics, systematic theology, and ethics...
(1939- ) - Chris GlaserChris GlaserRev. Chris Glaser, M.Div., has been an activist in the movement for full inclusion of LGBT Christians in the Presbyterian Church , or PCUSA, for over 30 years. He is currently a minister in the Metropolitan Community Church, or MCC.-Education:...
- Norman GeislerNorman GeislerNorman L. Geisler is a Christian apologist and the co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where he formerly taught. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University...
- Bob GossBob GossRev Dr Robert E. Shore-Goss, Bob Shore-Goss is a theologian and author.Goss was brought up in a devout Roman Catholic family and felt called to the priesthood, being ordained as a Jesuit in 1976.He left the Jesuits in 1978 going on to receive a Th.D...
- Stanley GrenzStanley GrenzStanley James Grenz was an American Christian theologian and ethicist in the Baptist tradition.-Early years:...
(1950–2005) - Wayne GrudemWayne GrudemWayne A. Grudem is a Protestant theologian and author. He was born in 1948 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and married Margaret White on June 6, 1969 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin...
- Gary HabermasGary HabermasGary Robert Habermas is an American evangelical Christian apologist, historian, and philosopher of religion. He is a prolific author, lecturer, and debater on the topic of the Resurrection of Jesus...
- Catharina HalkesCatharina HalkesCatharina Joanna Maria Halkes Halkes was a Dutch theologian and feminist, notable for having been the first Dutch professor of feminism and Christianity, at the Radboud University Nijmegen from 1983 to 1986...
(1920-2011) - Stanley HauerwasStanley HauerwasStanley Hauerwas is a Christian theologian and ethicist. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame and is currently the Gilbert T...
(1940- ) - Michael Horton
- Scott J. JonesScott J. JonesScott Jameson Jones is an American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 2004. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Illinois, Indiana and Colorado. -Family:...
(1954- ) - John F. MacArthurJohn F. MacArthurJohn Fullerton MacArthur, Jr. is a United States evangelical writer and minister noted for his internationally known and broadcast radio program titled Grace to You...
(1939-) - Alister McGrathAlister McGrathAlister Edgar McGrath is an Anglican priest, theologian, and Christian apologist, currently Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at Kings College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture...
(1953- ) - Josh McDowellJosh McDowellJoslin "Josh" McDowell is a Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer. He is within the Evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity, and is the author or co-author of some 77 books. His best-known book is Evidence That Demands a Verdict, which was ranked 13th in Christianity Today's list of...
- Scotty McLennanScotty McLennanThe Reverend William L. McLennan, Jr. — better known as "Scotty McLennan" — was born on November 21, 1948, son of William L. McLennan and Alice Polk Warner. He is an ordained minister, lawyer, professor, published author, public speaker and senior administrator at Stanford University...
(1948 - ) - John J McNeill
- Jürgen MoltmannJürgen MoltmannJürgen Moltmann is a German Reformed theologian. The 2000 recipient of the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.-Moltmann's Youth:...
(1926- ) - J.P. Moreland
- George NewlandsGeorge NewlandsGeorge McLeod Newlands is Emeritus Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow.- Background :George Newlands is a Scottish liberal Christian theologian...
(1941- ) - Thomas C. OdenThomas C. OdenThomas Clark Oden is an American United Methodist theologian and religious author associated with Drew University in New Jersey. He was born in Altus, Oklahoma, and holds a Doctor of Literature from Asbury College....
(1931- ) - Wolfhart PannenbergWolfhart PannenbergWolfhart Pannenberg is a German Christian theologian. His emphasis on history as revelation, centred on the Resurrection of Christ, has proved important in stimulating debate in both Protestant and Catholic theology, as well as with non-Christian thinkers.-Life and views:Pannenberg was baptized as...
(1928- ) - Eugene PetersonEugene H. PetersonEugene H. Peterson , is a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. He has written over thirty books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language , a contemporary translation of the Bible.-Personal life:Peterson was born in East Stanwood, Washington and grew...
(1932- ) - Clark PinnockClark PinnockClark H. Pinnock was a Christian theologian, apologist and author. He was Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at McMaster Divinity College.-Education and career:...
- John PiperJohn Piper (theologian)John Stephen Piper is a Christian preacher and author, currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
- John PolkinghorneJohn PolkinghorneJohn Charlton Polkinghorne KBE FRS is an English theoretical physicist, theologian, writer, and Anglican priest. He was professor of Mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968 to 1979, when he resigned his chair to study for the priesthood, becoming an ordained Anglican priest...
- Andrew PurvesAndrew PurvesAndrew Purves is a Christian theologian in the Reformed tradition through the Church of Scotland . He holds the Chair in Reformed Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary....
- Robert L. ReymondRobert L. ReymondRobert L. Reymond is a Christian theologian of the Protestant Reformed tradition. He is best known for his New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith . Reymond holds B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Bob Jones University and has taught at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri...
- Neiliezhü ÜsouNeiliezhü ÜsouRev. Dr. Neiliezhü Üsou was an influential Baptist preacher, theologian, Church musician, Music teacher and composer from the North-Eastern state of India, Nagaland. He belonged to the Angami Naga tribe and hailed from Nerhema Village in Kohima district, Nagaland, India...
(1941–2009) - Edward SchillebeeckxEdward SchillebeeckxEdward Cornelis Florentius Alfonsus Schillebeeckx was a Belgian Roman Catholic theologian born in Antwerp. He taught at the Catholic University in Nijmegen. He then continued writing. In his nineties, he still wanted to finish a major book about the Sacraments.He was a member of the Dominican Order...
(1914–2009) - Dorothee Soelle (1929–2003)
- R. C. SproulR. C. SproulRobert Charles Sproul, is a prominent American Calvinist theologian, author, and pastor of the Reformed tradition...
- Elizabeth StuartElizabeth Stuart (theologian)Professor Elizabeth Stuart is a UK theologian specialising in Queer Theology.-Academic Positions:She is Professor of Christian Theology at the University of Winchester and was founding chair of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality. She co-edits the academic journal Theology and...
- Carsten Peter ThiedeCarsten Peter ThiedeCarsten Peter Thiede was a German archaeologist and New Testament scholar. He was also a member of PEN and a Knight of Justice in the Order of St John. Thiede often advanced theories that conflicted with the consensus of academic and theological scholarship...
(1952–2004) - Anthony ThiseltonAnthony ThiseltonAnthony Charles Thiselton has written a number of books and papers on Christian theology and the philosophy of religion. He has recently served on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, appointed by the Minister of Health...
(1937- ) - Miroslav VolfMiroslav VolfMiroslav Volf is an influential Christian theologian and currently the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale University Divinity School and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, which focuses in part on workplace spirituality. He has been a member in both the Episcopal...
- Graham WardGraham Ward (theologian)Graham Ward is currently Professor of Contextual Theology and Ethics at the University of Manchester, England. His appointment as Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford is expected to take effect from 1 October 2012. His letter of appointment had to be re-issued because his...
(1955- ) - Keith WardKeith WardKeith Ward is a British cleric, philosopher, theologian and scholar. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and an ordained priest of the Church of England. He was a canon of Christ Church, Oxford until 2003...
(1938- ) - Dallas WillardDallas WillardDallas Albert Willard is an American philosophy professor and author born in Buffalo, Missouri. His work in philosophy has been primarily in phenomenology, particularly the work of Edmund Husserl...
- J. Rodman WilliamsJ. Rodman WilliamsDr. J. Rodman Williams , regarded as the father of modern Renewal Theology, was a charismatic theologian and Professor of Renewal Theology at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia....
- William Willimon (1946- )
- N. T. Wright
- Nancy WilsonNancy Wilson (religious leader)The Reverend Elder Nancy L. Wilson is an American cleric who serves as the current Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches ....
- Ravi ZachariasRavi ZachariasFrederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias is an Indian-born, Canadian-American evangelical Christian apologist. Zacharias is the author of numerous Christian books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner Can Man Live Without God? and bestsellers Light in the Shadow of Jihad and The Grand Weaver...
(1946- )
See also
- List of Catholic philosophers and theologians
- Doctor of the ChurchDoctor of the ChurchDoctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
(CatholicismCatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
/ Orthodox ChristianityEastern Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
) - List of Methodist theologians
- List of Reformed Baptists