One of the greatest challenges in consulting older historical accounts is the question of reliability. In the past, historians didn’t emphasize objectivity the way we do today, and oftentimes their personal opinions and interpretations bleed into their exposition of historical events, contaminating the reader’s understanding of the facts. Elements of Dogmatic History by Wilhelm Münscher provides a plain, unadulterated account of the historical beliefs—not practices—of Christianity. The facts are drawn from historically significant texts and presented without interpretations or opinions. Münscher believed it was the historians’ task to prioritize which authorities were the most accurate and reliable representations of the subject, not to decide whether those authorities were right or wrong.
Münscher wrote Elements of Dogmatic History to outline the history of the internal condition of the faith expressed through its doctrines for lecturers to decide when and where to go into more detail. The text illuminates the doctrines of different historical branches of Christianity, allowing readers to see how beliefs have changed over time and where differences first appeared. It provides concise overviews and information with copious notes and references to all source texts, making this text a valuable historical resource.
With the Logos edition, Elements of Dogmatic History becomes a powerful reference tool. Search key phrases, events, people, and topics to find every discussion of them in your library to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the Christian church. Cross-reference Elements of Dogmatic History with other historical or theological texts and go deeper into the faiths and beliefs that shaped Christianity. If you own any of Münscher’s source texts you can link to them instantly for further study.
