J.H. Heidegger's Corpus of Christian Theology: Theology in General: Summary

[A fundraising update: We are 25% of the way to our fundraising goal 25 new $100/month subscribers! Thanks be to God. If you are being blessed by the translation work, please consider supporting the work and speeding it on its way.  Click here to watch a brief video on the project.]

1.  Solemn pronouncement of prayer.  2.  The origin of the word Theology.  3.  The use of the same brought into the Church.  4.  Synonyms ἔγγραφα, found in writing.  5.  The definition of the word.  The Theology of God, of Christ as man, of the Saints in heaven, and of the Saints in the Way or on the race-course are distinguished.  6.  The Theology of Adam in his integrity.  7.  Natural Theology after the fall is asserted.  8.  And the arguments of Socinus against the same are refuted.  9.  Yet it is not saving, because ignorant of Christ.  10.  And man does not even consider the things naturally known, as they are able to be known.  11.  A refutation of the Fathers, Muhammad, and Socinus, promising a common saving Religion, resting upon principles of nature.  12.  The use of Natural Theology with respect to God and men.  13.  The necessity of Revelation.  14.  A definition of revealed Theology, and a description of a Theologian.  15.  A fuller declaration of the same.  16.  The criteria of true Religion.  17.  The religions of the Gentiles, of the Jews, and of the Muhammadans are tested by the rule of the same.  18.  The truth of the Christian religion.  19.  To which the impiety and error of Christians ψευδωνύμων, falsely so called, is no objection.  20.  Three diverse economies of Theology and Revelation are distinguished.  21.  The first being infantile, from Adam to Moses.  22.  The second being adolescent, from Moses to Christ.  23.  The third being mature, from Christ to the end of the world.  24.  Revelation obtains its Divinity, not from the manner of its delivery, but from the thing delivered.  25.  That it be distinguished from the revelation of impostors, is of great importance.  26.  The method of recognizing Divine revelation is shown.  27.  Its use depends upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit.  28.  Its eminent efficacy is explained.  29.  For judging divine Revelation, the authority of human testimony avails nothing.  30.  Neither does the superintendence of human reason, impiously asserted by the Socinians and the Jews.  31.  For, it is not permitted to speak of the mystery, or to think anything, without God revealing.  32.  Indeed, God revealed the mystery, not to the wise, but to babes, and every mind ought to be taken captive to the obedience of Christ.  33.  Reason, neither corrupted nor healed, is able to be the principium of revelation.  34.  Which the very Theology of Socinus confirms.  35.  Objections in favor of the superintendence of Reason are refuted.  36.  Yet faith does not remove, but perfects, the sobriety of the mind, and truth naturally known.  37.  The error of the Fanatics, proscribing the use of reason.  38.  And also of the Papists, and others, who, discerning their errors to be uprooted by reason, abuse reason.  39.  The principal and organic use of reason in Theology is distinguished.  40.  That pertains to the discretive use of reason, whereby from those expressed by consequence is inferred, what is contained virtually in the things expressed.  41.  That consequences of this sort are able to be deduced, only fanatics deny.  42.  But, that those consequences are matters of knowledge, and so Theological, not of faith, and so not obliging to faith, the Methodist Papists persist in maintaining.  43.  Who are convicted by weighty arguments.  44.  Their contrary arguments are weighed.  45.  The distinction between the certainty of faith and of Theology, of conclusions express and deduced, is rejected.  46.  The danger of those that because of the intolerable burden of searching out truth are commanded to believe nothing other than what the Church sets forth.  47.  Some things revealed are believed implicitly, others explicitly.  48.  The foundation, to be believed explicitly, is defined, and distinguished.  49.  Christ alone is the center of all Divine revelation.  50.  The fundamental axiom, or truth, is Christ, with respect to the righteousness or Savior of the believer.  51.  That truth is expressed in diverse ways in Scripture.  52.  Fundamental articles are defined.  53.  And also fundamental errors.  54.  A threefold caution concerning errors not fundamental.  55.  A Refutation of the Socinians, the Methodists, and others.  56.  The unity of Theology.  57.  And its diversity.  58.  Description of Systematic Theology.  59.  Distinction of the same from Scholastic Theology.  60.  Its history.  61.  And the causes bringing it forth and nourishing it.  62.  And its corruptions are related, and are touched upon.  63.  Digression concerning the Style of Theology.  64.  The extent to which a pious use of human terms is able to have place.  65.  The distinction of Scholastic and mystical Theology, and the rise and progress of this from Platonic Philosophy, and Gnostic Christians, who set themselves in opposition to Gnostic Heretics.  66.  The crisis of Mystical Theology, an offshoot of which is Quietism.  67.  The imperfection of Theology, and on account of the same the necessity of progress.  68.  Therefore, Theology is not untrue or non-saving because imperfect.  69.  Diverse gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon diverse people.  70.  All Theology is practical.  71.  Objections are refuted.  72.  The Method of Theology, and an enumeration of the Locorum of the same.