The first book I chose to read for my course in Reformed Historiography was Historical Theology by William Cunningham. Cunningham (1805–1861) was a Reformed theologian and church historian who served as Principal of New College, Edinburgh.
What struck me most in reading him was his approach to the Church Fathers. Cunningham was unashamedly critical of them wherever he thought it necessary. This was refreshing, because all too often we see the Fathers quoted selectively—cited in support of a contemporary theological position while ignoring passages that contradict it.
He summarizes his view well:
“As matters stand, we have these two important points established: First, that we have no certain information, —nothing on which, as a mere question of evidence, we can place any firm reliance, —as to what the inspired apostles taught and ordained, but what is contained in, or deduced from, the canonical Scriptures; and secondly, that there are no men, except the authors of the books of Scripture, to whom there is anything like a plausible pretence for calling upon us to look up as guides or oracles.”
—Chapter 4, p. 119
Here, Cunningham puts Sola Scriptura (see here) into practice. The Protestant view of authority rests on Scripture alone. Yet all too often, we Protestants forget this principle in our study of church history.
It is the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches that claim apostolic succession, not Protestants. With that claim comes the presupposition that the current beliefs and practices of the Church must be clearly evident in every era of history. Since we do not make that claim, we should not operate under its presupposition. In other words, we do not need to prove our theological positions from church history—we prove them from Scripture.
This raises an important question for us: Do we read church history simply looking for support for our own beliefs and practices, or do we read it fairly and honestly, measuring it against Scripture as a test of truth? The former reflects a Romish presupposition; the latter reflects a truly Protestant approach.
For an explanation of this blog series, click here.
To purchase “Historical Theology” by William Cunningham, click here.