Pursuing Veritas

I was recently talking with a friend who wants to learn more about church history and they asked for some top ten lists to get acquainted with important people and books from the history of Christianity. So I sent them the following list.

Now, a quick caveat here: these are Christians who specifically influenced theology, faith, and Biblical interpretation. Christians certainly can and have influenced other reasons of knowledge (think of Shakespeare, Florence Nightingale, William Wilberforce, Isaac Newton, or Bach, for example). But since the question came from a theological perspective, want to answer the question in that direction. Relatedly, I’m excluding Biblical characters from this list, for hopefully obvious reasons.

Also, I want to cover as much ground with these lists, so if your favorite theologian is not represented here, check out the forthcoming list of influential Christian books.

Irenaeus of Lyon (c.130-202 CE): helped establish categories of orthodox and heretical theology

Constantine the Great (c.272-337 CE): legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire and called the first ecumenical council of the Church

Athanasius of Alexandria (c.296-373): chief proponent of Nicene orthodoxy and defender of the eternal divinity of Jesus

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE): writer of Confessions, City of God, and On Christian Doctrine and probably the most cited theologian of history

Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226): influential mystic and poet who founded the monastic order that still bears his name

Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-1274): scholastic theologian whose use of philosophy, arguments for natural theology, and apologetic arguments continue to hold sway

Martin Luther (1483-1546): launcher of the Protestant reformation and proponent of Bible translation in vernacular languages

John Calvin (1509-1564): major Protestant reformer who systematized Reformed doctrine and practice

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758): preacher of revival and the First American Great Awakening whose impact continues to influence American Protestantism

Billy Graham (1918-2018): evangelical pastor who leveraged technology to preach Jesus to millions around the world

Some Honorable Mentions: Marcion of Sinope (pushed the formation of the Bible, Origen of Alexandria (major influence in biblical interpretation), Patrick of Ireland (the first saint that a non-Christian would name), the Cappadocians (four theologians who indelibly shaped theology), Anselm of Canterbury (continues to shape Christian apologetics and conceptions of God), James I (the KJV remains the most popular Bible translation in the world), and Mother Theresa (brought social justice and mercy to public consciousness).

What about you: Who would you include in your top ten list? Who would you exclude from this list?