BOOK BITES
CREDO: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition by Jaroslav Pelikan. Yale University Press, 2003. 609 pp. (BT990.C64 2003).
If you want to mortgage your house to buy Jaroslav Pelikan’s three-volume set, CREEDS AND CONFESSIONS OF FAITH IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION, that is your option. But, why do that when you can read his distillation of sixty years of scholarship under the title CREDO in the Renouf/Nelson Library (La Parroquia)? This single volume contains the history of the Church’s creeds and confessions, and their relationships to ecclesiastical politics. This prestigious work contains 609 pages, including an extensive bibliography of 19 pages, and is as complete as you will ever desire.
Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury says: “As might be expected, this is a wholly magisterial survey of an immense quantity of disparate material. I can think of no other work that remotely approaches what this sets out to do, and I have no doubt at all that it will become one of the indispensable works of reference for any theological scholar.” (Jacket).
The author is the recipient of 42 honorary degrees. His writings exemplify the quality of our parish library. Elaborate and thorough, CREDO is not laborious reading.
Browse it first, for an overview of how the church has thought through the centuries. Then, if you have time, let the depth of this book fill you with renewed appreciation for the Creed we affirm every Sunday.
…The Library Committee