The History of Dogma

Adolf von Harnack's The History of Dogma (1886–89) argues that Christianity's relevance lies in its historical development, not in theological dogma. Harnack sought to separate Christianity's original essence from later accretions of dogma by using a scholarly historical method. He believed that Christian dogma, formed by the 4th century CE, was a product of the Hellenistic Greek spirit interacting with the Gospel of Jesus.1

Harnack's work aimed to replace theological dogmatism with historical understanding, suggesting that the essence of the Gospel could be recovered by moving beyond dogma. This approach influenced liberal Christian historiography and sought to free Christianity from dogmatic identifications that arose in the Hellenistic world.1