The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation

by Albrecht Ritschl

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 1902

Overview

How are we made right before God? This is perhaps the most theologically vexing and most frequently asked question of Christians. Generations of Christians have thought about it, and for centuries, theologians have penned countless books in trying to answer the question. Ritschl’s The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation: The Positive Development of the Doctrine has become one of the most important and widely cited volumes on the subject.

This landmark work on justification explores forgiveness and renewal—being made right before God—in the context of all of Christian theology and practice. Ritschl explores how justification relates to the doctrine of God and the doctrine of Christ, and includes lengthy treatises on the consequences of justification. He closes with chapters on the effects of justification, including the implications for faith, prayer, and Christian moral calling.

Contents

Top Highlights

“The statement that it is of no consequence whether or not the penal value of evils is acknowledged by the persons punished, and whether or not with their offence they join a sense of its unworthiness, cannot hold good to such an extent that conversion and the estimating of evils as means of education become unthinkable.” (Page 48)

“, for it is only through the rendering of obedience on man’s part that God’s sovereignty possesses continuous existence” (Page 30)

“The minds of His disciples are so far responsive to His teaching on this point, that they become convinced that pardon must first be appropriated before it is possible to imitate His piety and His moral achievement.” (Page 2)

“Three points are necessary to determine the circle by which a religion is completely represented—God, man, and the world” (Page 29)

Praise for the Print Edition

At last there is provided what has been a desideratum for years—a really reliable translation of the great dogmatic work by which the most noted of modern theologians chiefly made his mark on the thinking of his age. . . . We are at length in possession of a translation which, in point of accuracy, clearness, and frequently even felicity of expression, is nearly all that the most exacting could desire.

—Critical Review

Product Details

• Title: The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation: The Positive Development of the Doctrine
• Author: Albrecht Ritschl
• Translators: H.R. Mackintosh and A.B. Macaulay
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Publication Date: 1902
• Pages: 673

About Albrecht Ritschl

Albrecht Ritschl (1822-1889) was a German Protestant theologian and historian. He was one of the most important liberal theologians of his time. His theology is often labeled as “moral value” as it focused on the ethical implications and their relevance for the witness of the church. Furthermore, he rejected all natural theology, mysticism, and metaphysics due to his belief that theology must focus on ethical issues.

(From Theopedia.com. Freely redistributable under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.)