466 - The Melody of Theology: A Philosophical Dictionary

The Melody of Theology: A Philosophical Dictionary
By Jaroslav Pelikan
Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1988. 274 pp. $20.00.

Arranged in an alphabetical, topical format, this volume combines the systematic organization of a theological encyclopedia with the personal flavor of an intellectual

467 - The Melody of Theology: A Philosophical Dictionary

autobiography. While Jaroslav Pelikan, Yale University historian and theologian, is best known for his historically erudite five-volume The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, here the orienting theological "prejudices" (his word) that have governed his intellectual itinerary are clearly and persuasively set forth. The result is an elegant (albeit idiosyncratic) loci communes and dictionary of great religious thinkers, with some occasionally surprising points of emphasis. For example, there are no separate entries for Calvin, Barth, and Tillich; on the other hand, Dante, Goethe, and Emerson are singled out as inspired critics of and commentators upon Christian thought and culture; and John Henry Newman is referred to as "the most important theological thinker of modern times," a judgment attributed to others, though one which Pelikan appears to agree with.

Mark I. Wallace
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pa.