"As browsable as it is useful, this encyclopedic volume reads like a leisurely conversation among old friends. It will refresh professors, inspire students, and delight all who love the church. This is a book that will be fun to read in the short term but will last a long time on your library shelf."

—Stephen H Webb, Wabash University

This two-volume companion brings together a team of contemporary theologians and writers to provide substantial introductions to the key people who shaped the Christian story and tradition.

• Comprises over 75 entries on the most important and influential figures in the history of Christianity, written by an international team of nearly 50 contemporary theologians


• A to Z entries range from substantial essays to shorter overviews, each of which locates the theologian in their immediate context, summarizes the themes of their work, and explains their significance


• Covers a broad span of theologians, from Augustine to Thomas Aquinas, through to C. S. Lewis, James Cone, and Rosemary Radford Reuther


• Accessibly structured around five periods: early centuries, middle ages, reformation period, the Enlightenment, and the twentieth-century to the present


• Provides profiles of key Catholic, protestant, evangelical, and progressive theologians


• Explains the technical details of theology in accurate and accessible ways, and includes a variety of student aids, including a timeline to orientate the reader, reading lists, and a glossary of key terms