The Doctrine of the Incarnation (1896 Ottley), book

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The Doctrine of the Incarnation (1896) is a book by Robert Lawrence Ottley.

Abstract

In the vein of scholarship from his generation, Ottley strives to provide a compendious introduction to the doctrine of the Incarnation from its origins to his day. In contrast to Harnack before him, Ottley assumes that the origins of the doctrine lie in Scripture and not in Greek metaphysics. As such, Ottley finds frequent intimations of, or as he puts it, proof for the "fact of the Incarnation," through the entire corpus of both the Old and New Testament. Accordingly, Ottley uncritically and anachronistically reads the biblical text through the lens of later theological doctrines and assumes that they are both explicit and implicit in the text.

The work can be divided into four primary parts. The first part explores the nature of the Incarnation and raises existential questions about why the Incarnation occurred and its role in the salvation of mankind. The second part investigates the biblical presentation of the doctrine, in both the Old and New Testaments. The third part, which comprises sections III - IX, covers the period from the Apostolic Fathers to the sixteenth century. The fourth part offers a conclusion of sorts, offering some reflections upon the theological points and the technical terms that are most often employed by the ecclesiastical writers in relation to the Incarnation. As can be seen, Ottley's work is comprehensive in scope and his attention to detail is laudable, yet, like many other Christian theologians from his day, Ottley frequently belies his Christian supersessionistic tendencies: Ottley assumes that Christianity supersedes all previous religions and that Jesus' incarnational act is the culmination of human history. Since this appears to be his starting point, rather than his conclusion, Ottley appears to take a more apologetic, rather than critical, approach. ~Deborah Forger, University of Michigan

Editions and translations

Published in London [England]: Methuen, <2 vols.>, 1896.

Contents

  • v.1. To the Council of Nicea.
  • v.2. To the present day.

External links

  • [ Google Books]
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