Entwicklungsgeschichte der Lehre von der Person Christi von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf die neueste

Isaak August Dorner’s 'Entwicklungsgeschichte der Lehre von der Person Christi' serves as a monumental work of 19th-century Protestant dogmatics. First conceived in the late 1830s and expanded significantly over subsequent decades, the text tracks the evolution of Christological doctrine from the early church through the post-Reformation era. Dorner, a prominent German theologian, intended this work to synthesize the historical development of Christian dogma with a contemporary philosophical framework, seeking to reconcile faith with the rigorous historical-critical methods emerging in German academia at the time.

The 1851 edition published by G. Schlawitz in Berlin represents a mature iteration of Dorner's research, which was highly regarded for its exhaustive historical detail and methodical rigor. Within the context of 19th-century theology, the work was celebrated for its immense learning and its influence on later systematic theologians, such as Karl Barth, who viewed Dorner’s contribution as essential to understanding the developmental nature of church doctrine. While dense and challenging, the text remains a cornerstone for scholars studying the intersection of historical theology and Christology.