Adolf Von Harnack

The premier church historian of his day, Harnack taught at the University of Berlin and wrote books which became world famous. In 1900 he published What is Christianity? which sought to distinguish between the teachings of Jesus and the church's proclamation about Jesus. Harnack argued that Greek philosophy had shaped Christianity in ways never intended by Jesus. Therefore it was necessary to strip away the "husk" of theology to reveal the "kernel" of Jesus' teaching. Harnack believed that Jesus taught: 1) the coming Kingdom of God; 2) God the Father and the infinite value of the human soul; 3) the commandment to love, which is to be lived out in a Social Gospel. Harnack was the chief spokesman of liberal theology in his generation.