Comparative Analysis of 10 Christian Theologians

Name	Era & Tradition	Key Theme	Similarities	Differences	Conflicts/Tensions
1. Augustine	4th–5th c., Latin (Catholic & Protestant)	Grace, Original Sin, Predestination	Affirms divine grace, spiritual anthropology, church authority	Emphasised original sin and predestination more than later synergists like Wesley	His predestination theology conflicted with Origen and Wesley; less systematised than Aquinas or Calvin
2. Aquinas	13th c., Catholic	Faith and Reason, Natural Theology	Like Augustine, upholds original sin, grace, and salvation through Church sacraments	Sought harmony between Aristotle and Scripture; favoured reason more than Luther or Barth	Rejected by Luther for reliance on natural theology; contrasts sharply with Barth’s emphasis on revelation
3. Luther	16th c., Protestant (Lutheran)	Justification by Faith Alone	Shares Augustine’s view of grace and predestination	Rejects scholasticism, papal authority, and Thomist sacramentalism	Strongly opposes Aquinas’ natural theology and Origen’s allegorical methods
4. Calvin	16th c., Protestant (Reformed)	Sovereignty and Predestination	Follows Augustine on grace; aligns with Luther on sola fide and Scripture’s authority	More systematised doctrine of predestination (double); greater emphasis on divine sovereignty	Opposes Wesley’s Arminianism; conflicts with Origen’s universalism and Aquinas’ moderate view of free will
5. Barth	20th c., Reformed/Neo-Orthodox	Revelation and Christocentrism	Resembles Luther in rejecting natural theology; affirms divine initiative and grace	Rejects classical theism’s reliance on metaphysics; redefines election in Christ, not individuals	Opposes Aquinas’ natural theology and Calvin’s deterministic double predestination
6. Bonhoeffer	20th c., Lutheran (Confessing Church)	Discipleship and Ethics	Shares Barth’s Christocentrism and ecclesiology; upholds Lutheran justification by faith	Focused on ethical responsibility and costly grace in political resistance	Less doctrinally focused than Calvin; critical of institutional church complacency
7. Jonathan Edwards	18th c., Reformed (Congregationalist)	Revival, Aesthetic Theology	Embraces Calvinist sovereignty and grace; shares mysticism with Origen in some spiritual aspects	Integrates Enlightenment philosophy with Puritan piety; aesthetic focus uncommon among Reformers	Conflicts with Wesley on free will and perfection; differs from Aquinas on philosophical foundations
8. John Wesley	18th c., Arminian (Methodist)	Holiness, Free Grace, Assurance	Shares ethical focus with Bonhoeffer; pastoral zeal like Luther	Rejects predestination; affirms synergistic salvation and Christian perfection	Conflicts with Augustine, Calvin, and Edwards on predestination and original sin
9. Origen	3rd c., Alexandrian (Pre-Nicene)	Allegory, Spiritual Ascent	Mystical spirituality akin to Bonhoeffer’s later prison reflections; formative influence on Athanasius	Advocates universal salvation and pre-existence of souls; heavy allegory and philosophical speculation	Condemned by later councils; doctrinally at odds with Augustine, Luther, and Athanasius
10. Athanasius	4th c., Nicene Orthodox	Incarnation and Trinitarian Orthodoxy	Shares Christocentric theology with Barth, Bonhoeffer, and Calvin	Strong defender of homoousios; opposed Arianism; early articulator of theosis	Less systematic than later theologians; concept of theosis underdeveloped in Western theology

Shared Doctrinal Ground

Trinitarianism: All except Origen (who predated Nicene consensus) affirm some form of Trinitarian doctrine.
Christocentrism: Strong in Athanasius, Barth, Bonhoeffer, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley.
Grace and Redemption: Central in Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Barth, and Wesley, though interpreted differently.

Theological Polarities

Theme	Calvin / Augustine / Edwards	Wesley / Origen
Predestination vs. Free Will	Strong determinism and election	Emphasis on free will and universal grace
Nature of Salvation	Forensic justification, grace alone	Process-oriented, transformative, perfection possible
Theological Method	Scriptural exegesis, systematisation (e.g. Calvin)	Allegorical, mystical, experiential (e.g. Origen)
Human Nature	Fallen, morally incapacitated (Augustine, Edwards)	Capable of cooperating with grace (Wesley, Origen)
Philosophy and Theology	Suspicious of reason (Luther, Barth)	Embrace of classical philosophy (Aquinas, Origen)

Notable Conflicts

Luther vs. Aquinas: Luther rejected scholastic reliance on reason and metaphysics; Aquinas saw reason as a divine gift.
Calvin vs. Wesley: Calvin’s double predestination vs. Wesley’s universal prevenient grace and perfection.
Barth vs. Aquinas/Calvin: Barth denied both natural theology and deterministic election.
Origen vs. Augustine: Origen’s universalism and pre-existence of souls were explicitly rejected by Augustine.
Edwards vs. Wesley: Edwards’ Calvinism contrasted with Wesley’s Arminian emphasis on human responsibility.

Conclusion

These ten theologians represent a spectrum of Christian thought—from Alexandrian allegory to Reformed scholasticism, from medieval synthesis to modern resistance theology. Their common love for Christ and Scripture binds them, yet their diverse understandings of grace, freedom, church, and truth have generated creative tensions that continue to shape global Christianity today.