Alexander Pierce
Email: apierce4@nd.edu
Primary Field of Study: History of Christianity
Research Interests
Patristic Theology and Exegesis, Doctrinal Development and Method, Early Christian Apologetics, Church Councils, the History of Biblical and Patristic ExegesisEducation
B.A., Northwestern College, M.Div. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, M.A., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame (Theology)
Profile
Alexander Pierce is interested in all dimensions of the theology and exegesis of the early Church, specializing in theological reflections on the Trinity and God's relationship to the world, on Christ and salvation, and on creation and eschatology in Greek and Latin Christians from Irenaeus to Augustine; the relationships of Christians to one another (e.g., in church councils, friendship, or theological controversies) and to those outside the Church (e.g., in apologetic writings); the inextricable link between Christian doctrine, ethics, and worship; and the historical development of theological traditions and their later reception. His dissertation has shown how Augustine uses the dynamic Latin Christian concept of sacramentum (sacred sign, figure, or mystery) to articulate an integrated theological account of history and the Christian religion that coheres in the mediation of Christ. He has presented his research at many major conferences and published in several academic journals. While the focus of his work is historical theology and the history of theology, he is also concerned with what present-day Christians can learn from these historical insights.
Dissertation
Augustine’s Theology of the Sacramental Economy