Reformed Dogmatics: A System of Christian Theology
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A Foundational Work, Now in One Volume
Geerhardus Vos’s Reformed Dogmatics represents the early theological thought of one of the premier Reformed thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Originally self-published in five volumes in 1896 under the title Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, this important work of Reformed theology has never before been available to an English audience.
Geerhardus Vos is perhaps best known to English speakers for his books Pauline Eschatology, published in 1930, and Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments, published in 1948. Vos’s strong grounding in biblical scholarship and biblical theology gives his Reformed Dogmatics a unique, fresh biblical perspective. Though this five-volume set is systematic in nature, Geerhardus Vos brings the skills and acumen of a biblical theologian to the task.
This new edition incorporates the English translations of each of the earlier volumes into a single volume for students of Reformed theology.
Praise for Reformed Dogmatics
Like books, people can become ‘classics.’ Great in their day, but richer and more fulfilling with time. Not yet a classic, Vos’s never-before-published Reformed Dogmatics is more like a lost Shakespeare play recently discovered. There seems to have been a flurry in recent years of systematic theologians writing with an eye for biblical theology. With this series we now have a biblical theologian writing a systematic theology. Thanks to Lexham Press for giving us such a long-awaited but impressive access to this much-discussed gem.
—Michael Horton, Prof. of Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
The state of access to deep, historic, orthodox Reformed theology has progressed exponentially in the last decade or so. Resources previously inaccessible to many have now become available to a vastly wider audience. In my view, the capstone of this accessibility is in this masterful work of Geerhardus Vos. Vos has the singularly unique accumen and ability to summarize and state concisely some of the deepest truths of Reformed theology. These volumes will now be my first recommendation to anyone who wants to understand the riches of the Bible’s teaching in a compressed and clear way. Thanks to Richard B. Gaffin Jr., to the translators, and to Lexham Press for putting this work into our hands.
—K. Scott Oliphint, Prof. of Apologetics and Systematic Theology, Westminster Seminary California
This translation of Vos’ Dogmatiek is the last link in access to his magnificent oeuvre. English readers will now be able to match the Princetonian’s commitment to historic Reformed doctrinal orthodoxy with his pioneering work in redemptive-historical biblical theology. The interaction is refreshing as well as pace-setting. Kudos to publisher and translator alike for undertaking this project.
—James T. Dennison, Jr., Academic Dean and Prof. of Church History and Biblical Theology, Northwest Theological Seminary
- Title: Reformed Dogmatics: A System of Christian Theology (Single Volume Edition)
- Author: Geerhardus J. Vos
- Translator and Editor: Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 2020
- Pages: 1,288
- Format: Logos Edition, Hardcover
- Trim Size: 6x9
- ISBN: 9781683594192
About Geerhardus Vos
Geerhardus J. Vos, born in 1862, was a Dutch American theologian. He was the first alumnus of Calvin College (then Theological School) to earn a doctoral degree. Vos studied Old Testament at Princeton Seminary and graduated with honors. He then went on to do doctoral work in Semitics at the University of Berlin for one year, followed by two years at the University of Strasburg. He returned to teach at Calvin in 1888, but accepted an invitation to hold Princeton's new Chair of Biblical Theology in 1892. He held the chair until his retirement in 1932. During his time at Princeton he taught some of the great Reformed minds of the 20th century, including John Gresham Machen and Ned Bernard Stonehouse. Vos was also an essential catalyst in the establishment of Biblical Theology as a discipline. He passed away in 1949. Vos' thinking and scholarship in theology has influenced Cornelius Van Til, John Murray, Richard B. Gaffin Jr., and Herman Ridderbos.
About Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
Richard B. Gaffin Jr. is Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus, at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1965. An ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he has authored and edited a number of biblical and theological works, including Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos.
Reviews
1 rating
Aaron Sauer
12/25/2023
Chris Lane
11/19/2020
Lexham Press has provided the Church with a great resource; Geerhardus Vos' five-volume Reformed Dogmatics is now available to the English speaking world for the first time. These five volumes offer the reader a concise, straightforward journey through the traditional loci that one would expect from such a set. The first volume discusses theology proper, including "creation" (ch. 6) and God's acting in it. Volume two covers anthropology, hamartiology, and man's relation to God (i.e. "The Covenant of Grace"), the third volume is dedicated wholly to Christology, the fourth focuses on soteriology, and, lastly, three parts constitute the fifth volume, namely, ecclesiology, sacramentology or "the means of grace," and eschatology. The most readily noticeable aspect of these volumes is that they do not proceed in the typical fashion one might expect from a dogmatic/systematic account of theology. Rather, Vos compiled the content of these volumes while teaching systematic theology (1:vii) and so they follow a simple question and answer format. While the reader will judge the various merits and shortcomings of this approach, it ultimately allows these volumes to be very accessible, easily referenced, and, most importantly, the reader will appreciate being able to follow Vos' thought process at many junctures throughout. These valuable characteristics of the question-answer format are emphasized by the presence of an index in each volume that contains the questions contained therein, categorized by topic. Vos' writing is thoughtful and economical–this is a work that one should read attentively and reflectively. Though an occasional question might betray the date of the original work–circa the turn of the 20th century–and, therefore, raise queries which a contemporary reader might not desire to concern themselves, many remain beneficial, nonetheless. The reader will find Vos' judgments in his Reformed Dogmatics (unsurprisingly) relatively comparable to Bavinck's Systematic Theology as they were both Dutch Reformed theologians living, working, and writing their respective works by the same name rather contemporaneously. One issue the reader should be aware of is the inconsistency of whether or not a given Greek, Hebrew, or Latin word utilized by Vos is translated. To be clear, Vos hardly does anything more than list appropriate non-English words for a given subject or attribute at hand; for example, under his discussion of the order of salvation in vol. 4 ch. 1, Vos discusses the double meaning of "σωτηρία, salus"(4:1). The transliteration and translation of these Greek, Hebrew, and Latin words are simply sometimes given and sometimes withheld. Though, I suspect that the format and straightforwardness of the answers will sufficiently aid the reader in discerning these meanings from context. If one reads these volumes within Lexham's software suites, Logos or Verbum, the reader is able to double click on these words in order to utilize the digital resources' tagging and linking. In all, Vos' Reformed Dogmatics are great resources to have at one's disposal for reference or study. The question and answer format gives this work an almost catechetical feel and the volumes, therefore, present it in such a way that they could conceivably be used devotionally. In all, this series is a valuable resource for lay readers and theologians, alike, (as, indeed, every Christian is a theologian!)–whether reading through the volumes systematically or utilizing it for a quick, well-trodden, reformed perspective to a particular question, Vos' Reformed Dogmatics are a good addition to any library. Note: I received a review copy of this book for free, but a positive review was neither requested nor required.
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