Reformed Historical Theological Studies Series (6 vols.)

by R. Scott Clark; Willem J. van Asselt; William VanDoodewaard

and

3 more

Publisher:

Reformation Heritage

, 2005–2012

Overview

This collection provides a wide array of insights on the history and theology of the Reformed faith. The Reformed Historical Theological Studies Series (6 vols.) covers important events such as the Marrow Controversy, discussing its historical and theological context, and outlining its connection to the Seceder tradition.

It also sheds fresh light on important figures within the Reformed faith such as Caspar Olevianus, analyzing his doctrine of the covenant in the context of his theology as a whole. Paul Schaefer also gives a portrait of the “spiritual brotherhood” of Cambridge Reformed pastor-theologians William Perkins, Paul Baynes, Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, John Preston, and Thomas Shepard. This series also serves to highlight lesser known individuals, such as seventeenth-century English theologian and minister Elnathan Parr, who is presented as a demonstration of the practical significance of teaching predestination. You will also find a comprehensive picture of Reformed Scholasticism and Orthodoxy with Willem Van Asselt’s concise guide, and a thorough survey of covenant theology in Andrew Woolsey’s Unity and Continuity in Covenantal Thought, useful for grounding your study of Reformed history, theology, and tradition.

Key Features

• Offers skillful examination of important figures, theology, and events in the Reformed faith
• Provides analysis of the Marrow Controversy
• Includes a concise guide to Reformed Scholasticism
• Gives a comprehensive treatment of Caspar Olevianus’s theology
• Supplies a thoughtful survey of covenant theology

Product Details

• Title: Reformed Historical Theological Studies Series
• Authors: R. Scott Clark, Willem J. van Asselt, William VanDoodewaard, Andrew A. Woolsey, Paul Schaefer, David H. Kranendonk
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2005–2012
• Volumes: 6
• Pages: 2,161
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Resource ID: {4439DA87-0FEB-4EF6-88CA-4814038AB9B5}

Unity and Continuity in Covenantal Thought

• Author: Andrew Woolsey
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 672

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In this landmark survey of covenant theology, Andrew Woolsey assesses the Reformed tradition and finds that the development of diverse formulas actually maintained substantial agreement on the basic contours of covenantal thought. This text examines the historiographical problems related to the interpretation of the Westminster Standards, delving into the issue of covenantal thought in the Westminster Standards, followed by an exhaustive analysis of nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholarship on covenant. After surveying patristic and medieval backgrounds, Woolsey’s study looks in detail at a representative list of writers who contributed to the early development of federal thought (Luther, Oecolampadius, Zwingli, Bullinger, Calvin, and Beza). The final part of his study explores the early Orthodox approach to covenant and the rise of emphasis on the covenants of works and grace in the thought of Heidelberg theologians (Ursinus and Olevianus), the English Puritans (Cartwright, Fenner, and Perkins), and Scottish divines (Knox, Rollock, and Howie). Woolsey’s text is a substantial contribution to the study of Reformed thought on covenant from its Reformation origins to the more detailed formulations of the early to mid-seventeenth century.

The appearance of Andrew Woolsey’s Unity and Continuity in Covenantal Thought marks a significant juncture in the study of the development of early modern Reformed theology. Woolsey’s dissertation, completed in 1988, is the first (and after more than two decades, remains the only) major attempt in English to present a view of the movement of Reformed thought on covenant from its Reformation origins to the more detailed formulations of the early to mid-seventeenth century. This fact alone identifies the importance of the publication of Woolsey’s work

—Richard A. Muller, P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary

Unity and Continuity in Covenantal Thought is an important contribution to the history and historiography of covenant theology. Just as Richard Muller (in Christ and the Decree and his subsequent research) exploded the prevalent “Calvin versus the Calvinists” brand of historiography in tracing the transmission of the reformation into the post-reformation era, so also Andrew Woolsey demonstrates, as the title of this book indicates, the continuity in the development of covenant theology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His review of the historiographical literature is unmatched and comprehensive, which alone makes this work indispensable to students and scholars in the fields of reformation and post-reformation studies. His articulation and analysis of the theological issues involved are skillful, specific, and sympathetic. No future thesis in this area of study can afford to ignore this work. It is now the gold standard—providing a whole series of unique features. Among them, Woolsey provides a competent introduction to the patristic roots of reformed covenantal thought. He shows the complementarity of Bullinger’s and Calvin’s covenant theology. and he provides an original and crucial treatment and evaluation of the oft but wrongly maligned Beza, outlining Beza’s continuity with Calvinian covenant thought and thus debunking the idea that covenant theology was a reaction against Bezan ‘high Calvinism.’ Welcome to the treasure trove of covenantal thought!

— Ligon Duncan, senior minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary

Andrew Woolsey served as minister of the evangelical Presbyterian Church in Crumlin, Northern Ireland for nineteen years.

The Spiritual Brotherhood: Cambridge Puritans and the Nature of Christian Piety

• Author: Paul Schaefer
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 400

During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, a “spiritual brotherhood” formed among the Puritans, shaped by the reforming activity and training of Cambridge. These pastor-theologians initiated a new emphasis within the established church, stirring up a greater understanding of the Reformation doctrines of grace and preaching for conversion and Christian growth and piety. In this study, Paul Schaefer looks at six thinkers in this group who stand out because each was used as the human vehicle to bring the gospel to the next: William Perkins, Paul Baynes, Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, John Preston, and Thomas Shepard. By examining their teaching on the relation between man’s depraved nature and sovereign grace, as well as the distinct but inseparable relation of justification and sanctification, Schaefer demonstrates how the Puritan movement came to focus most intently on the cultivation of Reformed piety within the church.

All those who would better understand the leading figures and ideas behind Reformed theology and piety as it was forged in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century England and as it was adapted in the early colonial period in the New World will be grateful for Paul Schaefer’s most valuable and careful research. We are all in his debt.

— R. Scott Clark, professor of church history and historical theology, Westminster Seminary, California

Paul Schaefer is the chair of the religion department and professor of religion at Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania.

Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism

• Author: Willem J. Van Asselt
• Translator: Albert Gootjes
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 288

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This work supplies a long-standing need in the field of early modern studies by providing a basic introduction to Reformed Scholasticism. Although technical studies abound and interest in the subject continues to rise, until the appearance of this work by Willem van Asselt and his colleagues, students of history have lacked a concise guide to help them navigate the difficult waters of Reformed Scholasticism. This book carefully defines the phenomena of scholasticism and orthodoxy, concisely surveys the era, notes the most significant thinkers together with the various trajectories of thought, and references the relevant secondary scholarship. Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism surveys the topic thoroughly and provides a guide for further study in early modern Reformed thought.

Willem van Asselt is one of the foremost scholars in the recent studies of the nature of Reformed Orthodoxy and Scholasticism, and its relationship, theologically, philosophically, and pedagogically, with late medieval thought. The field is highly technical and somewhat daunting to students; but here Dr. Van Asselt and his colleagues have distilled their vast learning into a book which will be a sure guide to the field. I cannot think of a better introduction to the study of this significant, though often neglected and misunderstood, chapter in the development of Christian thought.

— Carl R. Trueman, professor of historical theology and church history, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

An invaluable introduction to Post-Reformation Reformed thought, van Asselt and is colleagues have done a masterful job in surveying the field and providing the basic starting point for further research. This work is especially recommended for seminary students and for all who have interest in the development of Reformed theology.

— Martin I. Klauber, affiliate professor of church history, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois

This translation and updating of Inleiding in de Gereformeerde Scholastiek makes available for the first time to English readers a splendid and much-needed introduction and guide to the world of Reformed Scholasticism. It is exemplary in the clarity of its exposition and the conciseness of its analysis, and refreshing in its sympathetic assessment of the intellectual and theological integrity and catholicity of scholastic theology. Its blend of lucid overview and more detailed case studies of “representative examples” works especially well in conveying the nature of the texts under discussion, while the step-by-step “reading guide” that instructs students how to set about analyzing a piece of scholastic theology should be required reading not just for students of historical theology but (dare one suggest?) for a good many professional practitioners as well. This introduction should swiftly become indispensable not just for budding historians of theology, but for all students of intellectual history whose research involves the study of works written in the tradition of Reformed Scholasticism.

— Anthony Milton, professor of history, University of Sheffield

This Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism provides a valuable resource for the study of the various trajectories of early modern Reformed thought. It is not merely an introductory survey. It is a significant guide for the further study of the era.

—Richard A. Muller, P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary

Willem J. Van Asselt taught church history and the history of Reformed theology at Utrecht University for years, and has recently become professor in historical theology at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Leuven, Belgium. He has written numerous books and articles on Reformed theology, including The Federal Theology of Johannes Cocceius (1603–1669).

Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant: The Double Benefit of Christ

• Author: R. Scott Clark
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 257

This volume is the most comprehensive treatment of Olevian’s theology published to date. Reflecting an impressive breadth of research and depth of analysis, it delivers on its promise at the beginning to move beyond other works on Olevian’s covenant thought by placing his doctrine of the covenant in context of his theology as a whole. In doing so, it first secures Olevian’s reputation as a significant theologian in his own right and not simply as the failed reformer of Trier, the court preacher of Heidelberg, or an author of the Heidelberg Catechism. Second, it accurately identifies his place in the development of Reformed theology as it passed from the Age of Reformation to the Age of Orthodoxy.

Dr. Clark’s book is a very welcome addition to the growing literature on the development of Reformed Orthodoxy in the Reformation and post-Reformation period. In a series of carefully argued chapters, he places Olevian’s thought in historical context and, by so doing, puts to rest a number of misconstructions of doctrinal development during this time while shedding new light upon the relationship of the theology of Olevian to that of the Heidelberg Catechism, of John Calvin, and of the wider Reformed world. This is a book that should be ready by all students and scholars interested in the theology of the period in general and of Olevian in particular.

—Carl R. Trueman, professor of church history, Westminster Theological Seminary

Clark’s study of Caspar Olevian’s doctrine of the covenant and its ‘twofold benefit,’ justification and sanctification, is a fine and needed addition to the literature on the developing Reformed tradition during the sixteenth century. Contrary to the claim of some who advocate a ‘Calvin against the Calvinist’ approach to the development of the Reformed tradition, Clark demonstrates that Olevian’s work was ‘in Calvin’s line.’ Since Olevian was an important contributor to the writing of the Heidelberg Catechism, Clark’s study also sheds light upon that great Reformed confession.

—Cornelis P. Venema, professor of doctrinal studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary

R. Scott Clark is professor of church history and historical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, California. He is the general editor of the Classic Reformed Theology series and author of Recovering the Reformed Confession.

The Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition: Atonement, Saving Faith, and the Gospel Offer in Scotland (1718–1799)

• Author: William VanDoodewaard
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 336

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After the Reformation, the Marrow Controversy of the eighteenth century is noted as one of the most significant and defining events in the Scottish church. However, until now, there has not been a serious analysis of the theology of the Marrow Men as it relates to churches in Scotland during the aftermath of the controversy. In this important study, William VanDoodewaard identifies characteristic understandings of Marrow theology on the atonement, saving faith, and the free offer of the gospel and traces them out in the theology of the Seceder tradition. In doing so, he presents substantial evidence for the continuity of Marrow theology in the Associate Presbytery and Associate Synod in Scotland during the eighteenth century. He ably demonstrates that while Marrow theology was not the primary cause of the Secession churches, the Seceders were aware of the significance of Marrow theology and consciously made it an integral part of their churches.

William VanDoodewaard has satisfied a scholarly need by carefully demonstrating the substantial theological continuity between Thomas Boston and the rest of Scotland’s early eighteenth-century Marrow Men and the later churches of the Associate Presbytery and Associate Synod. While this connection has long been assumed, it is now thoroughly demonstrated. The trilogy of doctrines at the heart of VanDoodewaard’s argument—the substitutionary atonement, saving faith, and the free offer of the gospel—are not of merely historical interest, but of perennial necessity for the truth of the gospel and the vitality of the Christian church.

—Philip G. Ryken, president, Wheaton College

William VanDoodewaard is associate professor of church history at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an ordained minister in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Teaching Predestination: Elnathan Parr and Pastoral Ministry in Early Stuart England

• Author: D. H. Kranendonk
• Publisher: Reformation Heritage
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 208

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In Teaching Predestination, David H. Kranendonk focuses on the ministry of an early seventeenth-century Puritan-leaning theologian, Elnathan Parr (1577–1622). Although relatively unknown today, Parr’s works were popular in his own day. Kranendonk’s survey contributes a nuanced picture of this English Reformed pastor and demonstrates that Parr’s scholastic development of predestination, coupled with his pastoral concern for the salvation and edification of his hearers, resists the caricature of Reformed Scholasticism as being a philosophically speculative system. Here one sees the practical use of predestination for the care of souls as Parr and others aimed to help increase the faith and joy of God’s people.

In this careful analysis of the Calvinist preaching and catechesis of Elnathan Parr, David Kranendonk reveals the pastoral significance of the teaching of predestination. He convincingly explains how a forbidding doctrine seemingly based on cold logic could be “on the ground” of parish life a spiritually enriching source of comfort and joy. Kranendonk strengthens his argument by his impressive familiarity with Parr’s contemporaries in practical theology and by his emphasis on the exegetical rather than speculative nature of much Reformed piety and theology in early Stuart England.

—Dewey D. Wallace Jr., professor of religion, George Washington University

D. H. Kranendonk is the pastor of the Free Reformed Church of Bornholm, Ontario, Canada.