Jun 28, 2017 berkhof, however, did not present his own original theology, it was for the most part, in structure and content, the theology of herman bavinck. Carlton wynne and charles williams speak about the new edition of herman bavincks the wonderful works of god published by westminster seminary press. Second, work that bavinck did on christian education significantly influenced those who began calvin college in the 1930s. Jan 20, 2018 herman bavinck explained this comfort well in the closing statements of his discussion on gods providence. Sin and salvation in christ looks at the fallen nature of creation through a reformed microscope. In our treatment of the doctrine of the image of god, then, we must highlight, in accordance with scripture and the reformed confession, the idea that a human being does not bear or have the image of god but that he or she is the image of god. Herman bavinck december 1854, hoogeveen, drenthe 29 july 1921, amsterdam was a dutch reformed theologian and churchman. Neither a tenstep guide nor a onesided approach, this book embodies a christian theology of marriage and the family.
Bavincks early life and education herman bavinck was born in hoogeveen, the netherlands, on december. Through christ, the last adam, god aims to restore his people to covenant fellowship and thereby achieve his ultimate aim for human life in the state of glorification. How is grace related to nature what is the connection between creation and re. Taking on the project of pre paring a onevolume outline of a fourvolume magisterial work like bavincks is not something to be done lightly. Hart, author of the lost soul of american protestantism bavinck s dutch masterwork was the everest of which the textbooks by louis berkhof and auguste lecerf were foothills and berkouwers studies in.
God is a personal being, selfexistent, having the source of life in himself, selfconscious, and selfwilling, not shut in by nature but exalted above nature, creator of heaven and earth. In the second section of this powerful work, bavinck introduces us to the covenant nature of grace and then to the person of jesus christ. Herman bavinck on creation orthodox presbyterian church. God moved us to the netherlands and eventually to kampen, the city where bavinck taught systematic theology and ethics for twenty years. Herman bavinck explained this comfort well in the closing statements of his discussion on gods providence. He was well aware that the bible confronts modern man with many questions. Against this position bavinck once again reiterates the doctrine that all knowledge must begin from observation. He graduated in 1880 from leiden having completed a dissertation on ulrich zwingli a year later, bavinck was appointed professor of dogmatics at kampen theological seminary. Bavinck stayed closer to the spirit of the reformation, and especially. Doctrine of god students reformed theological library. In bavincks view of gods counsel or decree, the doctrine of election deals with gods eternal purpose to save his people in christ. Oct 01, 2004 the other volumes in this series are reformed dogmatics, vol. As i previously shared, the dutch calvinists were not encumbered in fundamentalist debates over inerrancy like their american calvinist counterparts.
Doctrine of god by herman bavinck banner of truth usa. Bavinck s doctrine of god is richly informative, very detailed, and difficult to read. The attributes of god herman bavinck, reformed dogmatics, vol. Each of these of course is further subdivided in a logical format. This popular digest of herman bavinck s classic fourvolume reformed dogmatics clearly presents the fundamental doctrines of biblical theology. While roman catholic, eastern orthodox, and reformed theologians generally embraced creationism, lutherans embraced traducianism because they locate the image of god solely in a. At the time, it took me about an hour to read one page. Oct 17, 2008 this year marks the one hundredth anniversary of bavincks stone lectures at princeton theological seminary, and the appearance in english of the final volume of his fourvolumed reformed dogmatics1. This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of bavincks stone lectures at princeton theological seminary, and the appearance in english of the final volume of his fourvolumed reformed dogmatics1. Selected shorter works of herman bavinck ebook monergism. Nearly three decades of close involvement with bavincks theology has given me a great respect for the man and his achievement. Bavinck dissects and lays open the origin, nature, and punishment for sin. Herman bavinck s 18541921 fourvolume reformed dogmatics is one of the most important theological works of the twentieth century. Bavincks insight was that theological method must be grounded in the substance of theology itself, speci fically in its trinitarian and covenantal aspects.
Roberts abstract this article outlines the main contours of herman bavincks prolegomena. Herman bavinck christian classics ethereal library. As a human being a man is the son, the likeness, or offs. Herman bavinck uncluttered collection of writings from. Herman bavinck was a dutch calvinist who wrote an influential reformed dogmatics, and this is part two in my analysis of bavincks doctrine of inspiration of the scriptures. An introduction to the reformed doctrines of grace. The blessings of herman bavinck christian reformed church. He graduated magna cum laude in 1880 from leiden with a double major. The deeds of god form a circle which mounts upward in the form of a spiral. He graduated in 1880 from leiden having completed a dissertation on ulrich zwingli. God is the architect and builder of all those deeds, the source and the final end of them. He first went to theological school at kampen, but then moved on to leiden for further training. Born on december, 1854, in hoogeveen, drenthe, holland, herman bavinck was the son of the reverend jan bavinck, a leading figure in the secession from the state church of the netherlands in 1834.
Sep 24, 2015 in our treatment of the doctrine of the image of god, then, we must highlight, in accordance with scripture and the reformed confession, the idea that a human being does not bear or have the image of god but that he or she is the image of god. Herman bavincks organic inspiration of the scriptures. The doctrine of god is the foundation of christian theology and the prerequisite of all true faith. Bavinck on divine simplicity now christian theology has always been more or less conscious of this calling. Gaffin, emeritus professor of biblical and systematic theology, westminster theological seminary, delivered the following lecture at the 2008 bavinck conference. Indeed, augustine and aquinas appear to get more play in his doctrine of god than calvin, luther, or even later postreformation sources. This is the first english translation of the second volume of herman bavincks complete reformed dogmatics. Gods incomprehensibility, gods knowability, gods names, gods incommunicable attributes, gods communicable attributes, the holy trinity, and gods counsel. The time is ripe, therefore, to get reacquainted with bavinck. Gods word in servant form by richard gaffin the bavinck. Hart, author of the lost soul of american protestantism bavincks dutch masterwork was the everest of which the textbooks by louis berkhof and auguste lecerf were foothills and berkouwers studies in. In this consoling fashion scripture deals with the providence of god. Yet, despite this, few books expound the biblical teaching on the being and character of god himself, or encourage that glorifying of his name for which man is made and redeemed. Herman bavincks 18541921 fourvolume reformed dogmatics is one of the most important theological works of the twentieth century.
This god can appear and reveal himself in definite places, at definite times, to. Herman bavinck 18541921, a dutch reformed theologian, was a contemporary of abraham kuyper and b. Bavinck was born in the town of hoogeveen in the netherlands to a german father. Bavinck sensed the open question caused by the subjectivistic tendency of friedrich schleiermachers doctrine of revelation. Bavinck was a towering figure among the dutch reformed in the netherlands during the midnineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
I give it 4 stars because bavinck is both thorough in his handling of the material, wellorganized the material is laid out within an outline format and of course thoroughly scriptural. The catholicity of christianity and the church 1888, translated into english by john bolt in 1992 and published in ctj 27, 22051. Hes wellattuned to the riches to be discovered across the wider christian heritage. Bavincks doctrine of god is richly informative, very detailed, and difficult to read. On the whole, its teaching has been that god is simple, that is, sublimely free from all composition, and that therefore one cannot make any real i. In his purpose of election, god intends nothing less than the redemption of a new humanity within the context of his comprehensive work of recreation. Out of him and through him and to him are all things. He graduated magna cum laude in 1880 from leiden with a double major in systematic theology and old testament.
Translators introduction1 william brede kristensen 18671953 was a norwegian scholar of classical languages and ancient mesopotamian religions. Abraham kuyper and herman bavinck and the doctrine of scripture 2008. Sin and salvation in christ, and reformed dogmatics, vol. Nearly three decades of close involvement with bavincks theology has given me. This comprehensive treatment of christian doctrine was first issued in 1909 under the title the wonderful works of god.
Bavinck was first and foremost a verbi divini minister, a servant of the powerful and authoritative word of god. Bavinck also deals with the doctrine of the covenant in the third volume of his reformed dogmatics, where he takes up the topic of gods work of redemption in christ. Editors notes this issue of the protestant reformed theological journal is a special issue. Readers will discover more than bavinck the theologian in these volumes. Some have suggested that bavinck questioned the authority of scripture. Despite its clear reformed emphasis, bavincks theology is broadly catholic in the best sense of the term. Aug 25, 2016 bavinck on divine simplicity now christian theology has always been more or less conscious of this calling. Dutch theologian herman bavinck 18541921 is widely celebrated as a leading divine in the reformed tradition, and through the ongoing labor of translation teams, editors, and publishers, his vast writings are reaching english readers. Note at the end how bavinck alludes to the heidelberg catechisms great summary of providence in lords day 10. The attributes of god herman bavinck, reformed dogmatics.
Herman bavinck s perspectives on the outward and ordinary means of grace robert j. Doctrine of godtheology book information in partnership with the dutch reformed translation society, baker academic is proud to offer the second volume of herman bavincks complete reformed dogmatics in english for the very first time. Topics covered in this volume include to doctrine of god, the trinity, creation, heaven and earth, and the doctrine of humanity. This is the first english translation of the second volume of herman bavinck s complete reformed dogmatics. A practical handbook of theology, it is an outstanding comprehensive statement of christian faith and doctrine. Because the essence of the christian religion consists in the recreation of the cosmos into a kingdom of god, bavinck writes that the great question, which returns always and everywhere, is this. In 1896 he completed a doctorate at the university of oslo on ancient egyptian views of the afterlife. Deeply concerned with the problem of objectivism and subjectivism in the doctrine of revelation, he employed schleiermachers doctrine of revelation in his own way and regarded the bible as the objective standard for his. After theological study in kampen, and at the university of leiden, he graduated in 1880, and served as the minister of the congregation at. Jan 01, 1978 the doctrine of god is the foundation of christian theology and the prerequisite of all true faith. Bavinck breaks down the doctrine of god into 7 categories. But he did contribute to a new understanding of the organic inspiration of. Berkhof, however, did not present his own original theology, it was for the most part, in structure and content, the theology of herman bavinck.
Olson this thesis paper will address the question, does god use means to communicate his benefits to his people. This translation provides, in the words of hendriksen, a spiritual treat for the serious reader. It has served well as a synopsis of bavinck s larger, fourvolume dogmatics, for it presents in clear persepctive all the fundamental doctrines of the bible. If that question is answered in the affirmative, the westminster shorter catechism proceeds to ask, what are the outward means whereby.
A comparison of herman bavinck and johan herman bavinck. Bavinck was born in the town of hoogeveen in the netherlands to a german father, jan bavinck 18261909 who was. Visser, pastor of the protestant church in the netherlands amsterdam and chairman of the foundation for the promoting of reformed missiology and ecumenics, delivered the following lecture at the 2008 bavinck conference. It has served well as a synopsis of bavincks larger, fourvolume dogmatics, for it presents in clear persepctive all the fundamental doctrines of the bible. The christian family bavinck reformation heritage books. He was a significant scholar in the calvinist tradition, alongside abraham kuyper and b. The recently completed english translation has received wide acclaim, and has now been distilled into a more accessible one volume abridged edition likewise entitled reformed dogmatics focuses on the most crucial elements of the reformed theological tradition. Clearly, therefore, the works of god in the arrangement or completion of the. Yet by gods power the unchanging essence of marriage and the family remains proof, as bavinck notes, that gods purpose with the human race has not yet been achieved. Providence and confession of faith bavinck the reformed. The net result of bavincks investigation is a moderate realism5 which seeks on the one hand to avoid the extremes of realism, but on the other hand to avoid the extremes of idealism.
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