Synopsis Purioris Theologiae (2014-2020)
This bilingual, annotated edition of the Synopsis Purioris Theologiae (1625) makes available for the first time to English readers a seminal treatise of Reformed Scholasticism. Composed by four professors of Leiden University (Johannes Polyander, Andreas Rivetus, Antonius Walaeus, and Anthonius Thysius) , it gives an exhaustive yet concise presentation of Reformed theology as it was conceived in the first decades of the seventeenth century. From a decidedly Reformed perspective, the Christian doctrine is defined in contrast with alternative or opposite views (Catholic, Spiritualist, Arminian, Socinian). Both on the academic level and on the ecclesiastical level, the Synopsis responds to challenges coming from the immediate context of the early seventeenth century.
The disputations of this first volume cover topics such as Scripture, doctrine of God, Trinity, creation, sin, Law and Gospel. The disputations of the second volume cover topics such as Predestination, Christology, Faith and Repentance, Justification and Sanctification, and Ecclesiology. The disputations of the third and final volume cover such topics as the sacraments, church discipline, the role of civil authorities, and eschatology. This volume also presents a thorough historical and theological introduction to the whole of the Synopsis.
- Dolf te Velde (ed.) et al. Synopsis Purioris Theologiae / Synopsis of a Purer Theology: Latin Text and English Translation. Vol. 1, Disputations 1-23. Translated by Riemer A Faber. Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions 187; Texts and Sources, 5. Leiden: Brill, 2014.
- Henk van den Belt (ed.) et al. Synopsis Purioris Theologiae / Synopsis of a Purer Theology: Latin Text and English Translation. Vol. 2, Disputations 24-42. Translated by Riemer A Faber. Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions 204; Texts and Sources, 8. Leiden: Brill, 2016.
- Harm Goris (ed.) et al. Synopsis Purioris Theologiae / Synopsis of a Purer Theology: Latin Text and English Translation. Vol. 3, Disputations 43-52. Translated by Riemer A. Faber. Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions 222; Texts and Sources, 9. Leiden: Brill, 2020.
General editors: Willem J. van Asselt (vol. 1), Andreas J. Beck (vols. 2-3), Riemer Faber, William den Boer
Contributors: Willem J. van Asselt (vol. 1), Andreas J. Beck, Henk van den Belt, Gert van den Brink (vol. 1), William den Boer, Simon Burton, Elco van Burg (vol. 1), Riemer A. Faber, Rein Ferwerda, Philip J. Fisk, Albert J. Gootjes (vols. 1-2), Harm Goris, Jan van Helden (vols. 1-2), Jeannette Kreijkes-van Esch (vol. 3), Kees Jan van Linden (vols. 2-3), Matthias Mangold (vols. 2-3), Kees de Niet (vol. 3), Pieter Rouwendal, Dolf te Velde, Antonie Vos
You can order the books directly from the publisher’s website: Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 3
Reformed Thought on Freedom (2010)
Reformed Thought on Freedom begins with an introductory discussion of free choice and the Reformed tradition and then moves on to examine the concept of freedom in the work of six early modern Reformers. It fills a significant gap in Reformed knowledge by presenting sources in translation and commentary on works of major importance to the Protestant tradition that have been neglected for centuries.- Willem J. van Asselt, J. Martin Bac, and Dolf te Velde (eds.) Reformed Thought on Freedom: The
Concept of Free Choice in the History of Early-Modern Reformed Theology. Texts and Studies in
Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.
You can order the book directly from the publisher’s website.
Reformation and Scholasticism (2001)
Historical theologians have commonly held that no close connection exists between the two major intellectual movements of the sixteenth century-Reformation and Calvinist Scholasticism. Recent scholarship, however, has brought to light a number of theological misconceptions and historical inaccuracies, leading some researchers to claim that Calvinist Scholasticism is not a betrayal but a continuation of the Reformation heritage. This book brings together papers presented during a colloquium held Utrecht University by thirteen highly respected European and American church historians. These essays focus on both the backward-looking relationship between the Reformation and Medieval Scholasticism and the forward-looking relationship between the Reformation and Protestant Scholasticism.
- Willem J. van Asselt and Eef Dekker. Reformation and Scholasticism: An Ecumenical Enterprise. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.
Unfortunately, this book is out of print.
De Scholastieke Voetius (1995)
Gisbertus Voetius (1589-1676) is vooral bekend als vertegenwoordiger van de Nadere Reformatie, een stroming die een schat aan praktische literatuur heeft opgeleverd, ook van de hand van Voetius. Minder bekend is dat dezelfde Voetius daarnaast een van de beste beoefenaars van de systematische theologie is geweest. ‘De scholastieke Voetius’ geeft een vertaling en uitleg van in het Latijn gestelde disputatieteksten van deze theoloog. In deze disputaties klopt het systematische hart van de gereformeerde theologie. Vanuit het fenomeen ‘scholastiek’, wat niet hetzelfde is als ‘ouderwets’ maar staat voor een precieze en wetenschappelijk verantwoorde manier van theologiseren, proberen vertalers en commentatoren deze authentieke teksten opnieuw te laten klinken. De thema’s lopen van Gods kennis en wil via zijn almacht en de verdienste van Christus tot de praktijk van het geloof.
Met deze uitgave wordt Voetius’ denken voor het eerst voor een breder publiek toegankelijk gemaakt.
- Willem J. van Asselt and Eef Dekker. De scholastieke Voetius: een luisteroefening aan de hand van Voetius’ Disputationes Selectae. Zoetermeer: Boekencentrum, 1995.
Unfortunately, this book is out of print.