Reformed Dogmatics : Volume 1 , livre ebook

Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) Graphite sketch by Erik G. Lubbers

© 2003 by the Dutch Reformed Translation Society
Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2015
Ebook corrections 02.23.2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-0614-5
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
C ONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dutch Reformed Translation Society
Preface
Acknowledgments
Editor’s Introduction
P ART I: I NTRODUCTION TO D OGMATICS
1. The Science of Dogmatic Theology
Terminology
Dogma, Dogmatics, and Theology
The Content of Theology
Is Theology a Science?
Theology and Faith
The Science of God
The Encyclopedic Place of Dogmatic Theology
2. The Method and Organization of Dogmatic Theology
Apostles, Bishops, and the Return to Scripture
The Turn to the Subject
The Search for a Scientific, Objective Theology
The Certainty of Theological Knowledge
Biblical Theology and the Church
The Role of Faith
The Problem of Order
Order in Reformation Dogmatics
The Impact of Philosophy
The Foundation and Task of Prolegomena
P ART II: T HE H ISTORY AND L ITERATURE OF D OGMATIC T HEOLOGY
3. The Formation of Dogma: East and West
The Definition and Character of Dogma
Dogma in the Early Church
Dogma and Theology in the East
Dogma and Theology in the West
4. Roman Catholic Dogmatics
Scholasticism
Protest and Response
Counter-Reformation and Neoscholasticism
Roman Catholicism and Modernity
5. Lutheran Dogmatics
The Beginning of Lutheran Theology
Pietism and Rationalism
The Triumph of Philosophy
Resistance and Revision of Lutheran Orthodoxy
6. Reformed Dogmatics
Lutherans and Calvinists
The Beginnings of Reformed Theology
Reformed Scholasticism
Challenges: Rationalism and Mysticism
Decline of Reformed Theology
Nineteenth-Century Streams
Reformed Theology in North America
P ART III: F OUNDATIONS OF D OGMATIC T HEOLOGY ( P RINCIPIA )
7. Scientific Foundations
Theological Prolegomena
Foundations of Thought
Rationalism
Empiricism
Realism
8. Religious Foundations
The Essence of Religion
The Seat of Religion: Intellect, Will, or Heart?
The Origin of Religion
P ART IV: R EVELATION ( P RINCIPIUM E XTERNUM )
9. The Idea of Revelation
No Religion without Revelation
Revelation in Theology and Philosophy
Nineteenth-Century “Recovery” of Revelation
Mediating Theology
Nineteenth-Century Philosophies of Revelation
Naturalist Confusion about Revelation
Impossibility of Scientific Neutrality
10. General Revelation
“Natural” and “Supernatural” Revelation
All Revelation Is Supernatural
General Revelation Is Insufficient
General Revelation and the Universality of Religion
General Revelation and Christian Discipleship
11. Special Revelation
Modes of Revelation
Revelation as God’s Self-Revelation
Revelation and Religion
12. Revelation in Nature and Holy Scripture
“Natural” and “Supernatural”
Roman Catholic Supernaturalism
The Reformational View
Rationalistic Naturalism
The Scriptural Difference
Monism and Theism
Miracles
Revelation, Sacred Scriptures, and History
Incarnation, Language, and the Bible
Continuing Revelation
13. The Inspiration of Scripture
The Witness of the Old Testament
The Witness of the New Testament
The Testimony of the Church
The Rise of Critical Protestantism
The Challenge to Inspiration Doctrine
Differing Views of Inspiration
Organic Inspiration
A Defense of Organic Inspiration
14. The Attributes of Scripture
Attributes in General
The Authority of Scripture
The Necessity of Scripture
Scripture and the Church
Beyond Scripture?
The Clarity of Scripture
The Sufficiency of Scripture
P ART V: F AITH ( P RINCIPIUM I NTERNUM )
15. Faith and Theological Method
Internal Reception of Revelation
The Historical-Apologetic Method
The Speculative Method
The Religious-Empirical Method
The Ethical-Psychological Method
16. Faith and Its Ground
Appropriating Revelation by Faith
Two Kinds of Faith
Faith as Intellectual Assent
The Certainty of Faith
The Ground of Faith
Scripture Is Self-Authenticating
Divine and Human Logos
Demonstrating the Truth of Faith
The Testimony of the Spirit
17. Faith and Theology
Aversion to Theology
Faith’s Knowledge
Dogma and Greek Philosophy
How Much Knowledge?
The Grace of Faith
Reason Serving Faith

Bibliography
Select Scripture Index
Name Index
Subject Index
Notes
Back Cover
D UTCH R EFORMED T RANSLATION S OCIETY
“The Heritage of the Ages for Today”
P.O. Box 7083
Grand Rapids, MI 49510
B OARD OF D IRECTORS
Rev. Dr. Joel Beeke
president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics
Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr. John Bolt
professor of systematic theology
Calvin Theological Seminary
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr. Arthur F. De Boer
retired surgeon
Grand Haven, Michigan
Dr. James A. De Jong
president and professor of historical theology, emeritus
Calvin Theological Seminary
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Rev. David Engelsma
professor of theology
Protestant Reformed Seminary
Grandville, Michigan
Dr. I. John Hesselink
Albertus C. Van Raalte Professor of Systematic Theology, emeritus
Western Theological Seminary
Holland, Michigan
James R. Kinney
director of Baker Academic
Baker Book House Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr. Nelson Kloosterman
professor of ethics and New Testament studies
Mid-America Reformed Seminary
Dyer, Indiana
Dr. Richard A. Muller
P. J. Zondervan Professor of Doctoral Studies
Calvin Theological Seminary
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Adriaan Neele
Th.D. student, University of Utrecht, businessman
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr. M. Eugene Osterhaven
Albertus C. Van Raalte Professor of Systematic Theology, emeritus
Western Theological Seminary
Holland, Michigan
Henry I. Witte
president, Witte Travel
consul of the government of the Netherlands
Grand Rapids, Michigan
P REFACE
T he Dutch Reformed Translation Society (DRTS) was formed in 1994 by a group of businesspeople and professionals, pastors, and seminary professors, representing five different Reformed denominations, to sponsor the translation and facilitate the publication in English of classic Reformed theological and religious literature published in the Dutch language. It is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in the State of Michigan and governed by a board of directors.
Believing that the Dutch Reformed tradition has many valuable works that deserve wider distribution than the limited accessibility of the Dutch language allows, society members seek to spread and strengthen the Reformed faith. The first project of the DRTS is the definitive translation of Herman Bavinck’s complete four-volume Gereformeerde Dogmatiek ( Reformed Dogmatics ). The society invites those who share its commitment to and vision for spreading the Reformed faith to write for additional information.
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
T he editor here gratefully acknowledges the helpful suggestions of several board members of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society and particularly the contribution of Dr. M. Eugene Osterhaven, emeritus Albertus C. Van Raalte Professor of Systematic Theology at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan. Dr. Osterhaven carefully read a number of chapters and made many helpful translation and stylistic suggestions as well as critical corrections. Calvin Theological Seminary Ph.D. student Rev. J. Mark Beach put in many hours checking bibliographic information, and CTS students Patricia Vesely and Courtney Hoekstra provided superb support in producing the final bibliography during the long summer of 2002. Finally, the efforts of each of these assistants were immeasurably helped by the theological librarians at Calvin College’s Hekman Library, Paul Fields and Lugene Schemper. To all, a heartfelt thanks.
The satisfaction of seeing this volume finally in print is mixed with sadness because John Vriend, whose initiative led to the formation of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society and who ably served as the translator of all four volumes of the Reformed Dogmatics , was unable to see this fruit of his labors. John Vriend went to be with his Lord on February 7, 2002.
John Bolt
E DITOR ’ S I NTRODUCTION
W ith the publication of this first full volume of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics , the Dutch Reformed Translation Society has reached a significant milestone in its decade-long project to publish the complete English translation from Dutch of Bavinck’s classic four-volume work. Prior to this, two half-volume works, one on the eschatology unit 1 and the other on the creation unit 2 had been published. The present volume is a translation of the entire first volume of Herman Bavinck’s magisterial work, material never before translated into English. A word or two on Bavinck the man and the theologian are in order at this point. Who was Herman Bavinck, and why is this work of theology so important?
Herman Bavinck’s Gereformeerde Dogmatiek , first published one hundred years ago, represents the concluding high point of some four centuries of remarkably productive Dutch Reformed theological reflection. From Bavinck’s numerous citations of key Dutch Reformed theologians such as Voetius, De Moor, Vitringa, van Mastricht, Witsius, and Walaeus