Building the Minister’s Library: Historical Theology

Building the Minister’s Library: Historical Theology

Historical theology is the branch of theology which examines the doctrines of the church within their historical context and development. Historical theologians investigate the theology of individuals and schools of thought, in order to determine the continuity and discontinuity within the broader Christian tradition. It is always best done when one investigates the original sources and attempts to hear the authors in their own thought-categories.

Berkhof, Louis. The History of Christian Doctrines. London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1969. Not as popular as his Systematic Theology, but still good.

Congar, Yves. A History of Theology. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1968. Catholic in perspective, but still useful for the early and medieval periods.

Dorner, I. A., George Robson, and Sophia Taylor. History of Protestant Theology: Particularly in Germany, Viewed According to Its Fundamental Movement and in Connection with the Religious, Moral, and Intellectual Life. Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1871. Obviously limited to Protestant thought. Exhibits the state of historical theology in the nineteenth century.

Hagenbach, K. R. A History of Christian Doctrines. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1880. Like other 19th century works, Hagenbach adopts an encyclopedia-structured division of theology.

Hägglund, Bengt. History of Theology. St. Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1968. This was a required textbook in my seminary days. Still recommended.

Harnack, Adolf von. History of Dogma. New York: Dover Publications, 1961. One may not agree with Harnack’s conclusions, but one will need to read him as an influential theologian.

Neander, August, J. L. Jacobi, and J. E. Ryland. Lectures on the History of Christian Dogmas. London: H.G. Bohn, 1858. Similar to Hagenbach’s methodology.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition; A History of the Development of Doctrine. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975. Pelikan has become a standard text for many students. This is an exhaustive treatment by a prodigious scholar.

Seeberg, Reinhold. Text-Book of the History of Doctrines. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1952. Find a used copy if you can.

Welch, Claude. Protestant Thought in the Nineteenth Century. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1972. Welch picks up nicely where all the 19th century textbooks leave off.

 

Building the Minister’s Library: The Heidelberg Catechism

Building the Minister’s Library: The Heidelberg Catechism

Certainly the most familiar and beloved of the standards of unity within the Reformed tradition is the Heidelberg Catechism. Its simplicity and warm devotion have nurtured Reformed laypeople for hundreds of years. I like how Howard Hageman concluded his essay in Thompson’s book, “Here is the summary of the faith, but one that can be said on the knees. A whole faith for a whole man for the whole of his life – and for the whole church. This is an instrument for Christian nurture. This is the Heidelberg Catechism.”

Ames, William. A Sketch of the Christian's Catechism. Grand Rapids, Mich: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008. One might not have imagined Ames, a British puritan and Ramist, writing a commentary on the Heidelberg, but here it is with a helpful introduction by Joel Beeke and Todd Rester. Upon further examination one will notice that this is not truly a commentary on the Catechism, but a commentary on the Scripture of the Catechism.

DeYoung, Kevin. The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010. DeYoung shows us that one can be a pastor on the cutting edge and remain confessional and theologically orthodox. This book is an answer to his earlier book, Why We’re Not Emergent…because we believe we that the Scriptures, as summarized by our confessions, are sufficient for the shaping of our pastoral ministry.

Klooster, Fred H. Our Only Comfort: A Comprehensive Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. Grand Rapids, Mich: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2001. Klooster provides us a contemporary (and yes comprehensive!) commentary on the Heidelberg, writing with the church in view.

Olevian, Caspar, and Lyle D. Bierma. A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism. Carlisle [England]: Paternoster Press, 1995. In this edition Olevian comments on Days 5 through 24. This study is mostly for students, edited by one of the most competent scholars on this subject.

Spijker, W. van 't, and Gerrit Bilkes. The Church's Book of Comfort. Grand Rapids, Mich: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008. Van’t Spijker headlines a list of Dutch scholars who contribute essays on the history, theology and impact of the Catechism.

Thompson, Bard. Essays on the Heidelberg Catechism. Philadelphia: United Church Press, 1963. Includes several accessible articles on the Catechism’s historical background and Christian nurture.

Ursinus, Zacharias. The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Pub. Co, 1985. The standard commentary used by many generations to catechize and preach.

Veldkamp, Herman. Children of the Lord's Day: Notes on the Heidelberg Catechism. Eugene, Or: Wipf and Stock Pub, 2002. Extremely beneficial for anyone tasked with the responsibility of teaching the Catechism.

Williamson, G. I. The Heidelberg Catechism: A Study Guide. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Pub, 1993. A study with brief comments and questions for discussion which can be used for teaching or leading a group.

 

Building the Minister’s Library: Abraham Kuyper

Building the Minister’s Library: Abraham Kuyper 

Abraham Kuyper was a remarkable man. An ordained minister and Doctor of Sacred Theology, he pastored churches, edited newspapers and wrote many helpful books. Yet, his service to God extended well beyond pastoring and writing. He served in the Dutch parliament as Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party, then as Prime Minster and ultimately as Minister of the State. He also founded the Free University of Amsterdam. Below is a representative list of ten translated works.

Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader. Ed. James D. Bratt. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1998. Bratt provides us with a useful collection of essays, addresses and sermons, including “Conservatism and Orthodoxy: False and True Preservation;” “It Shall Not Be So Among You;” “Common Grace;” and “Sphere Sovereignty.”

Calvinism: Six Stone Foundation Lectures. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 1943. Kuyper delivered the “Stone Lectures” at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1898. It remains a foundational work for anyone addressing the issue of the church’s relationship with the state.

“Calvinism: Source and Stronghold of Our Constitutional Liberties (1874).” Trans. by J. Hendrik de Vries. Bibliotheca Sacra 52 (July and October 1895): 385-410, 646-75. A shorter form is included in Bratt’s work, but this version is the complete one.

The Implications of Public Confession. Trans. by Henry Zylstra. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub. House, 1934. An exploration of the path from baptism to the public confession of one’s faith as one becomes a member of a local church.

To Be Near Unto God. Trans. by J. Hendrik de Vries. New York: Macmillan Co, 1925. This exceptional collection of meditations demonstrates that academically trained, politically engaged Christians can also pen beautiful, biblical devotions. You should get a copy of this.

The Practice of Godliness. Trans. by Marian M. Schoolland. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1948. Ranks among the best accounts of the Christian life in Reformed circles.

Principles of Sacred Theology. Trans. J. Hendrick De Vries with an intro. by Benjamin B. Warfield. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1954. I included this Reformed classic in my bibliography on the study of theology. Still considered highly useful for seminary students and pastors.

The Revelation of St. John. Trans. J. Hendrik de Vries. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Co, 1964.There are few Reformed commentaries on the book of the Revelation. Although this work was written as the fourth and final volume of Kuyper’s “The Consumation of the World,” it represents a futurist approach to John’s vision.

The Work of the Holy Spirit. Trans. by Henri De Vries with an intro. by Benjamin B. Warfield. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1900. In his introduction, B. B. Warfield said, “Wherever men are busying themselves with holy and happy meditations on the Holy Ghost and His work, it is safe to say the foundations of a true spiritual life are laid, and the structure of a rich spiritual life is rising.”

Our Worship. Trans. by Harry Boonstra. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2009. A massive work on one of the essential activities of the church.

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