Jacob Arminius: The Man from Oudewater (Cascade Companions)

by Rustin Emery Brian

Publisher:

Cascade

, 2015

Overview

Jacob Arminius was a Dutch theologian whose views have become the basis of Arminianism and the Dutch Remonstrant movement, and are quite influential on Wesleyan, and therefore Methodist, theology as well. Arminius attempted to reform Reformed theology and ended up lending his name to a movement that resisted some of the primary tenets of Calvinism. Rustin E. Brian outlines the life and theology of Arminius, shedding fresh light on his life, theology, and writings. In hopes of better understanding Arminian theology and Arminianism, Brian concludes with a constructive comparison and contrast of Arminius and several prominent theological figures: Pelagius, John Wesley, and Karl Barth.

Key Features

• Outlines the life and theology of Jacob Arminius
• Sheds fresh light on Jacob Arminius’ life, theology, and writings
• Compares Jacob Arminius with several prominent theological figures

Contents

• Introduction: The Man behind the Adjective
• Arminius’s Early Life
• Arminius’s Pastoral Career
• Arminius’s Academic Career
• Interpretation of Scripture
• Christology and Trinity
• Grace, Predestination, and Election
• Arminius ≠ Pelagius
• John Wesley, the Faithful Arminian
• Arminius and Karl Barth
• Conclusion: What Does It Mean to Be an “Arminian” Today?

Top Highlights

“Arminius’s primary concern, then, is pastoral, while his primary starting point is christological. His opponents, on the other hand, have primarily academic concerns, which are derived from logical or philosophical starting points.” (Page 27)

“human will is perhaps best thought of as ‘freed will’ rather than free will” (Page 43)

“Carl Bangs’s classic, Arminius: A Study in the Dutch Reformation” (Page 6)

“Arminius’s understanding of grace is, quite specifically, the grace of God the Father, made possible by the atoning sacrifice of the Son, available to us by the Holy Spirit. Arminius’s doctrine of grace is not grounded in creation, but rather in redemption, in the salvific work of the Son, Jesus Christ.” (Page 45)

“Plancius faulted Arminius for his view that children would be spared damnation if they were to die as children.” (Page 22)

Praise for the Print Edition

Much important and serious scholarship has been done in recent years to recover Arminius’s theology for a new generation of Christians. Rustin Brian adds to this recovery, providing a creative introduction to Arminius that draws upon and adds to this scholarly conversation while making the great theologian more accessible to lay readers.

—Mark H. Mann, coeditor, Reconsidering Arminius: Beyond the Reformed and Wesleyan Divide, Associate Professor of Theology and Director of the Wesleyan Center, Point Loma Nazarene University

Whether worn as a badge of honor or hurled in derision, the term ‘Arminian’ says both too little and too much. In this short book, Brian introduces us to ‘the man behind the adjective,’ telling us just enough about his background and beliefs to spark a conversation about Arminius’s place in the history of theology and the way theology might benefit from listening to him. What would a Reformed Wesleyan look like? Maybe like this.

—Matt Jenson, associate professor of theology, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University

Jacob Arminius is a theologian known more from the perspective of his antagonists than from his own substantive theological work. Dissatisfied with any theology that set God’s will above God’s truth and self-diffusive goodness, Arminius resisted the pull of some powerful modern theological tendencies. His theology needs reconsideration in light of the collapse of those theological tendencies. In this important work, Rustin Brian provides what we need—an excellent introduction to Arminius as a theologian in his own right.

—D. Stephen Long, Cary M. Maguire University Professor in Ethics, Southern Methodist University

Product Details

• Title: Jacob Arminius: The Man from Oudewater
• Author: Rustin Emery Brian
• Series: Cascade Companions
• Volume: 17
• Publisher: Cascade
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2016
• Pages: 126
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Arminius, Jacobus, 1560-1609; Arminianism
• ISBNs: 9781498219761, 9780567290250, 9780567620606, 1498219764, 0567290255, 0567620603
• Resource ID: LLS:CASCADEARMINIUS
• Resource Type: text.monograph.study-guide
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:30:05Z

About Rustin Emery Brian

Rustin E. Brian is an ordained pastor in the Church of the Nazarene, currently pastoring Renton Church of the Nazarene in Renton, WA, and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Northwest Nazarene University and Seattle Pacific University. He is the author of Covering Up Luther: How Barth’s Christology Challenged the Deus Absconditus that Haunts Modernity.