Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today
This new collection of Reformed thinkers’ writings from the Reformation to today brings together key documents on the inerrancy of Scripture in one readable volume.
One of the hallmarks of Westminster Theological Seminary since its beginning in 1929 has been a high view of Scripture that reflects the historic Reformed theological and confessional tradition. Thy Word Is Still Truth confirms that Westminster still holds this high view.
The book’s title builds on the important influence of E. J. Young’s classic book on inerrancy, Thy Word Is Truth. This current anthology unapologetically borrows that title, emphasizing an abiding commitment to the entire truthfulness of the Holy Scriptures as well as a deep indebtedness to Reformed thinkers from the past to the present.
In addition to including all the major confessions and catechisms, Thy Word Is Still Truth includes seminal articles on the doctrine of Scripture from the following authors:
Oswald T. Allis, William Ames, Herman Bavinck, Louis Berkhof, Henry Bullinger, John Calvin, Edmund P. Clowney, William Cunningham, Raymond B. Dillard, Jonathan Edwards, Sinclair B. Ferguson, John M. Frame, Richard B. Gaffin Jr., Louis Gaussen, Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, Archibald Alexander Hodge, Charles Hodge, John Knox, Peter A. Lillback, Martin Luther, J. Gresham Machen, Adolphe Monod, John Murray, John Owen, Vern S. Poythress, Moisés Silva, Charles H. Spurgeon, Ned B. Stonehouse, Francis Turretin, Zacharias Ursinus, Cornelius Van Til, Geerhardus Vos, Bruce K. Waltke, Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, Robert Dick Wilson, John Witherspoon, Edward J. Young, and Ulrich Zwingli.
- Emphasizes an abiding commitment to the entire truthfulness of the Holy Scriptures
- Includes seminal articles on the doctrine of Scripture from a variety of authors
- Brings together key documents on the inerrancy of Scripture in one readable volume
- Part One: Sola Scriptura:The Reformers’ Rediscovery of the Written Word of God
- Part Two: The Reformed Confessions
- Part Three: Early Reformed Interpretation
- Part Four: The Doctrine of Scripture in Reformed Orthodoxy
- Part Five: The Doctrine of Scripture in the Scottish and Dutch Legacy
- Part Six: Other Nineteenth Century European Contributions
- Part Seven: The Doctrine of Scripture in the Theology of Old Princeton
- Part Eight: The Theology of Scripture of the Founding Fathers of Westminster
- Part Nine: The Birth of Biblical Theology
- Part Ten: The Authority of the Old Testament and New Testament Canon of Scripture
- Part Eleven: Challenges to the Reformed Doctrine of Scripture
- Part Twelve: The Westminster Controversy
- Part Thirteen: Conclusion
Against those who think a ‘high’ view of Scripture was the creation of nineteenth-century Princetonians, and against those who think such a view of Scripture amounts to a defensive posture devoid of profound theological reflection, this excellent volume is a much-needed resource. It stands as a bulwark against every form of the question, ‘Did God really say?’ The excerpts and essays drawn from Martin Luther to the present represent an immense reservoir of diverse reflections—from Calvin’s Institutes to Monod’s Farewell, from Owen, Turretin, Gaussen, and Edwards to Spurgeon, Hengstenberg, and Machen, from Reformed confessions to the advent of contemporary biblical theology. Although this collection includes statements on recent controversies at Westminster Theological Seminary, its strength is not its coverage of the last half-century but its ample demonstration that today’s Reformed Christians find themselves, on this subject, within a heritage rich in theological reflection and powerful synthesis. To lose sight of this heritage or to stand aloof from it is to impoverish our souls and to distance ourselves from the God who ‘looks’ to those who are contrite and humble in spirit and who tremble at his Word.
—D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois
Within the ultramodern secular cultural environment, with its emphasis on relativism, its lack of idealism, its reluctance to commitment, and its disrespect toward authority and the sacred, Thy Word Is Still Truth represents a major theological landmark. It reminds the church of the rich and significant heritage that we can draw on, going back not only to the Reformation but also to the early church fathers—a heritage that is deeply rooted in the apostolic faith. This book emphasizes the amazing theological unity, diversity, and coherence of the biblical doctrine of the Word of God. It underscores the relevance of Reformed faith as ‘a living tradition engaging with the pressing questions of today.’ Edited within a specific historical context, this anthology on the authority and interpretation of Scripture speaks eloquently and boldly to the whole of the contemporary church of Jesus Christ
Pierre Berthoud, Professor Emeritus, Faculté Jean Calvin, Aix-en-Provence, France; President, Fellowship of European Evangelical Theologians
Since its founding in 1929, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia has specialized in the doctrine of Scripture. Nearly everyone who has taught there over the years has made some contribution to the subject. The Westminster faculty published three collections of essays on Scripture: The Infallible Word (1946), Scripture and Confession (1973), and Inerrancy and Hermeneutic (1988). The present volume, however, is a contribution of a higher order. It not only republishes some of the best articles from the previous collections, but contains important writings on biblical authority from the Reformation and post-Reformation periods (including the churches’ creedal statements) down to the present day. There are articles from the faculty of Old Princeton, from which Westminster takes its bearings, articles on controversial matters, and articles describing the rationale for Westminster’s distinctive emphasis on biblical theology. And the volume is honest in facing up to the recent controversy over Scripture at Westminster itself and the seminary’s forthright response reaffirming biblical inerrancy. Throughout the years, I have been moved again and again by Westminster’s willingness to stand against the world and for the Word of God. The issue before the world today, as in the garden of Eden, is ‘Has God said?’ I know of no body of literature that can be of more help to people wrestling with this vital question.
John M. Frame, J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando
- Title: Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today
- Authors: Peter A. Lillback, Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
- Publishers: Westminster Seminary Press, P&R
- Print Publication Date: 2013
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Pages: 1392
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible › Evidences, authority, etc.--History of doctrines; Reformed Church › Doctrines; Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- ISBNs: 9781596384477, 1596384476
- Resource ID: LLS:THYWRDRFRMTNTDY
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:23:36Z
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