Synopsis of A Purer Theology
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Over the past decade, the project of Protestant resourcement has exploded, giving pastors, scholars, and lay-people access to the great thinkers who shaped their tradition. Despite this great progress, many treasures of Reformed theology remain obscured from the lay-person, confined to academics with a working knowledge of Latin and Biblical languages–or, if translated, affordable only by libraries with large budgets.
Synopsis of a Purer Theology, otherwise known as “the Leiden Synopsis,” is one such work. Collecting theological disputations delivered at the University of Leiden in the early 1600s, it is one of the most historically important and theologically comprehensive handbooks of Reformed theology, being a key influence for many Reformed theologians including Herman Bavinck, Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, Louis Berkhof, and Richard Muller. And yet, it has remained largely forgotten and left to a handful of Latin-reading scholars.
Now for the first time, the Davenant Press has published this significant work in a full English-only translation, in an affordable and concise two-volume set that includes introductory material to orient the reader to the text.
The Synopsis offers both a snapshot of the state of confessional theology in the 17th-century Dutch Reformed tradition, and also an enduring example of how the project of systematizing doctrine can serve the church. The Leiden professors modeled thoroughness and clarity of thought in the face of confusion, and a vision of irenic Christian unity over brittle doctrinal uniformity.
As Protestants endeavor both to recover their forgotten heritage and to pass it down to the next generation, we need examples of how this has been done before us. The Synopsis of a Purer Theology will serve to bring such illumination and perspective to a generation desperately in need of its boldness, clarity, and wisdom.
- Offers a snapshot of the state of confessional theology in the 17th-century Dutch Reformed tradition
- Provides an enduring example of how the project of systematizing doctrine can serve the church
- Presents an affordable and concise two-volume set in a full English-only translation
- Concerning the Most Sacred Theology
- On the Necessity and Authority of Scripture
- Concerning the Canonical and Apocryphal Books
- On the Perfection of Scripture, and the Futility of Adding
- About the Perspicuity and the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
- About the Nature of God and his Divine Attributes
- On the Holy Trinity
- Concerning the Person of the Father and of the Son
- On the Person of the Holy Spirit
- Concerning the Creation of the World
- On the Providence of God
- Concerning the Good and Bad Angels
- About Man Created in the Image of God
- On the Fall of Adam
- On Original Sin
- On Actual Sin
- On Free Choice
- Concerning the Law of God
- On Idolatry
- Concerning the Oath
- On the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day
- On the Gospel
- On the Old and the New Testament
- On Divine Predestination
- On the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Personal Union of the Two Natures in Christ
- On the Office of Christ
- On Christ in his State of Humiliation
- On Jesus Christ in his State of Exaltation
- On the Satisfaction by Jesus Christ
- On the Calling of People to Salvation
- On Faith and the Perseverance of the Saints
Volume I
Volume II
Every English-speaking Reformed pastor and student would do well to own these two outstanding volumes. That may sound hyperbolic, or even cliché, but it’s true. This is an invaluable resource that can serve as a wise, reliable, profound, and easy to use (which does not mean simple) reference for anyone interested in defining and defending Reformed theology.
Kevin Deyoung, Pastor of Christ Covenant Church.”
In the Christian faith, we cannot do without each other, but we need the insights of each. In The Leiden Synopsis, Reformed theology from the best theologians of the time comes together, resulting in a finely crafted rendition of the Christian faith. For the study of Christian faith and Reformed theology, this handbook is indispensable today.
Professor Dr. Willem van Vlastuin, Professor of the Theology and the Spirituality of Reformed Protestantism, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Dean of the Hersteld Hervormd Seminary, and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Centre Benelux
Through the publication of the Synopsis in English, the essence of Reformed theology is no longer exclusively available to traditional, Western historiography and church history. Its original Latin format limited its impact to professional theologians and specialised philologists focusing on theology, while its religious core remained inaccessible not only to the general public but also to geographical venues beyond the West. Now, however, this treasure of theological insights is no longer the appanage of expert scholars; from lay people to academics with vested interests in religion, the Synopsis will become accessible to every person who wishes to know more about Reformed theology regardless of whether one lives in the West, the East or the Global South. This is an achievement with unprecedented possibilities for Reformed theology and its rich ecclesiastical tradition.
Professor Corneliu C. Simuț, Aurel Vlaicu University (Romania)
- Title: Synopsis of A Purer Theology
- Authors: William den Boer, Riemer A. Faber
- Publisher: The Davenant Institute
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Pages: 856
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- ISBNs: 9781949716153, 1949716155
- Resource ID: LLS:SYNPSSPRRTH
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-10T20:16:51Z