Festival days, vulgarly called holy-days, having no warrant in the Word of God, are not to be continued. Westminster Assembly, Directory for Publick Worship (1645) | (HT: Semper Reformanda) RESOURCES Subscribe To The Heidelblog! The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical . . . Continue reading →
History of Reformed Theology
Heidelcast 50: Making Some Sense Of The Republication Debate Pt 3: With Chris Gordon
Beginning at least in the 1560s, it was non-controversial for Reformed theologians to teach that God, before the fall, entered into a legal, probationary covenant with Adam, who was the representative of the whole human race, the condition of which was perfect . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 48: Making Some Sense Of The Republication Debate Pt 1: History
Parts of the confessional Reformed world in North America are in the midst of a controversy over whether it is biblical, confessional, and historically Reformed to teach that the Mosaic covenant was, in some sense, a republication of the covenant of works. . . . Continue reading →
J. H. Heidegger On The Mixed Quality Of The Covenant Of Grace Under Moses
The Law-Giving Of The Covenant; Its Twofold χεσις In the covenant that God made with the people of Israel from Mount Sinai, God stipulated the law from the people, first immediately in the ten words promulgated (Ex. 20:1–8), then mediately, from the . . . Continue reading →
New Article: Law And Gospel In Early Reformed Orthodoxy
Richard Muller recently celebrated his 65th birthday to mark that occasion and as part the 20th anniversary of the PhD program at Calvin Seminary, he was presented with a Festschrift (celebration book) in his honor. Jordan Ballor has the details on Opuscula . . . Continue reading →
From The Eleven Articles Of 1559 On The Lord’s Supper
IX. Moreover, I do not only acknowledge, that private masses were never used amongst the fathers of the primitive church, I mean, public ministration and receiving of the sacrament by the priest alone, without a just number of communicants, according to Christ’s . . . Continue reading →
The History Of Covenant Theology
Until recently, it was widely held that covenant theology was created in the middle of the seventeenth century by theologians such as Johannes Cocceius (1609–1669). In fact, covenant theology is nothing more or less than the theology of the Bible. It is . . . Continue reading →
Dangerous Compromises: Reflections On The Life of Renée of France
Guest post by Simonetta Carr, author of Renée of France. Simonetta is a author, translator, and Italian Instructor. She has published several books for children. You can contact her on Twitter. For an introduction to Nicodemism see these posts. § When Evangelical . . . Continue reading →
Heidegger And Turretin On Amyraut (Hypothetical Universalism)
Canon VI: Wherefore, we can not agree with the opinion of those who teach: l) that God, moved by philanthropy, or a kind of special love for the fallen of the human race, did, in a kind of conditioned willing, first moving . . . Continue reading →
J. H. Heidegger And Francis Turretin On Arminianism And The Decree
Canon IV: Before the creation of the world, God decreed in Christ Jesus our Lord according to his eternal purpose (Eph 3:11), in which, from the mere good pleasure of his own will, without any prevision of the merit of works or . . . Continue reading →
Beza’s Role In Developing Resistance Theory
Beza believed that this natural law of sovereignty had been evident in the Jewish monarchies of the Old Testament and was borne out in contemporary European politics. He placed several caveats on this principle, however: first, the king must be guilty of . . . Continue reading →
Companion To Reformed Theology Reviewed
—By Jon Hoglund. A good “Companion” introduces one to classic texts in a field and to areas of current debate in scholarly literature. Apart from Richard Muller’s monumental Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, there is no such volume for Reformed history and theology from . . . Continue reading →
New Tool For The Study Of Reformed Orthodoxy
By David Systsma—Scholars now have a new tool for the early modern religious and philosophical history in its academic context. From the beginning of the Reformation at the University of Wittenberg to the establishment of the Academy of Geneva, schools were integral . . . Continue reading →
A Short Biography of Voetius
Born in the small fortified city of Heusden as the son of Paulus Voet and Maria de Jongeling, Gisbertus (or Gijsbert) Voetius’s early years were dominated by the experience of war. Heusden was on the front line in both a military and . . . Continue reading →
Olevianus On Moses As A Legal Covenant
For the [Mosiac] covenant was a legal covenant solemnly agreed, by which the people were obligated to present, by their own strength, perfect obedience to the Law (Matthew 22). Since the Law is the eternal rule of righteousness in the divine mind . . . Continue reading →
Happy Birthday To Westminster Seminary
Thanks to Wayne Sparkman for reminding us that, on this day in 1929 a group of pastors and elders met in Philadelphia to plan for a new seminary to succeed Old Princeton in the wake of its reorganization.
Reformed Church Planting Before And After Christendom
In April 2010, Sebastian Heck conducted the first worship service of a new Reformed congregation in the city of Heidelberg. A German native, the pastor trained for the ministry at a non-denominational seminary in Germany before pursuing doctoral studies in the United . . . Continue reading →
Just In: Hart’s Calvinism: A History
D. G. Hart’s latest is just out: Calvinism: A History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013). It just arrived in the post so I’ve not had time to read it and we have a dinner guest arriving any minute. I hope to . . . Continue reading →
Arminius’ Claims About The Belgic Confession And Heidelberg Catechism On Predestination
V. This Doctrine Of Predestination Is Not In Harmony With The Confessions Of The Reformed Churches With a minimum of contention or even trivial objection, it may be appropriately doubted whether this doctrine agrees with either the Belgic confession or the Heidelberg . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy
Willem van Asselt, Irena Backus, John Witte Jr, Carl Trueman and others (including John Fesko and myself) are among those contributing to A Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy by Brill. If you’re interested in the academic study of the history of Reformed theology . . . Continue reading →