An Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism supplies a long-standing need in the field of Reformed Scholasticism for a comprehensive introduction to a movement that has proved exceedingly difficult to penetrate. While Reformed thinking if often attached exclusively to Calvin, this text shows the vast expanse of a powerful intellectual tradition that has been developed by many thinkers over the last five centuries.
Although scholarly-technical studies abound and interest in the subject areas continues to rise, until the appearance of this work by Willem van Asselt and his colleagues, students of history have lacked a concise guide to help them navigate the deeply challenging historical and conceptual waters of Reformed Scholasticism.
This book, mostly composed by William J. Van Asselt, also draws in various experts on different aspects of Reformed Scholasticism and to carefully define the phenomena of scholasticism and orthodoxy while noting the most significant thinkers together with the various trajectories of thought.
Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism also contains extensive references to relevant secondary scholarship, and thus paves the way for further study if reader's so choose. This book will make an excellent text for any course in post-Reformation/modern theological studies, and will supplement any study of Reformed theology or the history of the Reformed movement nicely.
This Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism provides a valuable resource for the study of the various trajectories of early modern Reformed thought. It is not merely an introductory survey. It is a significant guide for the further study of the era.
-Richard A. Muller,
P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary
Willem van Asselt is one of the foremost scholars in the recent studies of the nature of Reformed Orthodoxy and Scholasticism, and its relationship, theologically, philosophically, and pedagogically, with late medieval thought. The field is highly technical and somewhat daunting to students; but here Dr. van Asselt and his colleagues have distilled their vast learning into a book which will be a sure guide to the field. I cannot think of a better introduction to the study of this significant, though often neglected and misunderstood, chapter in the development of Christian thought.
-Carl R. Trueman,
Professor of Historical Theology and Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
An invaluable introduction to Post-Reformation Reformed thought, van Asselt and is colleagues have done a masterful job in surveying the field and providing the basic starting point for further research. This work is especially recommended for seminary students and for all who have interest in the development of Reformed theology.
-Martin I. Klauber,
Affiliate Professor of Church History,Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois
This translation and updating of Inleiding in de Gereformeerde scholastiek makes available for the first time to English readers a splendid and much-needed introduction and guide to the world of Reformed Scholasticism. It is exemplary in the clarity of its exposition and the conciseness of its analysis, and refreshing in its sympathetic assessment of the intellectual and theological integrity and catholicity of scholastic theology. Its blend of lucid overview and more detailed case studies of 'representative examples' works especially well in conveying the nature of the texts under discussion, while the step-by-step 'reading guide' that instructs students how to set about analyzing a piece of scholastic theology should be required reading not just for students of historical theology but (dare one suggest?) for a good many professional practitioners as well. This introduction should swiftly become indispensable not just for budding historians of theology, but for all students of intellectual history whose research involves the study of works written in the tradition of Reformed Scholasticism.
Professor of History,University of Sheffield
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