by Geerhardus Vos
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
In the words of Thomas Aquinas, Theology a Deo docetur, Deum docet, ad Deum ducit. After suffering much from the anti-intellectual and anti-doctrinal temper of our times, Theology is perhaps in somewhat better repute now than during the early years of the present century. This change of attitude is to be welcomed, even though it must be confessed that even in conservative Protestant circles Theology is still far from receiving the attention and respect which, as the knowledge of God, it ought to have.
The present volume is entitled Biblical Theology—Old and New Testaments. The term 'Biblical Theology' is really unsatisfactory because of its liability to misconstruction. All truly Christian Theology must be Biblical Theology—for apart from General Revelation the Scriptures constitute the sole material with which the science of Theology can deal. A more suitable name would be 'History of Special Revelation', which precisely describes the subject matter of this discipline. Names, however, become fixed by long usage, and the term 'Biblical Theology', in spite of its ambiguity, can hardly be abandoned now.
Biblical Theology occupies a position between Exegesis and Systematic Theology in the encyclopaedia of theological disciplines. It differs from Systematic Theology, not in being more Biblical, or adhering more closely to the truths of the Scriptures, but in that its principle of organizing the Biblical material is historical rather than logical. Whereas Systematic Theology takes the Bible as a completed whole and endeavours to exhibit its total teaching in an orderly, systematic form, Biblical Theology deals with the material from the historical standpoint, seeking to exhibit the organic growth or development of the truths of Special Revelation from the primitive pre-redemptive Special Revelation given in Eden to the close of the New Testament canon.
The material presented in this volume has previously been issued at various theological institutions in mimeographed form. It is a matter of satisfaction to me that it is being made available to the public in a suitable permanent printed form by the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. The editing of the material for the press has been done by my son, the Rev. Johannes G. Vos, who studied this work as a student at Princeton Theological Seminary and is in hearty agreement with the theological viewpoint of the book. It is my hope that this volume may help many ministers and theological students to attain a deeper appreciation of the wonders of the Special Revelation of our God.
GEERHARDUS VOS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
THE OLD TESTAMENT
PART ONE: THE MOSAIC EPOCH OF REVELATION
1 INTRODUCTION: THE NATURE AND METHOD OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
2 THE MAPPING OUT OF THE FIELD OF REVELATION
3 THE CONTENT OF PRE-REDEMPTIVE SPECIAL REVELATION
4 THE CONTENT OF THE FIRST REDEMPTIVE SPECIAL REVELATION
5 THE NOACHIAN REVELATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT LEADING UP TO IT
6 THE PERIOD BETWEEN NOAH AND THE GREAT PATRIARCHS
7 REVELATION IN THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD
8 REVELATION IN THE PERIOD OF MOSES
PART TWO : THE PROPHETIC EPOCH OF REVELATION
1 THE PLACE OF PROPHETISM IN OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION
2 THE CONCEPTION OF A PROPHET: NAMES AND ETYMOLOGIES
3 THE HISTORY OF PROPHETISM: CRITICAL THEORIES
4 THE MODE OF RECEPTION OF THE PROPHETIC REVELATION
5 THE MODE OF COMMUNICATION OF THE PROPHECY
6 THE CONTENT OF THE PROPHETIC REVELATION
THE NEW TESTAMENT
1 THE STRUCTURE OF NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION
2 REVELATION CONNECTED WITH THE NATIVITY
3 REVELATION CONNECTED WITH JOHN THE BAPTIST
4 REVELATION IN THE PROBATION OF JESUS
5 THE REVELATION OF JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY