In 1621, two years after their hopes for free and open debate were dashed at the Synod of Dort, the colleagues and students of Jacobus Arminius published the 'Confession or Declaration of the Pastors, which in the Belgian Federation are called the Remonstrants, on the principle articles of the Christian Religion.' The first and perhaps most important of Arminian confessions, written by Simon Episcopius (Arminius' successor at the University of Leiden and leader of the Remonstrant party at Dort) and then approved at a gathering of Remonstrant pastors, provided not only a defense of the Òfive pointsÓ condemned at Dort, but also a succinct declaration of the entire range of their theology. This fresh, unabridged translation of the Confession, the first since 1676, together with the original Latin, allows the contemporary reader to interface directly with theology of the original Remonstrant leaders without the intervening interpretations of either their opponents or later admirers.

Simon Episcopius (1583-1643), who began his theological career as the protégé of Jacobus Arminius, led the Arminians at the Synod of Dort and was instrumental in guaranteeing Arminianism's survival. This book breaks new ground by clearly showing how, in the process of working out the implications of the theological trajectories which Arminius established, Episcopius introduced significant changes in his master's theology. It begins by demonstrating changes between Episcopius' early theological works and Arminius' writings, and then even greater changes in his mature theological work, Institutiones Theologicæ. It defends the idea that Arminianism represented a pre-Calvinist movement within the Netherlands, which not only rejected Genevan predestination, but also intentionally moved away from Reformed Scholasticism. This book is useful for seminars in early Arminian theology and the Arminian controversy in the Netherlands.

The Mystical Presence (1846), John Williamson Nevin's magnum opus, was an attempt to combat the sectarianism and subjectivism of nineteenth-century American religion by recovering the robust sacramental and incarnational theology of the Protestant Reformation, enriched with the categories of German idealism. In it, he makes the historical case for the spiritual real presence as the authentic Reformed doctrine of the Eucharist, and explains the theological and philosophical context that render the doctrine intelligible. The 1850 article "The Doctrine of the Reformed Church on the Lord's Supper" represents his response to his arch critic, Charles Hodge of Princeton Seminary, providing what is still considered a definitive historical treatment of Reformed eucharistic theology. Both texts demonstrate Nevin's immense erudition and theological creativity, contributing to our understanding not only of Reformed theology, but also of the unique milieu of nineteenth-century American religion. The present critical edition carefully preserves the original text, while providing extensive introductions, annotations, and bibliography to orient the modern reader and facilitate further scholarship. The Mercersburg Theology Study Series is an attempt to make available for the first time--in attractive, readable, and scholarly modern editions--the key writings of the nineteenth-century movement known as the Mercersburg Theology. An ambitious multi-year project, this aims to make an important contribution to the academic community and to the broader reading public, who may at last be properly introduced to this unique blend of American and European, Reformed and Catholic theology.

Table of Contents: 1. Preserving the Reformation: A Historical Portrait of the Synod of Dort — W. Robert Godfrey 2. What’s the Difference? A Historical and Theological Comparison of the Three Forms of Unity — Lyle D. Bierma 3. The English Delegation to the Synod of Dort — Kevin J. Bidwell 4. The Everlasting Love of God: Election and Predestination — J. V. Fesko 5. Dead in Sin: The Utter Depravity of Mankind — Christopher J. Gordon 6. The Promise of the Gospel: Redemption in Christ — Michael Horton 7. The Irresistible Spirit: The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Canons of Dort — Sebastian Heck 8. The Preservation and Perseverance of the Saints — Danny Hyde 9. Comfort and Assurance: The Pastoral Implications of Dort — Joel R. Beeke and Ray B. Lanning 10. Preaching the Doctrines of Dort — Cornelis P. Venema 11. Proclaiming Joyful Tidings: Dort, Evangelism, and the Sovereignty of God — Jon D. Payne

The theology of Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius has been misinterpreted and caricatured in both Reformed and Wesleyan circles. By revisiting Arminius’s theology, the book hopes to be a constructive voice in the discourse between so-called Calvinists and Arminians. Traditionally, Arminius has been treated as a divisive figure in evangelical theology. Indeed, one might be able to describe classic evangelical theology up into the twentieth century in relation to his work: one was either an Arminian and accepted his theology or one was a Calvinist and rejected his theology. Although various other movements within evangelicalism have provided additional contour to the movement (fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, etc.), the Calvinist-Arminian 'divide' remains a significant one. What this book seeks to correct is the misinterpretation of Arminius as one whose theology provides a stark contrast to the Reformed tradition as a whole. Indeed, this book will demonstrate instead that Arminius is far more in line with Reformed orthodoxy than popularly believed and show that what emerges as Arminianism in the theology of the Remonstrants and Wesleyan movements was in fact not the theology of Arminius but a development of and sometimes departure from it. This book also brings Arminius into conversation with modern theology. To this end, it includes essays on the relationship between Arminius's theology and open theism and Neo-Reformed theology. In this way, this book fulfills the promise of the title by showing ways in which Arminius's theology—once properly understood—can serve as a resource of evangelical Wesleyans and Calvinists doing theology together today. Editors: Keith D. Stanglin, Mark G. Bilby, and Mark H. Mann Contributors: Jeremy Dupertuis Bangs Mark G. Bilby Oliver D. Crisp W. Stephen Gunter John Mark Hicks Mark H. Mann Thomas H. McCall Richard A. Muller Keith D. Stanglin E. Jerome Van Kuiken

The second and final volume of the most authoritative English-language edition of Spinoza's writings The Collected Works of Spinoza provides, for the first time in English, a truly satisfactory edition of all of Spinoza's writings, with accurate and readable translations, based on the best critical editions of the original-language texts, done by a scholar who has published extensively on the philosopher's work. The centerpiece of this second volume is Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise, a landmark work in the history of biblical scholarship, the first argument for democracy by a major philosopher, and a forceful defense of freedom of thought and expression. This work is accompanied by Spinoza’s later correspondence, much of which responds to criticism of the Theological-Political Treatise. The volume also includes his last work, the unfinished Political Treatise, which builds on the foundations of the Theological-Political Treatise to offer plans for the organization of nontyrannical monarchies and aristocracies. The elaborate editorial apparatus—including prefaces, notes, glossary, and indexes—assists the reader in understanding one of the world’s most fascinating, but also most difficult, philosophers. Of particular interest is the glossary-index, which provides extensive commentary on Spinoza’s technical vocabulary. A milestone of scholarship more than forty-five years in the making, The Collected Works of Spinoza is an essential edition for anyone with a serious interest in Spinoza or the history of philosophy.

Unity in Diversity presents a fresh appraisal of the vibrant and diverse culture of Stuart Puritanism, provides a historiographical and historical survey of current issues within Puritanism, critiques notions of Puritanisms, which tend to fragment the phenomenon, and introduces unitas within diversitas within three divergent Puritans, John Downame, Francis Rous, and Tobias Crisp. This study draws on insights from these three figures to propose that seventeenth-century English Puritanism should be thought of both in terms of Familienähnlichkeit, in which there are strong theological and social semblances across Puritans of divergent persuasions, and in terms of the greater narrative of the Puritan Reformation, which united Puritans in their quest to reform their church and society.

The relationship between English conformity and the Arminian tradition has long defied neat explanation. In Bisschop's Bench, Samuel D. Fornecker charts the incompatible theological agendas into which post-Restoration Arminian conformity proliferated and challenges the thesis that a monolithic Arminianism marched steadily from the post-Restoration period into the early Hanoverian. Fornecker examines the theological life of the English Church by paying particular attention to the Arminian conformists who accentuated Reformed divinity in an unprecedented display of disambiguation from the Dutch Arminian tradition and those who exercised authority from the Bishops' bench. By demonstrating the scope of intra-Arminian divergence and the negatively defined consensus that united traditionalist clergy otherwise at odds over grace and predestination, Bisschop's Bench provides an illuminating perspective on the Arminian tradition in the political, confessional, and educative contexts of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England.

Richard A. Muller, P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary --