Customer Reviews

Biblical Theology

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Vos is deep; but he's exactly what one would expect if one were to embark on the journey trying to understand the revelation of God to men. Among other things, Vos teaches the differences between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology. If you don't know the differences, and you don't know why they matter, then you will enjoy Vos.

In this book Vos raises the bar on what it means to be Reformed. Some disagree with Vos' use of difficult words -- this is a fair complaint, I suppose, but it should encourage us to become better readers, not to leave off reading a great book. If you do little else in life, read Vos and you will have done much.

"Biblical Theology: Old & New Testaments" is Dr. Vos' most famous and comprehensive work. Dr. Geerhardus Vos served as Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary for 39 years starting in 1894, exercising a significant influence on many eminent theologians of the 20th century, such as Machen, Murray, & Van Til. His insight into Biblical revelation is truly profound, and of his writings that I have read, this book is probably the best place to start. When the current faculty of Westminster Seminary (PA) had their (short) personal reading recommendations listed at the bookstore, this book found its way onto more lists than perhaps any other besides Calvin's Institutes. It would also be well worth introducing this book by reading Vos' inaugural address to the faculty of Princeton, available online.

It should be pointed out from the outset, that the term "Biblical Theology" is itself rather unfortunate, as Dr. Vos points out in his introduction, since all true theology has the Bible as its source and its criterion. In his inaugural address (henceforth IA), he said that "Biblical Theology, rightly defined, is nothing else than the exhibition of the organic process of supernatural revelation in its historic continuity and multiformity." Systematic Theology, for example, examines and organizes revelation systematically and logically, whereas Biblical Theology operates historically. It is important to understand that, as Vos always insisted, neither of the disciplines is more biblical than the other. Rather, they are two ways of studying the same phenomena from different perspectives.

The concept of the organic nature of revelation is prominent. Dr. Vos traces the growth of revelation as it parallels redemption. The great events in the history of redemption were accompanied by corresponding revelation. He saw that "the heart of divine truth, that by which men live, must have been present from the outset, and that each subsequent increase consisted in the unfolding of what was germinally contained in the beginning of revelation. The Gospel of Paradise is such a germ in which the Gospel of Paul is potentially present; and the Gospel of Abraham, of Moses, of David, of Isaiah and Jeremiah, are all expansions of this original message of salvation, each pointing forward to the next stage of growth, and bringing the Gospel idea one step nearer to its full realization." (IA) It will be seen how squarely opposed this view of Scripture is to Dispensationalism.

Another central feature of revelation brought out by Vos is its multiformity, an understanding of which is absolutely indispensable for proper Biblical interpretation. The great pitfall, to which probably all of us fall prey to some extent, is to exalt one aspect or feature of Biblical truth at the expense of another. A result would be, for example, Martin Luther's aversion to the book of James, based on his perception of its contradictory character to the teachings of the Apostle Paul. Not only does the truth have many facets which form an organic unity, but the time and the people that God chose to give His revelation were uniquely chosen to best emphasize the particular ideas. In Vos' words, "The truth having inherently many sides, and God having access to and control of all intended organs of revelation, shaped each one of these for the precise purpose to be served. The Gospel having a precise, doctrinal structure, the doctrinally-gifted Paul was the fit organ for expressing this, because his gifts had been conferred and cultivated in advance with a view to it."

Vos traces the history of revelation, beginning with the pre-redemptive revelation, through the periods of Noah, the Patriarchs, Moses, and finally the prophets in the Old Testament, and then on to the revelation preceding the birth of Jesus as well as Jesus' own self-disclosure in the four Gospels. He does not specifically address the remainder of the New Testament in this book. Vos' great strength is perceiving the unfolding progress of the plan of God for redemption, and he helped me understand things in the Bible that I never saw before. For instance, he describes how the period leading up to Noah was intended to show to mankind, starting immediately after the fall, just how far sin would go if it was left to itself. He explains how the division of tongues at Babel was a redemptive act of God, out of faithfulness to his promise to not destroy the earth again, since "if the whole of humanity had remained concentrated, the power of sin would likewise have remained united, and doubtless soon again have reached stupendous proportions."

In terms of difficulty, I think that Vos should be well within reach of anyone who is willing to concentrate a little bit. It is not light reading, but I did not find it nearly as demanding as, for instance, Van Til. It is probably true that the more effort you put into it, the more you will get out, but I did not find this book to be a chore to read by any means. I enjoyed this book very much, and I believe that my understanding of God's Word has been greatly helped by reading it. I hope that what I have said here will encourage others to read this book, as I am confident that it will be very beneficial to a believer's understanding of God's Word.

In this excellent book Vos shows the progression of God's plan of Redemption and revelation to man. Vos very clearly shows the harmony as well as the tension between the Old and New testaments.

Definitely not a book for unlearned folk wanting a quick introduction to reformed theology. Especially those inclined to fear big words. :-)

you need to read Vos.

This book is not for beginning students of the Bible, to be certain. There is a level of complexity and development here that can easily overwhelm people. However, that being said, Vos' Biblical Theology is a tremendously valuable resource and worth plowing through several times.

If you are a fan of Van Til's presuppositional apologetics, this volume is critical reading. According to Scott Oliphint, the Reformed understanding of Scripture that Van Til takes as a given is based upon his studies under Vos. So, if you're trying to wrestle through Van Til and are trying to faithfully understand where he is coming from, you need to absorb what Vos has to say.

A note on the level of complexity here: I've discovered that many people shy away from studying the Bible carefully. We enjoy 30 second sound-bites and easy to memorize verses. Vos tackles the whole scope and breadth of the Bible in a way that is truly foreign to a slick, pre-packaged post-modern culture. We want edgy but we want it with a glossy cover and intriguing layout. We want controversial so long as it looks sexy.

I was required to read this book twice during my three years of seminary. The first attempt was after only six months of seminary under my belt. I couldn't make heads or tails of what Vos was saying. The sad truth was that I simply didn't know my Bible well enough to appreciate what he was saying. Two years later, I've read it again - this time it made so much more sense. Again, this is because I've immersed myself in God's Word and become much more familiar with the different biblical writers.

Biblical theology, at least from an evangelical standpoint, is looking at Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, attempting to grasp how the various ideas are organically related to each other. We assume that God is the Lord of history and that he is working all things together for his own glory. For instance, the promise which is given in Genesis 3:15, is the seed that will eventually grows up into fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

BT is principally concerned with history - the progressive building upon prior promises and ideas.
Systematic Theology is principally interested in logical relationships - ordering and structuring ideas so that they can be grasped easily and clearly.

BT and ST are absolutely necessary for each other - BT considers things in a line of progression and ST considers things in their relationship to each other. ST establishes the perimeter of correct thought and BT establishes the nuanced layers and complexity within that perimeter.

The trouble with most BT is that it is a.) interested in the new and undiscovered (a fascination with `novelitus') and b.) often unbalanced, finding connections and relationships that are unwarranted by Scripture. Vos has mastered the careful balance and it shows.

As a final note - as you read Vos, you'll find that he's arguing with Liberal theologians of his day - interacting with the critics of the late 19th and early 20th century. The temptation is to skip by these critiques or to be frustrated by them. However, the presuppositions of those critics - anti-supernatural, humanistic, and evolutionary - are principally the same for the modern critic as well. The specific arguments have changed a little, the names of the critics are different, but the underlying anti-Christian assumptions remain the same. Vos proves his value and worth by refuting them gently and firmly from the text of Scripture while exposing their false worldview.

Vos isn't new, but he's solid. Worth having in your library if you take the time to carefully examine and work through his exegesis of the text. It is also humbling to realize how little you know and how much more there is to be grasped.

I was introduced to this text by a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in California. On my first read I found the text ponderous, bombastic, pretentious and needlessly wordy. But on the third read I realized that my initial judgment was out of sheer ignorance.

This book by Vos is, to put it simply, excellent and immensely rewarding. The text is chock full of beautiful insights and poignant theology.

Even if you do not buy into Reformed Theology this book will give you much food for thought and most likely uplift you to new heights. Please do not make the mistake of not reading this book because you happen to belong to a denomination that does not endorse the covenantal paradigm. That would be a significant mistake and you will miss out on some profound theological insights.

If there is one book on Biblical Theology that you must have then make it Vos. Yes, it is a difficult read but well worth the effort.

Whether you like Vos or not, you must read him to know what Biblical Theologians are talking about these days.

Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. Vos is the godfather of soul in the Biblical Theology movement among evangelical/Reformed Bible students. This is Clowney on steroids. Vos' method: God's revelation interprets redemption in history. If for nothing else, read the book for this point. Say it plainly: redemption only has meaning in God's context. There is no redemption apart from the plan of God. Vos was the dominant influence on Van Til and John Murray. As the blurb suggests, "The aim of this book is to provide an account of the unfolding of the mind of God in history, through the successive agents of his special revelation." Fair enough. Unlike other reviewers, I am not going to pick apart or praise Vos' exegesis of specific texts; the reader can do that on his/her own time. I will focus on Vos' method applied to the authority and nature of scripture.

Vos' opening chapters are in my opinion his most important. He outlines an interesting defense for the authority of scripture, one that could have powerful implications for following generations. However, he doesn't follow through with it. One can see the Dutch-ish worldview permeating his thinking on this area: Scripture is an organic unity. Really, how so? (I agree with Vos, by the way, I only wished he had fleshed this concept out.) He doesn't answer, but Cornelius Van Til did attempt to answer this question. Van Til made it clear that Vos was his favorite teacher. As a Van Tillian myself, I wish Van Til's ablest expositors (Frame and Bahnsen) had focused in on this theme. Greg Bahnsen's book is masterful on a dozen counts, but Bahnsen did everything with Van Til *but* this. Frame noticed this aspect of his thought and provided a few interesting footnotes dealing with it. (As a side note, to see an answer to this question I refer you to N.T. Wright, New Testament and the People of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1992), p.40 and Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, "Story and Biblical Theology," Out of Egypt: Biblical Theology and Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), p.151-152. In other words, stories make ultimate claims upon peoples' lives. The question is: Which story is foundational and provides the precondition of intelligibility. Unfortunately, Vos (nor Bahnsen or Frame, for that matter) dealt seriously with the idea of *story.*

A few warnings, though: Vos's redemptive-historical hermeneutics, while showing us wonderful gems in Scripture, can limit the focus or scope of God's work among his whole creation. I am not saying that Vos did this, per se, but many of his maniacal followers have done this. To prove that I am not bashing Vos, I keep Vos or some other Biblical Theology text on my desk as I study the Bible. Vos' greatest weakness is his greatest strength: dense sentences. His philosophy: Why say it in three pages direct when you can say it in thirty pages indirectly? However, there are a multitude of sentences that are over-packed with theological meaning. They are thoughts that can be dwelled upon for hours. Do not start at Vos. He is tedious, to be honest. Go read Clowney or Goldsworthy first.

This is some book. If you are interested in studying the bible from a theological perspective about the role of Christ from Old Testament prophecies and New Testament fulfillments and understandings from various New Testament orators. This is the book for you. Mindful wording may seem to be alittle difficult at limited times but well worth the effort. It is a God send and am extremely blessed to add this to my library.

Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949) was an American Calvinist theologian who taught Biblical Theology at Princeton Theology from 1893-1932.

Vos explains in the Preface, "Biblical Theology occupies a position between Exegesis and Systematic Theology in the encyclopedia 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 endeavors 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 to the close of the New Testament canon."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"at the beginning of all Theology lies a passive, receptive attitude on the part of the one who engages in its study. The assumption of such an attitude is characteristic of all truly exegetical pursuit." (Pg. 4)
"The knowledge from nature, even though corrupted, is presupposed. Only, this does not involve that there is a natural transition from the state of nature to the state of redemption. Nature cannot unlock the door of redemption." (Pg. 21)
"On the whole we may say that revelation, while increasing in frequency, at the same time becomes more restricted and guarded in its mode of communication. The sacredness and privacy of the supernatural begin to make themselves felt." (Pg. 69)
"To the Biblical writers faith is not a comon denominator to which after some hazy fashion every religious sentiment and aspiration can be reduced." (Pg. 83)
(In the Old Testament) "there was a lack of freedom even in the presentation of and attendance to the gospel. The gospel was preached under constraint of law and received under the same. It was not permitted to rise superior to the legal environment in which it had been placed. Only the New Testament has brought the full liberty in this respect." (Pg. 129)
"There are a number of statements in the early prophets, as there are in other parts of the Old Testament, which vividly speak of other gods and ascribe actions or movements to them seemingly implying existence. It is also possible, however, that such statements must be explained on the basis of rhetorical personification." (Pg. 237)
"We are here in a sphere full of anthropomorphism, but this furnishes no excuse for neglecting or glossing over the subject. An anthropomorphism is never without a core of important truth, which has only to be translated into more theological language, to enrich our knowledge of God." (Pg. 255)
"Hence the Apocalypse mingles with the pictures of the final events transpiring with word of prophecy and of interpretation. We may say, then, that a third epoch of revelation is still outstanding. Strictly speaking, however, this will form less a group by itself than a consummation of the second group. It will belong to New Testament revelation as a final division. Mystical revelation claimed by many in the interim as a personal privilege is out of keeping with the genius of Biblical religion." (Pg. 304)
"And the best proof for the Church as an end in itself lies in the inclusion of the Church in the eschatological world, for that world is not the world of things aimed at, but of things attained unto."

Vos's book is of great value to anyone interested in biblical theology, systematic theology, or Calvinism.

"Biblical Theology" was a tough read, but rewarding. There were some times where I lost sight of the forest for the trees: certain word studies for instance on "prophecy" in the Old Testament (still very helpful), but overall the book really challenged me in a good way. There were some sections where I wrote in the ledger "Gold" as in the typological discussions that shed light on the person and work of Christ.
This is a book that in order to be thoroughly digested might need to be read twice. But all in all you will learn a ton about the unity of the two testaments, storyline of the bible, and Redemptive history. Although this might not be the best place to start when beginning to study this discipline, once you are introduced you would be wise to consult Vos, considered by many to be the authority on the subject.

In addition to the reviews already written about this book, I'd also say that this book ought to be read by Christians desiring a solid explanation of the history of redemption found in Scripture. Vos wrote very well, though this is by no means an easy book. In fact, it could easily turn people off if they aren't already determined to read Vos. For those who are willing to read difficult work, this is a special study. Vos addresses questions that, I think, most Christians have asked themselves about the lives and acts, divine and human, described in the Bible. He addresses issues in early 20th c. biblical scholarship and it'll be seen that they are still relevant, though not always. This book deserves, demands, close attention. One may find As Far as the Curse is Found a good distillation of Vos.