Synopsis of a Purer Theology, Volumes 1-2

Over the past decade, the project of Protestant resourcement has exploded, giving pastors, scholars, and lay-people access to the great thinkers who shaped their tradition. Despite this great progress, many treasures of Reformed theology remain obscured from the lay-person, confined to academics with a working knowledge of Latin and Biblical languages–or, if translated, affordable only by libraries with large budgets.

Synopsis of a Purer Theology, otherwise known as “the Leiden Synopsis,” is one such work. Collecting theological disputations delivered at the University of Leiden in the early 1600s, it is one of the most historically important and theologically comprehensive handbooks of Reformed theology, being a key influence for many Reformed theologians including Herman Bavinck, Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, Louis Berkhof, and Richard Muller. And yet, it has remained largely forgotten and left to a handful of Latin-reading scholars.

Now for the first time, the Davenant Press has published this significant work in a full English-only translation, in an affordable and concise two-volume set that includes introductory material to orient the reader to the text.

The Synopsis offers both a snapshot of the state of confessional theology in the 17th-century Dutch Reformed tradition, and also an enduring example of how the project of systematizing doctrine can serve the church. The Leiden professors modeled thoroughness and clarity of thought in the face of confusion, and a vision of irenic Christian unity over brittle doctrinal uniformity.

As Protestants endeavor both to recover their forgotten heritage and to pass it down to the next generation, we need examples of how this has been done before us. The Synopsis of a Purer Theology will serve to bring such illumination and perspective to a generation desperately in need of its boldness, clarity, and wisdom.

Endorsements

“Through the publication of the Synopsis in English, the essence of Reformed theology is no longer exclusively available to traditional, Western historiography and church history. Its original Latin format limited its impact to professional theologians and specialised philologists focusing on theology, while its religious core remained inaccessible not only to the general public but also to geographical venues beyond the West. Now, however, this treasure of theological insights is no longer the appanage of expert scholars; from lay people to academics with vested interests in religion, the Synopsis will become accessible to every person who wishes to know more about Reformed theology regardless of whether one lives in the West, the East or the Global South. This is an achievement with unprecedented possibilities for Reformed theology and its rich ecclesiastical tradition.” 
—Professor Corneliu C. Simut, Aurel Vlaicu University (Romania)

“The Leiden theology faculty was the ‘Sorbonne’ of Reformed orthodoxy. And the Leiden Synopsis represented the consensus after the Synod of Dort. Weaving into its exegetical arguments support from patristic and medieval sources, the authors display the catholic and evangelical spirit of Reformed theology. Avoiding internecine disputes, the Synopsis focuses on the doctrines that all Reformed Christians confess. Given its spirit, scope and learned arguments, it deserves to inform the tradition today as it did so persuasively in the past.”
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

“The Leiden Synopsis is a codification of Reformed orthodoxy, concise and precise in its presentation of early modern Reformed theology. The translators, editors, and publisher are commended for making this monumental work available in English. Indispensable for any serious scholar and student in Post-reformation Reformed theology.”
—Adriaan C. Neele,Vice President, Professor of Historical Theology and Homiletics, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

“Doctrinal controversy brings strife but it also brings clarity and precision to doctrinal formulation, which is a blessing. This benefit of debate is no less true of the Leiden Synopsis, written in the wake of the Arminian controversy. This collection of theological disputations is grounded in Scripture, razor sharp in its distinctions, and conversant with the history of doctrine. No serious student of theology can afford to ignore this theological work.”
—J. V. Fesko, Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi

Contents

Volume I

Acknowledgements

Introduction
William den Boer & Riemer A. Faber

Preface
Synopsis of a Purer Theology 1625

Disputations

1. Concerning the Most Sacred Theology
2. On the Necessity and Authority of Scripture
3. Concerning the Canonical and Apocryphal Books
4. On the Perfection of Scripture, and the Futility of Adding
5. About the Perspicuity and the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
6. About the Nature of God and his Divine Attributes
7. On the Holy Trinity
8. Concerning the Person of the Father and of the Son
9. On the Person of the Holy Spirit
10. Concerning the Creation of the World
11. On the Providence of God
12. Concerning the Good and Bad Angels
13. About Man Created in the Image of God
14. On the Fall of Adam
15. On Original Sin
16. On Actual Sin
17. On Free Choice
18. Concerning the Law of God
19. On Idolatry
20. Concerning the Oath
21. On the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day
22. On the Gospel
23. On the Old and the New Testament
24. On Divine Predestination
25. On the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Personal Union of the Two Natures in Christ
26. On the Office of Christ
27. On Christ in his State of Humiliation
28. On Jesus Christ in his State of Exaltation
29. On the Satisfaction by Jesus Christ
30. On the Calling of People to Salvation
31. On Faith and the Perseverance of the Saints

Volume II

Acknowledgements
Disputations

1. On Repentance
2. On the Justification of Man in the Sight of God
3. On Good Works
4. On Christian Freedom
5. On the Religious Practice of Invocation
6. On Almsgiving and Fasting
7. On Vows
8. On Purgatory and Indulgences
9. On the Church
10. On Christ as Head of the Church, and on the Antichrist
11. On the Calling of Those Who Minister to the Church,
12. On the Sacraments in General
13. On the Sacrament of Baptism
14. On the Lord’s Supper
15. On the Sacrifice of the Mass and Its Abuses
16. On the Five False Sacraments of the Papists
17. On Church Discipline
18. On Ecclesiastical Councils or Meetings
19. On the Civil Magistrate
20. On the Resurrection of the Body and the Last Judgment
21. On Life and Death Everlasting and on the End of the World

End Matter
Bibliography
Index