Herman Bavinck (1854–1921)
Author of Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 1: Prolegomena
About the Author
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Series
Works by Herman Bavinck
Reformed Social Ethics: Perspectives on Society, Culture, State, Church, and the Kingdom of God (Reformed Ethics) (2025) 87 copies
The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics: On Faith, Knowledge, and the Christian Tradition (2025) 32 copies
Magnalia Dei : onderwijzing in de christelijke religie naar gereformeerde belijdenis (1909) 9 copies
Beginselen der psychologie 6 copies
Paedagogische beginselen 4 copies
Teologia Sistemática 4 copies
Christelijke wetenschap 4 copies
Cosmovisão cristã 3 copies
The Order of Salvation 3 copies
Het Christelijk huisgezin 3 copies
The Wonderful Works of God 2 copies
'Als Bavinck nu maar eens kleur bekende' : aantekeningen van H. Bavinck over de zaak-Netelenbos, het Schriftgezag en de (1994) — Author — 2 copies
De nieuwe opvoeding 2 copies
Death and the Fall 2 copies
Selected Works of Herman Bavinck 2 copies
Foundations of Psychology 1 copy
Gereformeerde Dogmatiek 1 copy
Philosophie des geloofs 1 copy
De welsprekendheid : eene lezing voor de studenten der Theol. School te Kampen, 28 November 1889 1 copy
De algemeene genade 1 copy
Magnalia Dei 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Bavinck, Herman
- Other names
- 赫爾曼.巴文克
- Birthdate
- 1854-12-13
- Date of death
- 1921-07-29
- Gender
- male
- Relationships
- Bavinck, J.H. (nephew)
- Nationality
- Netherlands
- Birthplace
- Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Netherlands
- Place of death
- Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
- Associated Place (for map)
- Netherlands
Members
Reviews
Herman Bavinck is one of my favorite theologians He reminds one of Warfield for his encyclopedic knowledge of theology as a science, and for his precise and comprehensive statement of doctrine he is without peer. I particularly enjoy his skilled use and interaction with the discipline of historical theology in his exposition of doctrine. He is reverent in his handling of the scriptures, and leaves one with the impression that if he so desired he could have been a Biblical scholar of repute. show more If Warfield was a dogmatic theologian, and Shedd a speculative theologian, then Bavinck was truly the scientific theologian of the 19th century. Reformed theology in this country is richer because of the translation into the english language of this magnum opus. Bavinck was not afraid to interact with the liberal theologians of his day thus refuting the charge that conservative theologians are closed minded and afraid to dialogue about the so called "issues". show less
"Just because something looks ugly doesn't mean it's morally wrong." — Greta Gerwig
On the category of sure victories and trifling things.
Authors of this kind of apologetics are already a little ridiculous, piling up big institutional titles, and must do something to justify themselves. The only situations in which we can afford to run up the score like this are the certain victory, the game, and when anything but abundant success is already defeat. We are getting far away from show more Kierkegaard, who is willing to make any concession to win the smallest victory i.e. "the possibility of a possibility." So, much more appears to be at stake here, though actually much less. (Hard to imagine (actually quite easy) that the pre-war Calvinist already imagined himself to be at the end of the history of philosophy. (To have lived before Foucault is the same problem as to have lived (and died) before the Incarnation, which is one of eschatological significance. 'How is it possible to live (to die) without having known this?" the reality is that it is not different than otherwise...))
A matter of course, motivational theology commences humble enough, though, in one of the coincidences of genre, often finds itself concluding with the goose step and roman salute. I had long wondered how modern (reactionary) exegetes sequestered away the ethical burden of Faith. I refer, below, to the curious reasoning by which we exalt Christ, condemn imitation of Christ-like behavior as mutilating "asceticism," declare the gospel of Christ "already-fulfilled," disdain the "pragmatism" of Good Works personally, uphold the "Institutions and Accomplishments" of Christianity writ-large, and thank the Lord for providing the "standard and guide" to judge what we may or may not be doing by continuing voting Republican down-ticket; a reasoning which, for my own archival purposes, unfortunately, I must quote in long form:
"Christ, who as the Word created all things, and bore the cross as the Servant of the Lord, is the same who rose again and ascended into heaven, and will return as Judge of the living and the dead. In his exaltation he regains what he denied himself in his humiliation; but now it is freed from guilt, purified from stain, reborn and renewed by the Spirit. [...] Christ himself took again the body in which he bore on the cross the sin of the world; he has received all power in heaven and earth, and is exalted by God himself to his right hand as Lord and Christ. The demand that we return from the Pauline and Johannine Christ to the so-called historical Jesus, the gospel of the Synoptics, the sermon on the mount and the parables, is not only impracticable, because in the whole New Testament the same dead and risen Christ meets us, but mutilates the gospel, leads to asceticism, and creates an irreconcilable dissension between creation and re-creation, the Old and New Testaments, nature and grace, the Creator of the world and the Father of Christ.show less
Such a dissension may be proper to Gnosticism and Manichaeism, and also to the Buddhism admired by so many, but it is in direct contradiction to Christianity. The truth and value of Christianity do not depend on the fruits which it has borne for civilization and culture: it has its own independent value; it is the realization of the kingdom of God on earth; and it does not make its truth depend, after a utilitarian or pragmatic fashion, on what men here have accomplished with the talents entrusted to them. The gospel of Christ promises righteousness and peace and joy, and has fulfilled its promise if it gives these things. [...] The gospel gives us a standard by which we can judge phenomena and events; it is an absolute measure which enables us to determine the value of the present life; it is a guide to show us the way in the labyrinth of the present world; it raises us above time, and teaches us to view all things from the standpoint of eternity. Where could we find such a standard and guide if the everlasting gospel did not supply it? It is opposed to nothing that is pure and good and lovely. It condemns sin always and everywhere; but it cherishes marriage and the family, society and the state, nature and history, science and art. In spite of the many faults of its confessors, it has been in the course of the ages a rich benediction for all these institutions and accomplishments.
This is the second volume of Herman Bavinck's four-part systematic theology. While the sub-title of this volume is God and Creation, the writing contained within these pages is divided in six parts; Part 1: Knowing God (The Incomprehensibility of God; The Knowledge of God); Part 2: The Living, Acting God (The names of God; God's Incommunicable Attributes; God's Communicable Attributes; The Holy Trinity); Part 3: God's Will On Earth As It Is In Heaven (The Divine Counsel, Creation); Part 4: show more Maker Of Heaven And Earth (Heaven: The Spiritual World; Earth: The Material World); Part 5: The Image Of God (Human Origins, Human Nature, Human Destiny); and Part 6: God's Fatherly Care (Providence).
Bavinck is a master of Reformed theology. He is extremely well-read in Christian theology, from the time of the church fathers through his own day, the late 19th century. He is also thoroughly familiar with writing in philosophy, from the ancient Greeks through the philosophers of his age. His depth of knowledge with such a wide breadth of work allows him to dig deeply into each of his topic areas, pointing out strengths and weaknesses of various arguments, before arriving at a place of understanding that is grounded in the Reformed tradition.
Bavinck is thoroughly biblical as he works thorough a topic. He acknowledges strengths of the positions of others, and also gently probes their weaknesses. One of the strengths of his writing, besides its depth and breadth, is that he is consistently irenic. Where I might describe a position I disagree with in harsh or condescending terms, Bavinck's writing consistently displays a sense of peace, as if he was inviting a person with a differing view to reconsider their position in favor his own, and not because his own position is intrinsically better, but because he believes that at the end of the day his position will be found to be thoroughly biblical. For Bavinck, the biblical text is the place we continually place our feet on, not matter what the winds are that blow through our culture.
I'll confess that I am a bit of a fan of Bavinck, having read Part 2 of this book while in seminary. In that section Bavinck presents a rich and compelling view of God from a Reformed perspective that I just didn't see in other theological frameworks. It was the writing that drew me whole-heartedly into the Reformed camp. It was a delight not only to re-read that section but to read everything else that this profound theologian, professor and pastor has worked out in a systematic way about God and Creation. show less
Bavinck is a master of Reformed theology. He is extremely well-read in Christian theology, from the time of the church fathers through his own day, the late 19th century. He is also thoroughly familiar with writing in philosophy, from the ancient Greeks through the philosophers of his age. His depth of knowledge with such a wide breadth of work allows him to dig deeply into each of his topic areas, pointing out strengths and weaknesses of various arguments, before arriving at a place of understanding that is grounded in the Reformed tradition.
Bavinck is thoroughly biblical as he works thorough a topic. He acknowledges strengths of the positions of others, and also gently probes their weaknesses. One of the strengths of his writing, besides its depth and breadth, is that he is consistently irenic. Where I might describe a position I disagree with in harsh or condescending terms, Bavinck's writing consistently displays a sense of peace, as if he was inviting a person with a differing view to reconsider their position in favor his own, and not because his own position is intrinsically better, but because he believes that at the end of the day his position will be found to be thoroughly biblical. For Bavinck, the biblical text is the place we continually place our feet on, not matter what the winds are that blow through our culture.
I'll confess that I am a bit of a fan of Bavinck, having read Part 2 of this book while in seminary. In that section Bavinck presents a rich and compelling view of God from a Reformed perspective that I just didn't see in other theological frameworks. It was the writing that drew me whole-heartedly into the Reformed camp. It was a delight not only to re-read that section but to read everything else that this profound theologian, professor and pastor has worked out in a systematic way about God and Creation. show less
Summary: A new annotated edition of Dutch Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck's 1908 Stone Lectures at Princeton, arguing that revelation is a warranted basic belief.
Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) was a Dutch Reformed theologian, writing mostly in Dutch, from the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. With the translation of his Reformed Dogmatics in 2003, studies of Bavinck's work has flourished. This work represents an expanded version of Bavinck's Stone Lectures at Princeton, first show more translated in 1908 by Geerhardus Vos. Two contemporary Bavinck scholars recognized the importance of this work to discussions of Reformed epistemology, and have given us this new annotated edition of the work. The annotations to the work are found in the footnotes and address everything from alternate translations of the text to explanations and context for Bavinck's arguments, a tremendous asset to any modern scholar-theologian studying Bavinck. This is particularly important because Bavinck is engaging philosophers, scientists, and historians of his day, who are often not a part of contemporary academic and theological discourse.
Bavinck's basic argument, anticipating the work of Alvin Plantinga, is that revelation is a warranted basic belief. The lectures argue this inductively from the disciplines of philosophy, natural science, history, religion and religious experience, culture, the Christian faith, and our teleology, our understanding of the future. Revelation in its general form (the things we can't not know), and particularly around religious experience and Christian faith, special revelation, are shown to be basic to human experience and actually foundational to science, history, and philosophy.
Bavinck writes in a period where modernism had theology on its heels. Scientific research exalted the materialistic, rational explanation of all. What I was most intrigued with in the work was how Bavinck anticipated much of the developments of the last one hundred years in the movement from materialism to various forms of pantheistic monism in shaping our view of reality. Bavinck is one of the first I have observed to address the questions of the one and the many and how revelation, and the Christian faith offers the only satisfying explanation about connections between material and spiritual reality, and the sources both of oneness and true diversity. He is also prescient, in his discussion of revelation and the future, in anticipating the eugenics movement, and more recent efforts in genetic modification or even trans-humanism, human efforts to control our future.
The strength of this work is the basic argument Bavinck is making, and its connection to later thinkers from Van Til to Plantinga and Wolterstorff. An important aspect of this philosophy of revelation is the argument for how revelation serves as the basis of the coherence of all intellectual inquiry. This is desperately needed good news for our modern, fragment university world, as well as our fragmented modern lives, and even sense of self.
Sometimes, Bavinck's engagement with scholars of his day makes it harder for those of us unfamiliar with them to keep track of his argument. The annotations are quite helpful in this regard. While it may have felt like meddling in the text, some form of subheadings or marginal summaries would have been helpful to this reader in keeping track of the thread of his argument. In some cases, such as critiquing Darwin, it felt that he might have been relying on apologetic arguments of his day that are less helpful with the advances of biological science. I realize that such a criticism simply reflects the problem of engaging any scholarly work from one hundred years ago.
None of this takes away from the compelling case he makes for a warranted basic belief in revelation, addressing both the philosophy of revelation, and the philosophy of revelation. We continue to live and move and work in an incoherent culture that divorces reason and revelation. Bavinck offers a significant extended argument for reconciling these, summarized well in one of his concluding statements:
"Revelation in nature and revelation in Scripture form, in alliance (verband) with each other, a harmonious unity which satisfies the requirements of the intellect and the needs of the heart alike." (p. 242)
[By the way, don't overlook the editors explanation, in their introductory essay (pp. xxxii-xxxiii), of the use of Piet Mondrian's work on the cover of this work!]
_____________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. show less
Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) was a Dutch Reformed theologian, writing mostly in Dutch, from the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. With the translation of his Reformed Dogmatics in 2003, studies of Bavinck's work has flourished. This work represents an expanded version of Bavinck's Stone Lectures at Princeton, first show more translated in 1908 by Geerhardus Vos. Two contemporary Bavinck scholars recognized the importance of this work to discussions of Reformed epistemology, and have given us this new annotated edition of the work. The annotations to the work are found in the footnotes and address everything from alternate translations of the text to explanations and context for Bavinck's arguments, a tremendous asset to any modern scholar-theologian studying Bavinck. This is particularly important because Bavinck is engaging philosophers, scientists, and historians of his day, who are often not a part of contemporary academic and theological discourse.
Bavinck's basic argument, anticipating the work of Alvin Plantinga, is that revelation is a warranted basic belief. The lectures argue this inductively from the disciplines of philosophy, natural science, history, religion and religious experience, culture, the Christian faith, and our teleology, our understanding of the future. Revelation in its general form (the things we can't not know), and particularly around religious experience and Christian faith, special revelation, are shown to be basic to human experience and actually foundational to science, history, and philosophy.
Bavinck writes in a period where modernism had theology on its heels. Scientific research exalted the materialistic, rational explanation of all. What I was most intrigued with in the work was how Bavinck anticipated much of the developments of the last one hundred years in the movement from materialism to various forms of pantheistic monism in shaping our view of reality. Bavinck is one of the first I have observed to address the questions of the one and the many and how revelation, and the Christian faith offers the only satisfying explanation about connections between material and spiritual reality, and the sources both of oneness and true diversity. He is also prescient, in his discussion of revelation and the future, in anticipating the eugenics movement, and more recent efforts in genetic modification or even trans-humanism, human efforts to control our future.
The strength of this work is the basic argument Bavinck is making, and its connection to later thinkers from Van Til to Plantinga and Wolterstorff. An important aspect of this philosophy of revelation is the argument for how revelation serves as the basis of the coherence of all intellectual inquiry. This is desperately needed good news for our modern, fragment university world, as well as our fragmented modern lives, and even sense of self.
Sometimes, Bavinck's engagement with scholars of his day makes it harder for those of us unfamiliar with them to keep track of his argument. The annotations are quite helpful in this regard. While it may have felt like meddling in the text, some form of subheadings or marginal summaries would have been helpful to this reader in keeping track of the thread of his argument. In some cases, such as critiquing Darwin, it felt that he might have been relying on apologetic arguments of his day that are less helpful with the advances of biological science. I realize that such a criticism simply reflects the problem of engaging any scholarly work from one hundred years ago.
None of this takes away from the compelling case he makes for a warranted basic belief in revelation, addressing both the philosophy of revelation, and the philosophy of revelation. We continue to live and move and work in an incoherent culture that divorces reason and revelation. Bavinck offers a significant extended argument for reconciling these, summarized well in one of his concluding statements:
"Revelation in nature and revelation in Scripture form, in alliance (verband) with each other, a harmonious unity which satisfies the requirements of the intellect and the needs of the heart alike." (p. 242)
[By the way, don't overlook the editors explanation, in their introductory essay (pp. xxxii-xxxiii), of the use of Piet Mondrian's work on the cover of this work!]
_____________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. show less
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