A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
by Fred G. Zaspel
B.B. Warfield wrote a lot – a lot! But he didn’t write many books. The bulk of his writings were articles published in theological journals. In the years following his death, Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing collected many of those articles, grouped them according to general theme and content, and published them in a series of volumes.
Over the last few years John Hughes has worked carefully through those volumes to republish the Princeton giant in a new format. The first of these new volumes, of course, was The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible (2023). Next came The Person and Work of Christ (2023). And now we have Biblical and Theological Studies, a collection of essays on a range of theological topics.
The new format makes for easier reading, and Hughes provides helpful detailed outlines and summary-analyses of each essay. I helped along the way and also provided bibliographies for further study on each topic. This new volume also includes an essay or two not included in the original collection.
- Warfield’s “The Idea of Systematic Theology” is classic.
- His “Christian Supernaturalism” displays his thorough-going commitment to biblical theism in all its entailments.
- His essay on the Trinity is superb and continues to be mined by theologians today.
- His “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” is an unprecedented and still unsurpassed examination of this New Testament phrase, exploring its trinitarian implications.
- His “Divine Messiah in the Old Testament” lays important groundwork for the New Testament understanding of Christ.
- His “The Spirit of God in the Old Testament” remains a standard treatment of the subject.
- His “Leading of the Spirit” is the best, most definitive treatment of this New Testament concept I’ve ever read.
And so on go the remaining chapters. His “Predestination” is “required” reading for every Reformed believer (and I could wish for every Christian!).
What a treat to have these back in print. You younger theologians who may not yet be acquainted with Warfield, please dive in and enjoy.
And I hope you will pardon me for suggesting that you may want to get a head start with my The Theology of B.B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary, and my Warfield on the Christian Life: Living in Light of the Gospel.