# Girardeau's The Will in its Theological Relations now online



## Travis Fentiman (Oct 24, 2015)

For the first time, John L. Girardeau’s, The Will in its Theological Relations is fully available online. 

Girardeau (†1898) was an important, American, southern presbyterian, reformed theologian who taught systematic theology at Columbia Theological Seminary in South Carolina. Here he devotes a full-scale treatise to the topic of the freedom and necessity of man’s will. The book is very hard to come by (and expensive) on the used book market, if one can find it at all.

A seismic shift occurred on the topic of Predestination and the Will in the early 1700’s with Jonathan Edwards’ treatise Freedom of the Will. The earlier view of Calvin, the Reformation and Westminster argued that fallen man did not have the power of contrary choice with regard to spiritual things, though Adam did have the power of contrary choice before the Fall, and depraved man still retained the power of contrary choice with regard to external and civil affairs after the fall. In the pre-modern era (1500’s through the mid-1600’s), theologians did not believe that the will was necessitated at the created level by the laws of nature, or governed by similar internal, necessary laws like unto the laws of nature.

Edwards, being influenced by the developing philosophies of the Enlightenment, including that of John Locke and others, argued that the will was necessitated in the same way as the then newly developed universal laws of nature. The earlier doctrine of a moral necessity was transformed into a doctrine of natural necessity. It came to include not just certain spiritual choices of a person, but all the choices of the will along with all the motions of nature also. This was previously unknown to Reformed theology, and came to be called Philosophical Necessity, or Philosophical Determinism. 

Girardeau argues that this is a departure from historic reformed theology, and demonstrates that it was not the view of Calvin and the Reformed Confessions. Richard Muller, one of the leading reformed historians in the world today, has also recently confirmed numerous of Girardeau’s concerns with the shift occasioned by Edwards. Listen to the lecture here: 

Richard Muller – “Jonathan Edwards and the Absence of Free Choice: A Parting of Ways in the Reformed Tradition”, 1 hour and 11 minutes, Sept. 29th, 2010, at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, being the Inaugural Lecture for the Jonathan Edwards Center​
Please enjoy.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Oct 24, 2015)

See also:

Muller's paper:
http://jestudies.yale.edu/jes/index.php/journal/issue/view/15/showToc

Helm's challenge to Muller's conclusions:
http://jestudies.yale.edu/jes/index.php/journal/article/view/141

Muller's rejoinder:
http://jestudies.yale.edu/jes/index.php/journal/issue/view/27/showToc

Helm's surrejoinder:
http://jestudies.yale.edu/jes/index.php/journal/issue/view/27/showToc

You will have to register at the site to obtain the papers.


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## RamistThomist (Oct 24, 2015)

Thanks for this. I believe Muller is correct in his reading of the sources, but I do not believe Muller's take on necessity of consequent/consequences really cashes out practically in the way he wants it to.


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## RamistThomist (Oct 24, 2015)

I wonder about some of Giradeau's conclusions. On p. 121 he notes how Edwards contradicted himself. I wonder if G. is closer to Muller than one might think.


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## Travis Fentiman (Oct 24, 2015)

Patrick,

Thanks for the great resources. I don't believe the second link, to Helm's first response, is the right one. I would like to read Helm's article if possible; are you able to provide the working link?


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Oct 25, 2015)

Travis Fentiman said:


> Patrick,
> 
> Thanks for the great resources. I don't believe the second link, to Helm's first response, is the right one. I would like to read Helm's article if possible; are you able to provide the working link?


Fixed it now Travis. Thanks for catching this.

I keep forgetting that when returning and editing links in a post previously made one must also change the underlying hyperlink.


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## MW (Oct 25, 2015)

Great resource; I hope it receives the attention it deserves.


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