Systematic Theology- Reading Order?

Status
Not open for further replies.
jacobcandler1689

jacobcandler1689

Puritan Board Freshman
Hello, I am wanting to read through some particular systematic theologies over the next ten years and was wondering if anyone could help me order them insofar as difficulty and prerequisite knowledge are concerned? These are the texts:

-Calvin, Institutes
-Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology
-a’Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service
-Hodge, Systematic Theology
-Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics
-Henry, God, Revelation and Authority
-Berkouwer, Studies in Dogmatics
-Thomas, Summa Theologiae
-Barth, Church Dogmatics
-Schleiermacher, The Christian Faith
-Pannenberg, Systematic Theology
 
From easiest to most technical:

Calvin is the easiest.
A'Brakel
Hodge
Bavinck
Berkouwer
Turretin
Schlieirmacher
Pannenberg
Turretin
Henry
Thomas
Barth

Pannenberg and Barth should be used as reference, not as a staple of the diet.
 
RamistThomist said:
From easiest to most technical:

Calvin is the easiest.
A'Brakel
Hodge
Bavinck
Berkouwer
Turretin
Schlieirmacher
Pannenberg
Turretin
Henry
Thomas
Barth

Pannenberg and Barth should be used as reference, not as a staple of the diet.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this. That is my intention with their works and Schleiermacher’s- reference and wrestling with for the sake of strengthening my own views.
 
jacobcandler1689 said:
Thank you for this. That is my intention with their works and Schleiermacher’s- reference and wrestling with for the sake of strengthening my own views.
Click to expand...
Pannenberg is excellent on some points, wrong on others. He is good on natural theology, interaction with science, and resurrection of Christ.
 
@RamistThomist - I have a number of these on my shelf I need to work through as well. Where would you slot in Joel Beeke’s Reformed Systematic Theology, Muller’s Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics and Robert Reymond’s New Systematic Theology into this list? It may help me get my bearings.

Thanks!
 
Hodge is great, but he has a habit of quoting people in their original language without providing a translation. Which for those of us unlearned (at least in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew) can a bit challenging.
 
I have not finished it, but I would heartily suggest John Brown of Haddington’s as well, I’ve enjoyed it immensely. He starts with a large section on natural theology that really hit me with how much we can know of God just from nature.
 
That's an excellent list. I would also add Petrus van Mastricht's Theoretical-Practical Theology, which is especially strong on polemics and practical application. The first four volumes have been translated and published by RHB, with the remaining three to be released over the next few years. The Lord's blessing as you study!
 
CHSalzgeber said:
@RamistThomist - I have a number of these on my shelf I need to work through as well. Where would you slot in Joel Beeke’s Reformed Systematic Theology, Muller’s Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics and Robert Reymond’s New Systematic Theology into this list? It may help me get my bearings.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
In terms of importance or ease of reading? Beeke's is probably the easiest of the three to read. Muller might be a bit more technical than Reymond, though Muller isn't really a systematics. In terms of importance, Muller hands down.
 
Berkhof
Van Mastricht
Bavinck
Turretin

Calvin, a'Brakel, and Hodge for reference if you haven't burned out. Not sure I would want to spend any time on the others unless you have a really, really good reason.
 
Berkhof and Beeke is the best way to go for a good base. Beeke quotes a lot of other theologians so in a way you are getting a taste of them also for a start.
 
TheInquirer said:
Berkhof
Van Mastricht
Bavinck
Turretin

Calvin, a'Brakel, and Hodge for reference if you haven't burned out. Not sure I would want to spend any time on the others unless you have a really, really good reason.
Click to expand...
Brother, thank you for the insight. Most of the interest in reading so widely as I intend to is due to the context in which I find myself. I want to read primary sources so that I can rightly engage with folks that I know and have a proper conception of their views via the standards in their traditions. I also just like reading challenging stuff lol! It forces me to think harder about how to defend the doctrines of my own (Particular Baptist) tradition, and I find that doing so pushes me more toward doxology, as strange as that may seem.
 
jacobcandler1689 said:
Brother, thank you for the insight. Most of the interest in reading so widely as I intend to is due to the context in which I find myself. I want to read primary sources so that I can rightly engage with folks that I know and have a proper conception of their views via the standards in their traditions. I also just like reading challenging stuff lol! It forces me to think harder about how to defend the doctrines of my own (Particular Baptist) tradition, and I find that doing so pushes me more toward doxology, as strange as that may seem.
Click to expand...
How about John Gill’s body of divinity?
 
Ah got it. Forgot about Beeke but he is probably just summarizing Reformed historical theology in modern language and adding application. Which us great but it may be a repeat of what you have already read.

Curious, who are you engaging with that is so well versed in theology to require that much reading? Are you in an academic field?

If you wanted to cover more of modern evangelicalism, you could throw in Grudem, Lewis Sperry Chafer, and the Systematic Theology Richard Mayhue probably wrote with MacArthur’s name on it.
 
TheInquirer said:
Ah got it. Forgot about Beeke but he is probably just summarizing Reformed historical theology in modern language and adding application. Which us great but it may be a repeat of what you have already read.

Curious, who are you engaging with that is so well versed in theology to require that much reading? Are you in an academic field?

If you wanted to cover more of modern evangelicalism, you could throw in Grudem, Lewis Sperry Chafer, and the Systematic Theology Richard Mayhue probably wrote with MacArthur’s name on it.
Click to expand...
Got it. I am not in academia, but I know some Roman Catholics who have gone to seminary and became priests, I know a couple Barthians, and I know someone who is starting to tend toward theological liberalism. I would like to go into academia some day, Lord-willing, but that is not a lot in life that is currently available to me.
 
Turretin is great against the Catholics of his day, Bavinck would be good against the origins of liberalism (Machen also). Both are very powerful thinkers and two of the best God has given the church. Not easy reads at times.

Another helpful source I would throw in is John Frame and his work “A History of Western Philosophy and Theology.” Whatever one might think of Frame, I think this particular topic is his strength.
 
Turretin is the hands-down greatest. Hodge is second. Bavinck is mostly good responding to modern philosophy. Frame is good on modern philosophy, weaker on earlier philosophy.
 
Read Hellenbroeks Specimen of Divine Truth before Brakel, to get a taste of Voetian theology. It is a tiny dogmatics of about 100 pages in Q and A, meant to catechize young people.
 
Claes Jacob Heijndericksz said:
Read Hellenbroeks Specimen of Divine Truth before Brakel, to get a taste of Voetian theology. It is a tiny dogmatics of about 100 pages in Q and A, meant to catechize young people.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the information about Hellenbroek.
He can be found in the link

A Specimen of Divine Truth by Abraham Hellenbroek | Reformed Theology at Semper Reformanda

A Specimen of Divine Truth by Abraham Hellenbroek Concerning the knowledge of God 1. Q. Whence do we know that there is a God? A. From nature, and from the ...
www.semperreformanda.com www.semperreformanda.com
 
I notice that Shedd is absent from the reading lists and discussion here. Any peculiarities about him?
 
Solparvus said:
I notice that Shedd is absent from the reading lists and discussion here. Any peculiarities about him?
Click to expand...
Shedd is easily my favorite, but he isn't balanced. But even when he is off balance, he is fun to read for that reason. He isn't dangerous or anything, he just omits some sections. For example, you won't find good discussions on sacraments or church governments. He spends 50 pages on hell and half a page on heaven. lol. He goes overboard, delightfully so, on the ontological argument.

Shedd was a literature professor in another career, and his book is a delight.
 
RamistThomist said:
Shedd is easily my favorite, but he isn't balanced. But even when he is off balance, he is fun to read for that reason. He isn't dangerous or anything, he just omits some sections. For example, you won't find good discussions on sacraments or church governments. He spends 50 pages on hell and half a page on heaven. lol. He goes overboard, delightfully so, on the ontological argument.

Shedd was a literature professor in another career, and his book is a delight.
Click to expand...

Shedd's unbalanced nature doesn't really concern me, actually. Every systematician has to decide which issues are more important in his time and place than others. He is also a good writer. However, he has some quirks. He is not what I would call a vanilla Presbyterian. He holds to traducianism, three parts to the human person, and most concerningly, some of his Trinitarian formulations are suspect.
 
I would second (third? fourth?) Turretin. I am moving though the material slow, but it is fantastic. I do think if you read carefully he is not that difficult to understand either. I have gained much from reading his systematic. I also do very much enjoy Calvin.
 
retroGRAD3 said:
I would second (third? fourth?) Turretin. I am moving though the material slow, but it is fantastic. I do think if you read carefully he is not that difficult to understand either. I have gained much from reading his systematic. I also do very much enjoy Calvin.
Click to expand...
Turretin is tough sledding though. I got 50 pages in and decided to shelve him at a very busy and stressful time of life. I’m currently making my way through Watson’s ‘Body of Divinity’ instead.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

The Apologetic Thomas
  • Locked
Systematic Theology?
Replies
4
Views
2K
KMK
KMK
TomVols
  • Locked
Frame's "Systematic Theology "
Replies
3
Views
2K
lynnie
L
Peairtach
  • Locked
What Systematic Theology?
2
Replies
43
Views
6K
thistle93
thistle93
Jeffriesw
  • Locked
Systematic Theology Recommendations?
Replies
18
Views
7K
Ask Mr. Religion
Ask Mr. Religion
Backwoods Presbyterian
  • Locked
Lutheran Systematic Theology
Replies
7
Views
7K
KaphLamedh
KaphLamedh
Back
Top