Top 10 Theology Books of All Time

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Arch2k

Puritan Board Graduate
There are tons of threads listing the best systematics, but if you had to pin down the top ten best theology books of all time, what would they be?
 
In no certain order...

Calvin's Institutes
Luther's Bondage of the Will
Augustine's Confessions
Edwards' Religious Affections
Bahnsen's Van Til's Apologetic Readings and Analysis
Westminster Standards
John Owen: Death of Death in the Death of Christ
William Whitaker - Disputations on Holy Scripture
Lex Rex - Samuel Rutherford
Having a hard time picking #10 - will edit later

#10 John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Huge impact

[Edited on 11-4-2005 by crhoades]
 
No hierarchical order, but these came to mind:

Institutes of the Christian Religion by Calvin
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) by Westminster Divines
By Oath Consigned, by Meredith Kline
Human Nature in its Fourfold State by Thomas Boston
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner
The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen
The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce or Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
Systematic Theology by Berkhoff
City of God or Confessions by Augustine
 
Tough to choose...

Calvin's Institutes
Augustine's Confessions and City of God
Luther's Bondage of the Will
Dabney's Discussions
Rutherford's Lex Rex
Ames' The Marrow of Divinity
Ursinus' Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism
Poole and Henry's Commentaries on the Bible
Fisher's The Marrow of Modern Divinity and Catechism
Boston's Human Nature in its Fourfold State
Edwards' History of Redemption and Religious Affections
Westminster Standards

I think I exceeded ten...oh well...


[Edited on 11-6-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]
 
In no order:

1) The Westminster Standards
2) Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin
3) Institutes of Elenctic Theology, by Francis Turretin
4) Bondage of the Wlill, by Martin Luther
5) The Works of Edwards
6) The Works of John Owen
7) Disputations on Holy Scripture, by William Whitaker
8) Pastoral Theology, by Thomas Murphy
9) The Art of Prophesying, by William Perkins
10) Historical Theology, by William Cunningham
11) Marrow of Theology, by William Ames
12) Systematic Theology, by Dabney, R. L.
13) Systematic Theology, by Hodge, Charles (3 Volumes)
14) Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (12 Volumes), by Kittel
15) A Treatise On Regeneration, by Peter Van Mastricht
16) Calvin´s Calvinism, by John Calvin
17) The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, by Loraine Boettner
18) Pilgrim´s Progress, by John Bunyan
19) The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, by Herman Witsius

Ooops - went a little over.
 
Originally posted by webmaster
In no order:

1) The Westminster Standards
2) Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin
3) Institutes of Elenctic Theology, by Francis Turretin
4) Bondage of the Wlill, by Martin Luther
5) The Works of Edwards
6) The Works of John Owen
7) Disputations on Holy Scripture, by William Whitaker
8) Pastoral Theology, by Thomas Murphy
9) The Art of Prophesying, by William Perkins
10) Historical Theology, by William Cunningham
11) Marrow of Theology, by William Ames
12) Systematic Theology, by Dabney, R. L.
13) Systematic Theology, by Hodge, Charles (3 Volumes)
14) Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (12 Volumes), by Kittel
15) A Treatise On Regeneration, by Peter Van Mastricht
16) Calvin´s Calvinism, by John Calvin
17) The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, by Loraine Boettner
18) Pilgrim´s Progress, by John Bunyan
19) The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, by Herman Witsius

Ooops - went a little over.

So what you're saying is:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/SuggestedLibraryAdvanced.htm
:lol:
 
Draught Horse speaks from the grave:

1)Calvin's Institutes
2)Luther's Bondage of the Will; to quote Dr Rushdoony, "This book is one of the finest documents in the history of human thought."
3) Bahnsen's Van Til's Apologetic Readings and Analysis: Van Til decimated humanistic thought. Bahnsen goes on to exegete, explain, and apply Van Til's richest insights.
4) Lex Rex - Samuel Rutherford--ungodly and tyrannical judges and leaders are to be feared and hated, and given the proper preconditions, resisted. Rutherford explains why
5)Rushdoony's Messianic Character of American Education. Although the Reformed world didn't take his predictions and arguments seriously, humanistic America did--and feared! This book poured life into the Home and Christian School Movement. When tyrannical big government was closing in on education and instituting Molech worship, Bahnsen and Rushdoony appeared in courts as expert witnesses and won the battle!
6) Owen's Death of Death--still to be answered.
7) Augustine's Confessions--instrumental in forming Western Spirituality.
8) City of God--While this did less for me than it did for others, still quite useful in decimating pagan apologetics
9) Athanasius De Incarnatione--Set the foundation for Western liberty
10) Kuyper Lectures on Calvinism--Calvinism applied to all of life.
 
It probably would be better to say - what are the top 5 books in each discipline that your would choose. Its too hard to cover everything important inside of 10 books.

I definitely think Whitaker is a must. Its just too good on the authority of Scripture.

Ames' work and a bible could easily train up a minister.

Murphy's pastoral Theology is a must have for any minister of the Gospel.

edwards, Owen, Calvin, Turretin, Luther - nuff said.

I'd love to list the Scottish Presbyterians and thier works.

Westminster is obviously a must.

It is impossible to leave a good historical theology book. (Cunningham)

You have to have a good Covenant Theology book (Witsius).

The Two Wills of God by Mcmahon on accomodation, and interpretation is a necessary must (oops, had to plug that one!).

I can't see leaving out the systematics - Turretin, Dabney, Hodge, etc.

Choosing is hard.
 
Chux Pix

1. Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin
2. WCF
3. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Owen
4. Anything by Jonathan Edwards
5. Shedd's Dogmatic Theology (vol. 1-3)
6. The Doctrine of God, Herman Bavnick
7. Principles of Sacred Theology, Abraham Kuyper
8. The Satisfaction of Christ, Pink (reading this one NOW!)
9. Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
10. The Spiritual Man, Watchman Nee
11. The Eternal Church, Bill Hamon
12. The Sovereignty of God, Pink
13. The Harvest, Rick Joyner
 
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