Why Heaven Kissed Earth
The Christology of the Puritan Reformed Orthodox Theologian, Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680)
by Mark Jones
The central thesis of this study argues that the Christology of the prominent English Reformed theologian Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680) is grounded in, and flows out of, the eternal intra-trinitarian covenant of redemption, also known as the pactum salutis. In order to understand the dynamics of Goodwin’s Christology, his trinitarianism must be appreciated in the context of his covenant theology. At the heart of Goodwin’s theology is his robust trinitarianism. His Christology, which includes both the person and work of Christ, does not begin in the temporal realm at the incarnation but stretches back into eternity when the persons of the Trinity covenanted to bring about the salvation of fallen mankind. Goodwin’s Christology moves from the pretemporal realm to the temporal realm with a decidedly eschatological thrust, that is, with a view to the glory of the God-man, Jesus Christ. What this study does is connect two vital aspects of Reformed Theology, namely the doctrine of Christ and the concept of the covenant. The findings explain why heaven kissed earth, that is, why God became man. German text.
The central thesis of this study argues that the Christology of the prominent English Reformed theologian Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680) is grounded in, and flows out of, the eternal intra-trinitarian covenant of redemption, also known as the pactum salutis. In order to understand the dynamics of Goodwin’s Christology, his trinitarianism must be appreciated in the context of his covenant theology. At the heart of Goodwin’s theology is his robust trinitarianism. His Christology, which includes both the person and work of Christ, does not begin in the temporal realm at the incarnation but stretches back into eternity when the persons of the Trinity covenanted to bring about the salvation of fallen mankind. Goodwin’s Christology moves from the pretemporal realm to the temporal realm with a decidedly eschatological thrust, that is, with a view to the glory of the God-man, Jesus Christ. What this study does is connect two vital aspects of Reformed Theology, namely the doctrine of Christ and the concept of the covenant. The findings explain why heaven kissed earth, that is, why God became man. German text.
- By (author) Mark Jones
"This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the serious study of seventeenth-century Christology, trinitarianism, and the development of Reformed covenant theology. It should simultaneously serve as a future starting point for studies on Thomas Goodwin, and it provides a vital piece of research in the growing field of Reformed Orthodoxy or Protestant Scholasticism." --Ryan M. McGraw, Calvin Theological Journal, 48(1), April 2013
—
Other Titles in this Series
Beyond Calvin
Union with Christ and Justification in Early Modern Reformed Theology (1517-1700)
Volume 20
Heinrich Alting (1583-1644)
Lebensbild und Bedeutung fur die reformierte Historiografie und Dogmengeschichtsschreibung des 17. Jahrhunderts
Volume 56
The Ground, Method, and Goal of Amandus Polanus’ (1561-1610) Doctrine of God
A Historical and Contextual Analysis
Volume 73
Mysterium Christi spiritualis praesentiae
Die Abendmahlslehre des Genfer Reformators Johannes Calvin aus romisch-katholischer Perspektive
Volume 19
Omnes in Adam ex pacto Dei
Ambrogio Catarino's Doctrine of Covenantal Solidarity and Its Influence on Post-Reformation Reformed Theologians
Volume 8
Symphonia Catholica
The Merger of Patristic and Contemporary Sources in the Theological Method of Amandus Polanus (1561-1610)
Volume 30
Heavenly Providence
A Historical Exploration of the Development of Calvin's Biblical Doctrine of Divine Providence
Volume 75
Driven by God
Active Justification and Definitive Sanctification in the Soteriology of Bavinck, Comrie, Witsius, and Kuyper
Volume 46
Orthodox, Puritan, Baptist
Hercules Collins (1647-1702) and Particular Baptist Identity in Early Modern England
Volume 32
As Often As You Eat This Bread
Communion Frequency in English, Scottish, and Early American Churches
Volume 74
The Beginning of a Spirit-filled Church
A Study of the Implications of the Pneumatology for the Ecclesiology in John Calvin's Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles
Volume 45
Franciscus Junius d.A. (1545-1602)
Ein reformierter Theologe im Spannungsfeld zwischen spathumanistischer Irenik und reformierter Konfessionalisierung
Volume 3
A New Divinity
Transatlantic Reformed Evangelical Debates during the Long Eighteenth Century
Volume 49
Calvin, Exile, and Religious Refugees
Papers of the Thirteenth International Congress on Calvin Research
Volume 78
A Heavenly Directory
Trinitarian Piety, Public Worship and a Reassessment of John Owen's Theology
Volume 29
Similar Books
A Companion to Christianity and Sport in Europe and North America (19th-21st centuries)
Volume 1: Western and Eastern Europe
A Connecting Polemic in the Medieval Mediterranean
The Correspondence of Leo III and Ê¿Umar II
Volume 6
Ars Prophetica
Theology in the Poetry of Twentieth-Century Hebrew Poets Avraham Halfi, Shin Shalom, Amir Gilboa, and T. Carmi
As Messianism Turns to Heresy
The Regenstein Chair Lectures On Lurianic Kabbalah and Shabbatai Tzevi at Hebrew Union College - Cincinnati
Creating the Woman in Antiquity
Proceedings of the 16th Melammu Workshop, Innsbruck, 2–3 June 2022
Volume 13
Cultic Kisses
Fruitful Encounters Between Deities and Humans. Festschrift for Angelika Berlejung on the Occasion of Her 65th Birthday
De/colonizing Theologies
Glocal Histories, Contemporary Challenges, Theoretical Reflections
Volume 4
Drunk the Potion, No Whit Charmed
The Doctrine of Pure and Perfect Souls from Iamblichus to Damascius
Extracanonical Traditions and the Holy Land
Texts, Rituals, and Material Culture in Late Antique Palestine
Fear, Fear of God, God-Fearers
Philological and Historical Perspectives on the World of Ancient Judaism and Christianity
Gender and Iconography in Antiquity
Femininities, Masculinities, Ambiguities, and Beyond in the Ancient Levant, Near East, and Mediterranean