Gisbertus Voetius (1589–1676) on God, Freedom, and Contingency

Andreas J. Beck, Ph.D. (2007), Utrecht University, is Professor of Historical Theology and Academic Dean at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, and the Director of the Institute of Post-Reformation Studies. He has published extensively on medieval and early modern theology and philosophy, including Melanchthon und die reformierte Tradition (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016; editor) and Synopsis Purioris Theologiae, vols. 2–3 (Brill, 2016–2020; general co-editor).

Preface

Abbreviations



Introduction

 1 Objective

 2 History of Scholarship

 3 Methodological Considerations

 4 Scholastic Method

 5 Texts Used

 6 The Disputation as a Genre

 7 Organization



part 1: Voetius in Context

1 Life: An Overview

 1.1 Introduction

 1.2 Education

 1.3 Pastor in Vlijmen, Engelen, and Heusden

 1.4 Professor and Pastor in Utrecht



2 Conflict with Cartesianism

 2.1 Introduction

 2.2 Introductory Phase

 2.3 The Utrecht Crisis

 2.4 The Leiden Crisis

 2.5 Pamphlet War

 2.6 Summary



3 Other Controversies

 3.1 Introduction

 3.2 The Cocceian Controversy

 3.3 The Controversy with Maresius and the Magistracy

 3.4 The Controversy with Labadism



4 Main Theological Works and Place in the Nadere Reformatie

 4.1 Introduction

 4.2 Main Theological Works

 4.3 Other Works

 4.4 Representative of the Nadere Reformatie and Pietism

 4.5 Summary



part 2: Theology

5 Structure and Nature of Theology

 5.1 Introduction

 5.2 Archetypal and Ectypal Theology

 5.3 Natural and Supernatural Theology

 5.4 The Character of Theology: scientia practica

 5.5 Summary



6 Communion with God as the Horizon for Theology

 6.1 Introduction

 6.2 Communion with God as the Ultimate Goal of Life

 6.3 Voetius and the “Two-Level Theory”

 6.4 Scripture and Reason

 6.5 Summary



part 3: The Doctrine of God

7 Predicates and Attributes

 7.1 Introduction

 7.2 Structure of the Doctrine of God

 7.3 The Existence and Nameability of God

 7.4 Equivocation, Analogy, and Univocity

 7.5 The Proper Names for God

 7.6 The Doctrine of the Trinity

 7.7 Distinction and Division of the Attributes

 7.8 The Regulative Attributes

 7.9 Summary



8 God’s Knowledge

 8.1 Introduction

 8.2 Necessary and Contingent Knowledge

 8.3 Middle Knowledge

 8.4 Ideas

 8.5 Summary



9 God’s Will

 9.1 Introduction

 9.2 Distinctions

 9.3 God’s Good Will and Evil

 9.4 Divine Free Will as the Pivotal Point in the Doctrine of God

 9.5 Determination without Determinism

 9.6 Summary



10 God’s Right and Justice

 10.1 Introduction

 10.2 Necessary and Contingent Right

 10.3 Justice

 10.4 Summary



11 God’s Power

 11.1 Introduction

 11.2 God’s Power as a Relational Attribute

 11.3 Absolute and Ordained Power

 11.4 The Object of God’s Power

 11.5 Summary



12 Divine Decree and Human Free Choice

 12.1 Introduction

 12.2 The Essence of Human Freedom

 12.3 The Divine Decree and Human Freedom

 12.4 Divine Concurrence and Human Freedom

 12.5 Summary



Synthesis and Relevance

 1 Introduction

 2 Voetius as a Reformed-Scholastic Theologian of the Nadere Reformatie

 3 Theology as a Practical Science

 4 The Necessity of God and the Contingency of the World

 5 God’s Will as the Pivotal Point between Necessity and Contingency

 6 God’s Will and Human Freedom

 7 Tradition-Historical Analysis

 8 Value and Relevance for Theology and Church

Appendix 1: Overview of the Disputations in Voetius’ SD I–V

 1 Selectae disputationes theologicae, Vol. 1, Utrecht 1648

 2 Selectae disputationes theologicae, Vol. 2, Utrecht, 1655

 3 Selectae disputationes theologicae, Vol. 3, Utrecht, 1659

 4 Selectae disputationes theologicae, Vol. 4, Amsterdam, 1667

 5 Selectae disputationes, Vol. 5, Utrecht, 1669

Appendix 2: Chronological Overview of the Disputations in SD I–V

Bibliography

 1 Primary Sources

 2 Secondary Sources

Name Index

 Scripture Index

 Subject Index