It is gratifying for the pastor of a rural congregation in northwest Scotland to read in this volume that strict Calvinism ‘is still maintained here and there, in the Scottish Highlands, in Wales and the like’ (199). This has to be balanced, however, with the contextual observation that ‘the scientific study and defense of it no longer exists’, as well as with the fact that Bavinck’s historical survey was written over a century ago.

Bavinck’s historical survey concludes with the statement that ‘there is clearly no rosy future awaiting Calvinism in America’ (204). That may or may not be true; what is clear, however, is that the appearance of this volume in English from an American publisher is certainly to be welcomed. The Prolegomena (which first appeared in 1895) is the first volume of Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics which, until now, has been available only in the Dutch original. The Board of Directors of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society are to be congratulated on the appearance of this seminal volume.

This work is in five parts, dealing with the following topics: Introduction to Dogmatics, the History and Literature of Dogmatic Theology, Foundations of Dogmatic Theology, Revelation and Faith.

It is axiomatic for Bavinck that dogmatic theology is not merely an intellectual exercise; ‘theology’, Bavinck says, ‘exists for the Lord’s sake’ (46). It comes from him, reveals God to us, and has as its end that God will be glorified. The resultant discussion exemplifies this ideal, as Bavinck charts the direction in which a scientific dogmatics may be pursued.

It is impossible to do justice to the scope of this work in a short review, but perhaps one or two areas of discussion may be highlighted. Bavinck emphasises, for example, that theology must not be divorced from the life of the church. ‘The signficance of the church for theology and dogmatics’, says Bavinck, ‘is grounded in the link that Christ himself forged between the two’ (85). The collective Christian consciousness, therefore, is a necessary ingredient in the development of dogma: a fact which modern evangelicalism must recover.

Secondly, Bavinck’s discussion on Revelation ought to be mandatory reading for all theological students. Just as there can be no religion without revelation (284), dogmatics may not be pursued without an appreciation of the relationship between revelation and inscripturation. Bavinck also reminds us that only the Reformed system allows for the work of God in creation and salvation to be treated organically: ‘revelation and creation’, he says, ‘are not opposed to each other’ (361). Grace is not opposed to nature, but to sin.

Thirdly, dogmatics, based on the self-attesting truth of Scripture, demonstrates that the ground of faith is the speaking of God to us. Bavinck’s discussion of faith is superb, he says:

faith is not the conclusion of a syllogism. Nor, on the other hand, is it a decision of the will, a postulate … Neither is faith an imperative of the will … It is itself a free, spontaneous, intellectual recognition of the word of God (592).

There is a healthy balance here between the objective and the subjective, between mind and heart, between theology and spirituality.

The Prolegomena, however, will dispel the myth that Bavinck was an arid scholastic thinker. It presents an approach to theology which is at once thorough and full of spiritual vitality. It is a pleasure to commend it, and to hope that its appearance bucks the trend which Bavinck observed a century ago, that ‘strict Calvinism is daily losing ground’ (199). We trust that this publication will help it recover some of the ground it has lost.