A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
Available in English for the first time, Theodore Beza, Amandus Polanus, and Francis Turretin defend the central doctrine of the Reformation. The treatises in this volume begin and end with this same point: Justification is by faith and faith alone. Composed under different circumstances by giants of the Reformed tradition―Theodore Beza (1519–1605), Amandus Polanus (1561–1610), and Francis Turretin (1623–87)―they represent various approaches to the same doctrine. Presented in English for the first time, these texts proved the article on which the Church stands or falls from exegetical, systematic, academic, and polemical perspectives. Together they offer a new window into post-Reformational thought theological concerns, including the nature of faith, good works, sanctification, union with Christ, the Holy Spirit, hermeneutics, the unity of Scripture, and more.
From the Back Cover
Composed under different circumstances by giants of the Reformed tradition–Theodore Beza (1519-1605), Amandus Polanus (1561-1610), and Francis Turretin (1623-1687)—these texts represent three classical treatments of the same doctrine, each in its own genre.
- Beza’s Defense of Justification by Faith Alone is polemical and in response to ecclesiastical controversy.
- Polanus’s Free Justification of Man the Sinner before God is systematic and the fruit of logical argumentation based on Scripture.
- Turretin’s Harmony of Paul and James on the Article of Justification is exegetical and in the form of an academic disputation.
Each text explores aspects of justification from a different angle. Together, they touch on a host of important theological concerns: the nature of faith, good works, sanctification, union with Christ, the Holy Spirit, hermeneutics, the unity of Scripture, and more.
Thanks to the translation efforts of Casey Carmichael, these three important pieces are made accessible to English readers for the first time. Readers will also benefit from Zachary Purvis’s introductory essay, which places each of the writings within its historical context. Here is a fine contribution for understanding the classical Protestant insistence on justification by faith alone.
Contents
- Series Preface
- Preface
- Introduction: Profiles of Authors and Texts—Zachary Purvis
- A Defense of Justification through the Righteousness of Christ Alone Freely Imputed, Obtained by Living Faith (1592)—Theodore Beza
- The Free Justification of Man the Sinner before God (1615)—Amandus Polanus
- A Textual Theological Exercise concerning the Harmony of Paul and James on the Article of Justification (1687)—Francis Turretin
- Scripture Index
- Subject Index