Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics: The Rise and Development of Reformed Orthodoxy, ca. 1520 to ca. 1725

“Here we have a brilliant parsing of Reformed orthodoxy in its development, and in its polemical, philosophical, and exegetical contexts. Muller's narrative of the codification or, from the perspective of social history, the institutionalization of Reformed theology will surely reinforce the author's position as the undisputed leader of an international revisionist movement which has, in two decades, dramatically altered our understanding of post-Reformation historical theology. . . . One of the real strengths of this work is the author's integration of the history of philosophy into this history of theology. So too is the author's endeavour to remain theologically neutral in his analysis. Most of all, the work is finely tuned historically. Careful attention is paid to synchronic and diachronic variations in the theology of the Reformers and the Reformed orthodox. . . . An almost unmitigated strength of the work is its clear structure and accessibility. The table of contents is detailed and helpful, the bibliography (which draws on printed works only) is vast and well integrated into the text. The combined subject and name index is dependable. . . . With the publication of these volumes, the academic community has been given a work of great consequence. The 'Muller thesis' has profound significance for historians and theologians alike, for this is much more than a prolonged and devastating critique of neo-orthodox historiography. The comprehensiveness of its analysis and the force of its argument makes this study one of the truly essential works on post-Reformation history and theology. No future research in post-Reformation polemic and theology, whether orthodox or heterodox, can afford to ignore these volumes.”

“Richard Muller has gained an international reputation as a brilliant and incisive commentator on John Calvin and the Reformed tradition. But these volumes are something else. With immense erudition and energy, Muller here displays the theology of the Reformed scholastics in relation to the full sweep of the history of Christian doctrine, expounding it on a truly monumental scale. The scholarly community is permanently in his debt. Muller demonstrates that when used with discernment, the long-neglected wealth of Reformed dogmatics can result in the deepening of theological reflection and preaching in the Christian church.”

“Few periods in the history of Christianity have been as badly neglected or as frequently misrepresented in contemporary theological discussions as the period of Protestant Orthodoxy. Richard Muller has overturned conventional wisdom on the significance of this period and redefined the field through his careful and comprehensive analysis of the primary sources. All future work on the history of Protestant theology from 1550 to 1800 will have to take Muller's studies into account.”

“The first two volumes of Richard Muller's Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics have already established themselves as the starting point for serious study of the development of the theology of Reformed orthodoxy. It is therefore a great pleasure to have at last the final volumes on the doctrine of God along with the second editions of the first two volumes, which have been revised to take account of more recent scholarship and restructured to give greater clarity to the central theses. Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics is set to transform scholarship in both Europe and North America.”

“Muller's work, here as always, is marked by an unrivaled mastery of the sources displayed with attentiveness to detail and precise expression. As a historian, he is adept at discerning the continuities and contexts of theological traditions as they grow and develop. His approach to the often-maligned Protestant Scholastics is sympathetic and free of the usual caricatures, and if his work is at all iconoclastic, it is only for the sake of defending writers and communities of the past against their later misrepresentations.”

“The past continues to speak with powerful relevance to the modern age in the remarkable project of Richard A. Muller in Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics. This four-volume work is a tour de force of historical theology and will be of interest to all evangelicals regardless of denominational heritage.”

“[This] is a work of monumental significance and is well worth the purchase. . . . Muller has done for Post-Reformation Reformed dogmatics what no one else has done with such detail since the beginning of the eighteenth century (and in its own way, what no one else has ever done). . . . Anyone working in the area of historical theology, intellectual history or philosophy cannot afford to miss these volumes. But they should not be left to the halls of academia. Equally, those working in Reformed churches cannot afford to be ignorant of this work. . . . And due to the richness of Reformed theology, those looking for both historical and theological insights will be highly rewarded. . . . My recommendation? Buy it! Read it! Pass on the word to others!”

“A multidecade project that promises to send out ripples for decades to come. . . . An accessible reference for the thoughtful elder, pastor, or seminary student. I have already used the work as a reference in preparing adult Sunday school classes, and have found that twenty or thirty minutes of browsing can solidly ground a popularly oriented lesson on key aspects of Reformed thought by establishing the outlines of its historical development. Of course, the more serious use of this resource by professional students in theology also promises to bear untold fruit, as the clear waters from the source of the Reformed tradition reach ever more readers.”

“The volumes have been well edited. . . . The whole work is improved in a number of ways. The infuriating endnotes have become footnotes and each volume has a considerably more detailed list of contents, as well as an index. The revised edition reflects the years of further study since the first. . . . These massive volumes are an impressively comprehensive study of the topic. No one could question David Steinmetz's statement on the back cover that 'all future work on the history of Protestant theology from 1550 to 1800 will have to take Muller's studies into account.”

“[A] significant resource. . . . I do commend these volumes to all who claim the mantle 'Reformed' or want to understand the background to the contemporary surge in Reformed theology. Muller will require focused, disciplined reading. But those who invest the time will find rich reward. And the 123-page bibliography of primary and secondary sources will provide a lifetime of further research for those so inclined. . . . I hope these volumes find their way onto the shelves of many young pastors and Christian leaders.”