Friday, March 23, 2007

The Year of Owen?

Edwin Tay wonders if 2007 might be the Year of John Owen. Some excellent publications have recently come out; more are on their way.

Here's what's already available:
Kelly Kapic, Communion with God: The Divine and the Human in the Theology of John Owen, published by Baker Academic. Here is the table of contents: (1) The Lingering Shadow of John Owen; (2) Created to Commune with God: Owen’s Formulation of the Imago Dei; (3) Humanity Actualized: The Relationship between the Incarnation and Fallen Humanity; (4) Reconciling God and Humanity: Looking at the Question of Justification; (5) Communion with the Triune God: God’s Being and Action Informing Human Response; (6) Signs of Continuing Communion: Lord’s Day and Lord’s Supper; (7) Epilogue; (8) Appendix: Comparing Westminster Standards and John Owen on Humanity (Jesus’s and Ours). (Excerpt online.)

Alan Spence, Incarnation and Inspiration: John Owen and the Coherence of Christology, published by T&T Clark (yep, it's really that expensive!) The chapter titles are (1) Two Ways of Thinking about Christ; (2) Incarnation; (3) Inspiration; (4) The Mediator; (5) The Son and the Father; (6) The Son and the Children; (7) Trinitarian Agency; (8) Conclusion.
Here's what's coming:

Brian K. Kay, Trinitarian Spirituality: John Owen and the Doctrine of God in Western Devotion (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2007). [Doesn't seem to be available yet through Amazon.]

Carl R. Trueman, John Owen, Great Theologians Series (Ashgate, 2007). The publisher information is as follows:
Carl Trueman presents a major study of the key elements of John Owen's writings and his theology. Presenting his theology in its historical context, Trueman explores the significance of Owen's work in ongoing debates on seventeenth century theology, and examines the contexts within which Owen's theology was formulated and the shape of his mind in relation to the intellectual culture of his day - particularly in contemporary philosophy, literature and theology. Examining Owen's theology from pneumatological, political and eschatological perspectives, Trueman highlights the trinitarian structure of his theology and how his theological work informed his understanding of practical Christianity.

With the current resurgence of interest in seventeenth century Reformed theology amongst intellectual historians, and the burgeoning research in systematic theology, this book presents an invaluable study of a leading mind in the Reformation and the historical underpinnings for new systematic theology.

Contents: Preface; (1) John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man; (2) The Knowledge of the Trinitarian God; (3) Divine Covenants and Catholic Christology; (4) The article by Which the Church Stands or Falls; (5) Conclusion.
Also, Kelly Kapic and I have recently submitted our manuscript to Crossway for a new, updated, unabridged edition of Owen's classic, Communion with God, containing an extensive introduction and outline, translated footnotes, glossary, etc. It will be entitled Communion with the Triune God, and will be published (D.V.) in October 2007.