Divine Discourse: The Theological Methodology of John Owen

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Jun 2004 by Klauber, Martin I

Divine Discourse: The Theological Methodology of John Owen Divine Discourse: The Theological Methodology of John Owen. By Sebastian Rehnman. Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought. Richard A. Muller, gen. ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002, 224 pp., $19.99.

John Owen was a prominent Puritan theologian who served as chaplain to Oliver Cromwell and as vice-chancellor at Oxford University. He has been the subject of several monographs over recent years. This volume focuses on one aspect of his theological system: his prolegomena to theology. In this revision of his doctoral dissertation at Oxford, Sebastian Rehnman follows the methodology of Richard Muller, the general editor of this series, in arguing for essential continuity between medieval, Reformation, and post-Reformation thought on the particularly important doctrine of prolegomena. Prolegomena sets the state for one's entire theological system and addresses such important concepts as the relationship between theology and philosophy and the very nature of theology itself. As a result, this topic is an essential one for testing the basic aspects of Muller's thesis of continuity.

Muller defines scholasticism as a method of writing theology, and most Reformed theologians followed the loci or topical method in keeping with the medieval pattern set by such standard works as Lombard's Sententiae. Owen certainly shared in this use of the loci method, but he did not use it throughout the entire corpus of his writings, especially in his major text on prolegomena, his Theologoumena. According to Rehnman, Owen typically employed a "federal" model more consistently because he was distrustful of an overemphasis on reason in theological discourse. This model focused on the covenant relationship between God and his people. Owen argued that, although revelation was progressive, the knowledge necessary to be saved must be consistent throughout the ages. Here, the covenant served as the basis for understanding theology and for the continuity between the testaments. This explains, in part, the strong emphasis among the federal theologians on the use of typologies in the OT. In his use of the federal model, Owen sought to be more biblical and less systematic.

Rehnman points out that Owen viewed the covenant as unilateral in origin but bilateral in execution. Covenant history, as it unfolds in Scripture, revolves around three principles: (1) faith in the Mediator; (2) obedience to the moral law; and (3) adherence to divinely appointed worship.

The author goes on to say that one must view Owen's prolegomena in the wider context of his assimilation of patristic and medieval sources. Rehnman agues that medieval prolegomena was mediated to the Reformed scholastics by such theologians as junius and Polanus who began their discussions with a section on the etymology of theology. This discussion begins with the history and definition of the term theologia. The ancient Greeks used the term theologoumena to describe discourses about God, a definition that provided a foundation for Christian usage.

On the topic of natural theology, Owen followed the Reformed pattern of limiting its scope, noting that after the fall, man is incapable on coming to a saving knowledge on his own. Owen does not, however, totally denigrate the use of reason. One can come to an understanding of God's existence through reason and can conclude that one must be obedient to God. Philosophy that is unaided by divine revelation, however, is severely limited because of human depravity. Revelation serves the purpose of rendering people inexcusable; therefore, they need supernatural theology that comes via Scripture. Philosophy, however, can be redeemed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and reason thus redeemed can be very useful in biblical exegesis and in making theological judgments based on the clear teaching of the Bible. Owen was very careful to avoid what he considered to be the abuse of reason in theology; he was particularly critical of the Socinians in this regard. This abuse is especially acute when philosophy begins to rule over the articles of faith.

In typical Reformed fashion, Owen placed a great deal of emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in confirming the authority of Scripture. he argued that the Spirit was the "efficient cause" of belief in Scripture rather than the objective reason why people believe it. Furthermore, people need the Holy Spirit because of the noetic effects of the fall. One of the potential criticisms of the role of the Holy Spirit in confirming that authority of Scripture is that it is a circular argument, because it is Scripture itself that teaches the role of the Holy Spirit in confirming its own authority. Owen followed Francis Turretin in pointing out the value of the marks of Scripture to show its self-authenticating nature. The marks of Scripture's divine origin are valid, however, only for those who believe.

One of the real strengths of the book is the author's ability to compare and contrast Owen's positions on various aspects of prolegomena with other contemporary Reformed dogmaticians. The author displays a mastery of the primary literature in this regard pand is therefore able to place Owen's thought into a wider context. For anyone interested in the development of post-Reformation Reformed thought, this book should be required reading.