Covenant Theology of Caspar Olevianus, The

“The purpose of this study,” writes the author, “is to take a new and hard look at Olevianus’s doctrine of covenant and to determine its place in the larger picture of sixteenth-century thought.” Bierma analyzes all of Olevianus’s work on covenant and challenges the notion that Olevianus was the first to use the covenant idea as the organizing principle of his theology. He maintains that Olevianus’s most significant contribution was in using the covenant to provide assurance of salvation. 

203 pages.

Table of Contents: 

1. Introduction 

–  Biographical Sketch of Olevianus 

–  Survey of Past Research 

2. Continental Reformed Background

– Zwingli 

– Bullinger

– Calvin

– Musculus

– Ursinus

– Conclusion 

3. Olevianus and the Covenant of Grace 

–  Nature of the Covenant 

–  Foundation of the Covenant

–  Signs of the Covenant 

–  Three Senses 

–  Unbelievers 

–  Infant Baptism 

–  Conclusion

4. Covenant or Covenants? 

–  Pretemporal Covenant 

–  Covenant of Creation 

–  Covenant with the Devil 

–  Legal Covenant 

–  Covenant with Creatures

–  Old Covenant

– New Covenant 

5. Olevianus’s Covenant Theology in Historical-Theological Perspective

–  Continental Reformed Context

–  First Covenant Theologian?

–  Synthesizer of Bullinger and Calvin? 

–  Antischolastic

–  Broader Context

–  Medieval Background

–  Late Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

6. Conclusion