Johannes Cocceius (1603 1669) was prominent Bible scholar who taught at the universities of Bremen, Franeker, and Leiden. As a gifted linguist, he produced a Hebrew lexicon, commentary related to every book of the Bible, and several theological treatises. Cocceius's contributions to covenant theology simultaneously sparked theological controversies and further fruitful dialogue for understanding the progressive nature of salvation history. The Doctrine of the Covenantand Testament of God describes the entire biblical history as a series of events by which an original covenant of works is gradually annulled, bringing new phases in the history of the covenant of grace. He shows that God's standard way of relating to mankind is through covenant, which, at its heart, is friendship with God. Casey Carmichael's translation of Cocceius's book is monumental, providing the first English edition of a work that helped shape Reformed theology for centuries. Historical theologians have long noted Cocceius's work as a crucial text in the development of federal theology, and now this translation will open access to a wider range of readers and is sure to spur further interest and research in Reformed expositions of covenantal thought. The introduction by Willem J. van Asselt, the world's leading scholar on Coccieus's life and theology, provides the historical context for understanding the importance of the book and a summary of the significant contributions it made to Reformed theology. Series Description Cocceius' The Doctrine of the Covenant and Testament of God is the third volume of the Classic Reformed Theology series, edited by Dr. R. Scott Clark. This series seeks to produce and provide critical English translations of some of the more important but generally neglected texts of the orthodox period. It is the sincere hope of the editor and the board that at least one volume shall appear annually.

Covenant: A Vital Element of Reformed Theology provides a multi-disciplinary reflection on the theme of the covenant, from historical, biblical-theological and systematic-theological perspectives, aiming at the interaction between exegesis and dogmatics.

This volume deals with the Federal theology of Johannes Cocceius, who lived in the seventeenth century (1603-1669). German by birth, he taught at Bremen, Franeker and Leiden, where he was Professor of Theology (1650-1669). As foremost biblical interpreter he sought to formulate a Covenant theory which described all of human history by introducing the structure of consecutive covenants or foedera. The book poses a surprising alternative to the readings of earlier scholarship on Cocceius by its careful presentation of the pneumatological components of the doctrine of covenants. Cocceius' Federal theology was of considerable importance in the theological and political history of Europe and the United States and formes the framework for much of the Reformed theology in the past three centuries.

"This book fills a void in the literature on covenant theology in the sixteenth century by exploring the exegetical debates and technical terminology underlying the crucial dogmatic developments of the period. It also provides important new insight into the thought of Johannes Cocceius by exploring his exegetical writings and grounding them in earlier federal thought." "Brian J. Lee's study focuses particularly on Johannes Cocceius' 1659 Hebrews commentary in its polemical context. It reveals the importance of testamentary relations in Cocceius' thought and demonstrates both the variety and the significant continuities within the Reformed federal tradition." --Book Jacket.

This book is a provocative study of an aspect of Reformed Theology that has not been treated before: a new interpretation of the Federal Theology of Johannes Cocceius. It traces the pneumatological profile of Cocceian theology. In this way it makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of seventeenth-century developments in theology and philosophy.