Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism: A Study of Theological Prolegomena

by Robert D. Preus

Analyzes the rise and decline of Lutheran orthodoxy.

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Robert David Preus was an American Lutheran pastor, professor, author, and seminary president.

Reviews

[Jacob Aitken]

Like Richard Muller in the Reformed tradition, Robert Preus shows how theological prolegomena orders the rest of one's theology. While as a Reformed Christian I will disagree with both some of his conclusions and method, I appreciate the rigor and candor in which he approaches his topic. Of first importance for the Lutheran scholastics was the purity of doctrine. Purity of the Doctrina Evangelii: doctrine serves the gospel.

The middle sections of the book are the most important, as there Preus treats us to the ordering principle of Archetypal and Ectypal theology. Prolegomena as Christology: scholastics such as Calov shows how one’s presuppositions about theological method determine one’s conclusions in Christology. The Lutheran position: All personal propositions made regarding the person of Christ can be predicated to either nature. Hence, the human nature of Christ has archetypal theology. Archetypal theology is important because it grounds our theology in God. There is an original, archetypal theology in Christ, and that according also to his Human nature, again because of the personal union (167).

The final section on Scripture reads as a summary of the age-old inerrancy debate, even if it is called by a different name. Throughout one can see the backdrop of the LCMS's war against liberalism.

[Seth Kasten]

5 stars because of the excellent material contained here. But really a 9/10, not 10/10. Preus falls short on issues like philosophy and apologetics and also entirely misses some major dogmatics texts it seems (such as Musculus). But nearly everything else in this volume is top notch scholarship and a phenomenal survey.