Ancient Roots for Reformed Polity: De Synagoga Vetere and the Ecclesiology of the Early Church – An Annotated Compendium

by Campegius Vitringa, H. David Schuringa (Editor), Joshua Bernard (Translator)

"The Jews of the Diaspora gradually acquired a worship service that . . . consisted wholly in preaching and prayer. It was these assemblies which in the Old Testament era laid the groundwork for the Christian church community to come." - Herman Bavinck Finally, an updated, user-friendly and annotated edition of one of church history’s most important works on the polity of the church. For some church members, the term, church polity, may induce a yawn. Sounds boring, right? Far from it! Everything a church does is determined by its polity, or church orderly way of doing things, based on God’s Word. Be it leadership, worship, faith-formation, outreach—all it takes for a church to be the church—how it is all spelled-out, guides the way. So, if you have an interest in God’s people doing things Christ’s way, here is a text not only rich in church history, back to ancient times, but also enriching for your perspective on the church in today’s world. Dr. Vitringa’s dissertation of over 1,100 pages has been condensed into this compendium masterpiece. You will discover what this all means and what this means for us. His extensive knowledge of the sources will surely amaze you as much as its continuing relevance may surprise you.

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2020