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Scriptural Reflections on History
K. J. Popma, a teacher of classical languages and a special professor of Reformed philosophy at the universities of Groningen and Utrecht, wrote his book during the trying times of the Second World War. The work outlines a philosophy of history rooted in Scripture and takes the account provided by Scripture seriously, without eliminating its historical character, either by spiritualizing its message or by undercutting it through an appeal to science. It takes its cues from the Scriptural creation and fall, the tower of Babel, Abraham and Israel, Daniel's Four Empires, and the principal division in world history, the coming of Christ. Popma's fresh and challenging approach to history utilizes the perspective of the Calvinistic philosophy associated with Herman Dooyeweerd, but it does so in Popma's unique and idiosyncratic way, and in a style that belies the learning that underlies it. Nor does one need to have any special acquaintance with the specifics of Dooyeweerd's philosophy to profit from it. At the same time, the relation between history and theology is especially important - "the researcher who never took a peek in the workshop of theology will always be a bungler" (p. 85). History is a unity, and a continuity--of the sacred and the secular, of the course of salvation history and secular history, of the here and the hereafter. Nor does it end at the resurrection from the dead. "Our earthly task continues, first in our task in heaven, presently in our task on the new earth. Thus, it is not true that our earthly task comes to an end. For heaven and earth belong together and our task never ends" (p. 116). So then, history is not something disconnected from eternity, but continues into eternity. There is a unity between heaven and earth, between culture here and now, and life in the renewed creation hereafter. The aim of this book is to point to the splendour of the structure that God has built, to history in its unity and course. He who learns to see something of that splendour will foster a burning interest for what has happened and is still happening and will happen. He will be afraid of nothing so much as the danger of shutting oneself up in a spiritual prison that makes it impossible to see the real history, even if such a prison displays the finest inscriptions over its entrance and is comfortably and even luxuriously furnished. Nor will he become discouraged when he discovers that history is full of injustice. For he knows that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied (p. 133).
154 pages, Hardcover
Published September 30, 2021
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May 2, 2021
INTRODUCTION
K. J. Popma (1903-1986), a Dutch professor of classical languages and Reformed philosophy, has written a book about history filled with profound insights and a few claims that should cause the reader to scratch his head. Only recently translated into English, Scriptural Reflections on History is his “attempt at setting forth a Calvinistic view of history.” This may sound rather dry at first. But once the reader is done trudging through this short but dense volume, he will find that the author’s aim to “point to the splendour of the structure that God has built, to history in its unity and course” has been admirably achieved.
STRUCTURE
The book can be divided roughly into three main sections. In the foundational first section, Popma devotes the first three chapters to arguing that there is only one history, which has two somewhat overlapping ages—the old age of the flesh before Christ’s resurrection and the new age of the Spirit after it. In the second section (chapter 5), which comes after a brief digression (chapter 4) into historical research, the author reflects on how the two great apostate historical forces got their respective start and how Satan has worked to consolidate the two. In the final section (chapter 6), Popma tackles the difficult relationship between time and eternity. He clears up a few common misunderstandings and argues that history, and man’s historical task, does not end—even in eternity.
REVIEW PROPER
The single greatest insight Popma offers in the book, in my view, is the plain fact that history is one. This is probably a point that is glossed over by many believers, or perhaps a truth that remains blurry in their mind. This may be because we are so used to thinking that there are two distinct peoples—Christ and his seeds, Satan and his seeds—that are at war against each other, eventually to be separated forever. This might then lead us to assume that somehow there must also be two distinct histories in progress. But Popma rightly points out from Scripture that there is but a single history in which the apostate also take a full part and from which they will simply be removed. This is a much-needed corrective, if we are to think clearly and consistently about the course of our history.
The author is a deep thinker and the book is not an easy read. It does get abstract or technical at times but even then, it is rarely dull and often intensely practical. Most notably, Popma explains in chapter 6 why and how our earthly task resides within the proper context of history. But the Father’s house, where we will live forever, is not just in heaven—as is often thought—but both heaven and earth. That, says Popma, “is why so much is at stake in our life here on earth.” Each chapter is filled with such observations that will give the attentive reader not a few “Aha!” moments, opening their eyes to see the whole history and filling his seemingly mundane task with significance not felt before.
The last part (pp. 122-131) of the book alone would be worth the price of the book. Here the author weaves in his previous discussions and corrects common misunderstandings about the relationships among the various distinctions in history. It is both a succinct summary of the book and a good word of warning against oversimplification and careless identification of two related but distinct realities. There is indeed complexity in our time and space that requires fine distinction, and Popma sheds some much-needed light, in a way that is less cryptic and more coherent than Klaas Schilder’s great work, Heaven, What is it?
There are, however, times when critical reading is especially required. Often Popma appears to look at the world exclusively through the lens of history, and this can be an ironic distortion of history. For example, in describing the apostate, Popma says, “People may try to break history, as everyone does who denies that history is a unity.” Now, this is a valid, helpful way of portraying the unbelievers. And I don’t believe that Popma means to say that the apostate mind’s primary mode of thinking goes like this: “I am going to try to break the unity of history today!” For no one (except perhaps deep-thinking historians like Popma) actually thinks this way. Popma is merely reflecting on and describing, from the viewpoint of history, an aspect of reality.
Therefore, the reader must not think that Popma’s way of describing the apostate fully captures the significance of their action. This is simply not how Scripture describes the sinner’s motivation. Without proper balance, Popma’s history-focused perspective may inadvertently weaken the force of biblical characterization of sin, namely that what they are doing is breaking the command of the sovereign Lord.
Popma is writing a book about history. So we cannot fault him for looking at the world in terms of history. But the reader does need to keep in mind that Popma’s historical explanation is a supplementary—not necessarily the main—lens through which to view reality. Otherwise our understanding of human events will be distorted.
Also, with his historical lens in place, Popma views man chiefly as a worker, an officer given a historical task to perform. This is most certainly biblical. But it does seem that Popma rarely talks of man’s personal relationship with God as his child. Popma does mention God as the Father, but usually as a task-giver; we work in the Father’s house. One wonders if historical, task-oriented framework can have no room for integrating the familial, intimate relationship that permeates the Bible.
In addition, Popma seems at times to draws too thick a line between the OT and the NT eras, painting too dark a picture of the former. For example, in exegeting Ecclesiastes 7:8, he suggests that we “extend the thought of the Preacher: the end is better than the beginning because in the new age (emphasis his) progression is always progress.” Popma implies that in the old age progression was not always progress, whereas in the new age “[e]very day the renewal of heaven and earth is making progress; every hour our age is more the age of the Spirit than the previous hour.” Quite radical is his contrast between the blessed NT age and the OT age, when all the Preacher could look forward to was the end of his unhappy OT era.
While I would never want to downplay the desperate yearnings of the OT sojourners for the promised Messiah or the epochal significance of his resurrection, Popma’s black-and-white contrast seems unjustified. First, the renewal of heaven and earth is primarily a future reality, not a current one. Jesus’s words in Revelation 21:5 (“Behold, I am making all things new”) are best understood to refer to the new heaven and earth mentioned in verse 1. So, Popma’s claim that “[e]very day the renewal of heaven and earth is making progress” in the NT era is questionable. Secondly, and more importantly, Popma downplays God’s intimate walking with his OT people. Even before Christ’s coming, God’s presence really was with his people and they had a vibrant relationship, walking together toward a goal throughout the OT times. This too, I believe, should be termed “progress.” Cornelis Trimp talked of a “danger that a schematism of historical progress and advancement would minimize what earlier was really quite significant, and maximize what later was really quite insignificant.” Without denying the epochal change brought on by Christ’s resurrection, we must be careful not to paint an unduly dark picture of the OT age.
There will be a few times not every reader will be convinced by Popma’s sometimes speculative statements. His passing comment that “[d]eath, which was meant to be the passage to eternal life, became a punishment” because of the Fall will leave the reader scratching his head. Popma’s claim that language diversification is a part of creation and that it happened slowly is a rather strained interpretation of Genesis 11:1-9.
But none of these blemishes should discourage a reader eager to deepen his understanding of Scripture. The translation reads well, and there are enough gems here for readers who cannot necessarily follow all the esoteric sayings. Even if the reader does not agree with (or understand) every assertion made by the author, he will walk away with a deeper understanding of human history and more earnest appreciation of the God who governs it.
K. J. Popma (1903-1986), a Dutch professor of classical languages and Reformed philosophy, has written a book about history filled with profound insights and a few claims that should cause the reader to scratch his head. Only recently translated into English, Scriptural Reflections on History is his “attempt at setting forth a Calvinistic view of history.” This may sound rather dry at first. But once the reader is done trudging through this short but dense volume, he will find that the author’s aim to “point to the splendour of the structure that God has built, to history in its unity and course” has been admirably achieved.
STRUCTURE
The book can be divided roughly into three main sections. In the foundational first section, Popma devotes the first three chapters to arguing that there is only one history, which has two somewhat overlapping ages—the old age of the flesh before Christ’s resurrection and the new age of the Spirit after it. In the second section (chapter 5), which comes after a brief digression (chapter 4) into historical research, the author reflects on how the two great apostate historical forces got their respective start and how Satan has worked to consolidate the two. In the final section (chapter 6), Popma tackles the difficult relationship between time and eternity. He clears up a few common misunderstandings and argues that history, and man’s historical task, does not end—even in eternity.
REVIEW PROPER
The single greatest insight Popma offers in the book, in my view, is the plain fact that history is one. This is probably a point that is glossed over by many believers, or perhaps a truth that remains blurry in their mind. This may be because we are so used to thinking that there are two distinct peoples—Christ and his seeds, Satan and his seeds—that are at war against each other, eventually to be separated forever. This might then lead us to assume that somehow there must also be two distinct histories in progress. But Popma rightly points out from Scripture that there is but a single history in which the apostate also take a full part and from which they will simply be removed. This is a much-needed corrective, if we are to think clearly and consistently about the course of our history.
The author is a deep thinker and the book is not an easy read. It does get abstract or technical at times but even then, it is rarely dull and often intensely practical. Most notably, Popma explains in chapter 6 why and how our earthly task resides within the proper context of history. But the Father’s house, where we will live forever, is not just in heaven—as is often thought—but both heaven and earth. That, says Popma, “is why so much is at stake in our life here on earth.” Each chapter is filled with such observations that will give the attentive reader not a few “Aha!” moments, opening their eyes to see the whole history and filling his seemingly mundane task with significance not felt before.
The last part (pp. 122-131) of the book alone would be worth the price of the book. Here the author weaves in his previous discussions and corrects common misunderstandings about the relationships among the various distinctions in history. It is both a succinct summary of the book and a good word of warning against oversimplification and careless identification of two related but distinct realities. There is indeed complexity in our time and space that requires fine distinction, and Popma sheds some much-needed light, in a way that is less cryptic and more coherent than Klaas Schilder’s great work, Heaven, What is it?
There are, however, times when critical reading is especially required. Often Popma appears to look at the world exclusively through the lens of history, and this can be an ironic distortion of history. For example, in describing the apostate, Popma says, “People may try to break history, as everyone does who denies that history is a unity.” Now, this is a valid, helpful way of portraying the unbelievers. And I don’t believe that Popma means to say that the apostate mind’s primary mode of thinking goes like this: “I am going to try to break the unity of history today!” For no one (except perhaps deep-thinking historians like Popma) actually thinks this way. Popma is merely reflecting on and describing, from the viewpoint of history, an aspect of reality.
Therefore, the reader must not think that Popma’s way of describing the apostate fully captures the significance of their action. This is simply not how Scripture describes the sinner’s motivation. Without proper balance, Popma’s history-focused perspective may inadvertently weaken the force of biblical characterization of sin, namely that what they are doing is breaking the command of the sovereign Lord.
Popma is writing a book about history. So we cannot fault him for looking at the world in terms of history. But the reader does need to keep in mind that Popma’s historical explanation is a supplementary—not necessarily the main—lens through which to view reality. Otherwise our understanding of human events will be distorted.
Also, with his historical lens in place, Popma views man chiefly as a worker, an officer given a historical task to perform. This is most certainly biblical. But it does seem that Popma rarely talks of man’s personal relationship with God as his child. Popma does mention God as the Father, but usually as a task-giver; we work in the Father’s house. One wonders if historical, task-oriented framework can have no room for integrating the familial, intimate relationship that permeates the Bible.
In addition, Popma seems at times to draws too thick a line between the OT and the NT eras, painting too dark a picture of the former. For example, in exegeting Ecclesiastes 7:8, he suggests that we “extend the thought of the Preacher: the end is better than the beginning because in the new age (emphasis his) progression is always progress.” Popma implies that in the old age progression was not always progress, whereas in the new age “[e]very day the renewal of heaven and earth is making progress; every hour our age is more the age of the Spirit than the previous hour.” Quite radical is his contrast between the blessed NT age and the OT age, when all the Preacher could look forward to was the end of his unhappy OT era.
While I would never want to downplay the desperate yearnings of the OT sojourners for the promised Messiah or the epochal significance of his resurrection, Popma’s black-and-white contrast seems unjustified. First, the renewal of heaven and earth is primarily a future reality, not a current one. Jesus’s words in Revelation 21:5 (“Behold, I am making all things new”) are best understood to refer to the new heaven and earth mentioned in verse 1. So, Popma’s claim that “[e]very day the renewal of heaven and earth is making progress” in the NT era is questionable. Secondly, and more importantly, Popma downplays God’s intimate walking with his OT people. Even before Christ’s coming, God’s presence really was with his people and they had a vibrant relationship, walking together toward a goal throughout the OT times. This too, I believe, should be termed “progress.” Cornelis Trimp talked of a “danger that a schematism of historical progress and advancement would minimize what earlier was really quite significant, and maximize what later was really quite insignificant.” Without denying the epochal change brought on by Christ’s resurrection, we must be careful not to paint an unduly dark picture of the OT age.
There will be a few times not every reader will be convinced by Popma’s sometimes speculative statements. His passing comment that “[d]eath, which was meant to be the passage to eternal life, became a punishment” because of the Fall will leave the reader scratching his head. Popma’s claim that language diversification is a part of creation and that it happened slowly is a rather strained interpretation of Genesis 11:1-9.
But none of these blemishes should discourage a reader eager to deepen his understanding of Scripture. The translation reads well, and there are enough gems here for readers who cannot necessarily follow all the esoteric sayings. Even if the reader does not agree with (or understand) every assertion made by the author, he will walk away with a deeper understanding of human history and more earnest appreciation of the God who governs it.
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