I'm writing a paper on Owen's view of the Atonement. I need some help in suggestions for sources.

I have so far:

Owen's Works Vol. 10 (Death of Death)
Packer's Introduction to that
Campbell's - Nature of the Atonement (Opposing Owen)



What else would you suggest?

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Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

I'm not sure, but in the first volume (on Christology) he may have something to say regarding the atonement.

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Casey Bessette
Westminster OPC • West Suburbs of Chicago • My Blog: Paradise Regained

"It is part of the calling of the ekklesia to learn to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge and also to make known within the world of science 'the manifold wisdom of God' in order that the final end of theology, as of all things, may be that the name of the Lord is glorified. Theology and dogmatics, too, exist for the Lord's sake." — Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 1, p. 46

A. A. Hodge, The Atonement, (1867) mentions Owens in several places. And, it's been a long time since I read John Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied, but if I remember correctly he may have had something to say about Owen's position.

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Sterling Harmon
Coventry, CT
PCA
Deacon
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"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk

Also vol. 2 of William Cunningham's Historical Theology, under the doctrine of the atonement.

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Yours sincerely,


"Illum oportet crescere me autem minui."

The second part of Vol 10 (p 420 ff), Of the Death of Christ, is Owen's response to Baxter's treatment of The Death of Death.

You might also look at Baxter's Adminaversions

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Fredrick T. Greco
Senior Pastor, Christ Church PCA (Katy, TX)
Christ Church Blog

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

Sounds like something Rich Leino would write, not Rich Baxter.

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Yours sincerely,


"Illum oportet crescere me autem minui."

Don't forget Rev. Bruce.

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Daniel Ritchie
Saintfield, Northern Ireland - Queen's University, Belfast:History/Politics
Member of Dromara Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (Covenanter)

If it is for a seminary paper, I would encourage you to scour the theological journals by people, such as Richard Muller, who understand the issues of continuity and discontinuity between Calvin and the Post-Reformation Reformers. Owen's view on the atonement is bound to be discussed in some of these.

I would get Carl Trueman's recent book, John Owen, only 137 pages. It's listed on Amazon...



DTK

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Sola Scriptura est norma normans non normata
David T. King, pastor
Christ Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Elkton, Maryland
Augustine (354-430): Therefore what He [i.e., Christ] has deigned to speak to us, we ought to believe that He meant us to understand. But if we do not understand He, being asked, gives understanding, who gave His Word unasked. NPNF1: Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate XXII, §1.

There are a number of references to and discussions of various facetts of Owen's theology in Systematic Theology by Agustus H. Strong and also, in A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith by Robert L. Reymond

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Sterling Harmon
Coventry, CT
PCA
Deacon
________________

"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk

Although this is purely an introductory book, I really liked .

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Dan Pemberton
Vacaville, CA

Member, First Baptist Church San Luis Obispo
Formerly ABUSA (We left, so I guess that makes us American Baptists Unleashed!)

Click here and don't forget Carl Trueman.

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Independent Reformed Baptist Church (NE England, nr. Durham)

You must look at Owen's A Dissertation on Divine Justice (volume 10) for a full-orbed understanding of his doctrine of the atonement. He changes his mind between Death of Death and Divine Justice on theological voluntarism (and comes out against Twisse and Rutherford, agreeing with Amyraut and the Salmurians!

Moreover, it's also critical to read Owen's excercitations on the priesthood of Christ and the Covenant of Redemption (volume 2 of his commentary on Hebrews). This contains Owen's mature thought.

Death of Death was written when Owen was a young man of 31. Remember: to faithfully understand Owen one must recognise when he wrote what he did. His thought evolves over time.

God bless bro.

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Marty

"There is nothing so necessary to draw us to repentance as good thoughts of God." (Thomas Manton)

Another reference piece that might be of help might be John Hurrion's lectures on Particular Redemption. I haven't read them myself, but I've read other stuff by Hurrion, and he freely quotes from Owen. I'd assume he'd keep up his habit on this piece (which, by the way, was the dearest doctrine in the Bible too him). He's an obscure guy, and not much known about him, but he was friends with John Gill (and I assume Toplady), but his work should be helpful, and easily understandable.

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Jacob
Sovereign Grace Ministries
Covenant Fellowship Church
West Chester, PA

"Grace renews nature; glory perfects grace." ~ John Owen
Blog - The Strasbourg Inn

Well if what you,.say is true Marty, then his thought became wrong after being 31.. Maturity does not always equal correctness of doctrine in certan instances..

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N. Robert; Trinity Reformed Church RCA, Holland MI

Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

Dear AG,

I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here. Are you saying that Owen is wrong in his move from voluntarism (God could've forgiven without the cross) to intellectualism (God could only forgive by the cross)? I think Owen is spot on here. What attracts you to voluntarism?

Blessings brother.

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Marty

"There is nothing so necessary to draw us to repentance as good thoughts of God." (Thomas Manton)

I thought you said he went from Particular redemption to hypothetical universalsim.

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N. Robert; Trinity Reformed Church RCA, Holland MI

Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

Although Owen would have rejected the consequence, his work on Justice does in fact make concessions to hypothetical universalism. If one allows that Christ's death was "absolutely necessary" so far as the "nature" of God was concerned, then Christ's death must have some benefit for all men, because the "nature" of justice in and of itself is satisfied. The "will" of God is then brought in as limiting the persons for whom the death of Christ is efficacious.

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Yours sincerely,


"Illum oportet crescere me autem minui."

Nope, not at all. He sided with Amyraut on the issue of God's justice (whether the atonement was necessary to forgive sins), but did not follow Amyraut on the issue of hypothetical universalism (or perhaps the double end atonement is a better designation).

However, having said that, Matthew's comments above do apply that Owen's changed view on God's justice does mean his theology begins to lean in a universalistic direction.

Blessings AG.

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Marty

"There is nothing so necessary to draw us to repentance as good thoughts of God." (Thomas Manton)