Journal: Puritan Reformed Journal
Volume: PRJ 05:1 (Jan 2013)
Article: From The Editors
Author: Anonymous

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PRJ 5:1 (January 2013) p. 1

From The Editors

In the history of the covenant people of God, the Psalms have had a special place: they have shaped the worship of God’s people and informed their theology, they have been a Spirit-inspired vehicle for prayer, and they have been a Christ-centered witness of prophecy. In the first article in this issue’s section on Biblical Studies, Michael Barrett, our new Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament, deftly explores one vein of the Psalter’s riches in his study of Psalm 139 as theology in practice. By contrast in terms of methodology, Matthew Haste’s study of the marriage metaphor in the Scriptures ranges over the entire revelation of God’s Word and reveals how central this metaphor is as a description of God’s relationship to His people. In a world that is increasingly confused about what marriage is and is not, this study is a vital read. The final article dealing directly with the Bible is also a synthetic piece: Charles Barrett examines the way the motif of light in Isaiah is employed in Luke-Acts, and reminds us about the necessity of our knowing the Old Testament, for it provides the context in which to understand the New Testament.

This issue’s section on historical and systematic theology contains two new studies of the Puritan leaders John Flavel (by Peter Beck) and Jeremiah Burroughs (by James Davison, who did his doctoral thesis on Burroughs), valuable contributions to our ongoing understanding of Puritan theology and piety. Although Godefridus Cornelis Udemans (c. 1581-1649) was one of the most influential Dutch Further Reformation divines of his generation, he is virtually unknown by the English-speaking Reformed world today. The study of this divine and the influence of his writings by Joel Beeke is therefore most welcome, especially since he considers that Udemans did in many ways for the Dutch churches what William Perkins did for the Puritans. English-speaking Reformed believers have also frequently overlooked the impact of Calvinism in Eastern Europe. Dariusz M. Brycko brings light to bear on Polish Reformed thinkers as he explores their commitment to predestination and seeks to dispel some misunderstandings by Polish authors about the theological heritage of

PRJ 5:1 (January 2013) p. 2

evangelical religion in their country. The final article in this section is an in-depth study of the concept of covenant in Scottish life and theology from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries by Breno Macedo.

The next piece by Brian Najapfour is really a review article that looks at five key books in the plethora of material on Christian spirituality. These five works span nearly twenty-five years and are some of the more helpful studies in the history of Chris...

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