The Eschatology of the Old Testament

by Geerhardus Vos, James T. Dennison Jr. (Editor)

In this previously unpublished material, a pioneer in Reformed biblical theology examines the hopes, expectations, and understanding of Old Testament saints regarding the future. Compiled from several manuscripts relating to Geerhardus Vos's course on Old Testament eschatology, this volume weaves together the most complete text of his study on the subject. Vos addresses a wide range of questions surrounding both individual and collective eschatology from key passages throughout the Old Testament. Whether he is discussing the intermediate state or the meaning of Sheol, Messianic expectations or the Day of the Lord, Vos's supernaturalism contrasts with the hopelessness of naturalistic views.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

186 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Geerhardus Johannes Vos was an American Calvinist theologian and one of the most distinguished representatives of the Princeton Theology. He is sometimes called the father of Reformed Biblical Theology.

Vos was born to a Dutch Reformed pastor in Heerenveen in Friesland in the Netherlands. In 1881, when Geerhardus was 19 years old, his father accepted a call to be the pastor of the Christian Reformed Church congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Geerhardus Vos began his education at the Christian Reformed Church's Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, before moving to Princeton Theological Seminary. He completed his studies in Germany, receiving his doctorate in Arabic Studies from the Philosophy Faculty of Strassburg University in 1888.

Herman Bavinck and Abraham Kuyper tried to convince Vos to become professor of Old Testament Theology at the Free University in Amsterdam, but Vos chose to return to America. Thus, in the Fall of 1888, Vos took up a position on the Calvin Theological Seminary faculty. In 1892, Vos moved and joined the faculty of the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he became its first Professor of Biblical Theology.

In 1894 he was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in the USA.

At Princeton, he taught alongside J. Gresham Machen and Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield and authored his most famous works, including: Pauline Eschatology (1930) and Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments (1948). Despite his opposition to the growing modernist influence at Princeton in the late 1920s, he decided to remain at Princeton Seminary after the formation of Westminster Theological Seminary by Machen, as he was close to retirement. Vos did indeed retire to California in 1932, three years after the formation of Westminster.

Vos's wife, Catherine, authored the well-known Child's Story Bible. She died in 1937, after 43 years of marriage. They had three sons and one daughter, and their son J. G. Vos studied at Princeton Theological Seminary and also became a minister.

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since these were cobbled together from previously unpublished materials, there is a rough feel to the book. But due to Vos's careful dealing with the text, there are many gems here. Definitely worth reading.

[Tim Woody · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that I wouldn't recommend to anyone but would love to recommend to everyone! Since it was based off of lectures it can be a bit thick to read, but within the words are some really good reflections. I especially like what he mentioned about individual and corporate distinctions in the Old Testament prophecy schema. But due to its thick reading, sometimes incomplete thoughts and presupposed knowledge it makes the book a bit inaccessible at times.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book discussing the 70 weeks in Daniel 9 or other end times passages, rather the first section deals with hermeneutics, providing some useful discussion of both the OT use of the OT, and NT use of the OT, the remainder of the book examines messianic prophecies, tracing their development such as the Shiloh prophecy of Genesis 49:10. A good combination of hermeneutics and messianic theology via biblical theology in the OT.

[Simon Wartanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps because this book was a collection of notes for a study on OT eschatology that Vos gave, that it is often a difficult read. There is a lot of interaction with the "critical school", which was just too much for me. There were a lot of helpful things, but overaly, the book is not an easy read.

[Eric Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A series of essays (originally lectures?) on Old Testament eschatology from Vos, famously known as "the father of Reformed biblical theology." Eschatology in the "biblical theology" sense, contra the "systematic theology" sense refers not directly to the dogmatic positions between premillennialism, amillennialism, postmillennialism, or other competing positions. Rather, it refers to the "future orienting" elements of the Old Testament, though the above-mentioned views are implicitly related. Therefore, the texts that are considered OT eschatology are texts most directly related to the narrative and prophetic texts concerning the Davidic Messiah and God's kingdom, as well as other elements such as theophanies, universal judgement, and salvation. With acute exegetical skills and theological reasoning, Vos masterfully presents the eschatological-messianic message from creation (eschatology as a pre-redemptive, prelapsarian goal), in the first redemptive revelation (the seed of the woman and the serpent), the Deluge (the Noahic covenant), in the various theophanies towards the Patriarchs, in the Shiloh prophecy, the Sinai Theophany, the Balaam Oracles, the Mosiac Theocracy, the Davidic Covenant and the Psalter. Through all these lectures Vos demonstrates that even in the OT God is working towards a final consummation of redemption through His Davidic Messiah, at the same time in unabashed conversations with the liberal-higher criticism schools that were prevalent during Vos' time (Wellhausen, Gressmann, Gunkel), showing the necessity of God's progressive revelation in the revealing of His redemptive plan, especially amidst the pagan culture and eschatologies that surrounded God's people in the early redemptive stages. Vos is hard to read, as usual, the editor even threw in appendixes containing 10 extracts of other Vos' writing that relates to eschatology motif on other OT passages, but it was hard to read them because these are, well, extracts taken from their context. But this book is a rewarding and rich landmine of exegetical reflection and theological reasoning demonstrating why the eschatological-messianic texts are important hermeneutical key to reading the OT.

[Ethan Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of notes on Old Testament Eschatology from the great reformed biblical theologian Geerhardus Vos. This is an extremely helpful introduction to understanding how eschatology is not merely something that is found in Daniel or Revelation but rather permeates the storyline and structure of redemptive history. Particularly helpful are Vos's chapters considering the eschatological aspects of Eden, the flood, the Sinai theophany, and the Psalms, portions of Scripture not normally recognized as eschatological. The downside to this text is that it is merely a compilation of notes and outlines not a full-fledged study. Many of the chapters are very short, and the book itself could have covered many more topics. This could be a good incentive for the writing of an updated and more comprehensive account of the eschatology of the OT from a redemptive-historical perspective, building on the foundation laid by Vos.

[A.J. Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly and thought provoking. This is an edited compilation of Vos' notes on the subject. I suggest reading Vos' "Biblical Theology" before reading this.

[Doug Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

Profound. Difficult.