by Francis Pieper

Table of Contents

Volume I | Volume II | Volume III

Volume I

• Foreword to the First Volume of the English Edition (p. V)
• Author's Preface to Vol. I of the Original (German) Edition (p. IX)

Prolegomena: The Nature and Character of Theology

1. Our Position (p. 3)
2. Religion in General (p. 7)
3. The Number of Religions in the World (p. 9)
4. The Sources of the Two Existing Religions (p. 19)
5. The Cause of the Division Within Visible Christendom (p. 21)
6. Christianity the Absolute Religion (p. 34)
7. Christian Religion and Christian Theology (p. 40)
8. Christian Theology (p. 41)
9. Theology as Aptitude (p. 46)
10. Theology as Doctrine (p. 51)
11. Divisions of the Christian Doctrine (p. 76)
    1. Law and Gospel (p. 76)
    2. Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Doctrines (p. 80)
       • Primary and Secondary Fundamental Doctrines (p. 85)
       • Non-Fundamental Doctrines (p. 91)
    3. Open Questions and Theological Problems (p. 93)
12. The Church and Its Dogmas (p. 96)
13. The Purpose of Christian Theology for Man (p. 103)
14. The Means by Which Theology Accomplishes Its Purpose (p. 105)
15. Theology and Science (p. 106)
16. Theology and Certainty (p. 110)
17. Theology and Doctrinal Development (p. 129)
18. Theology and Doctrinal Liberty (p. 134)
19. Theology and System (p. 138)
20. Theology and Method (p. 149)
21. The Attainment of Theological Aptitude (p. 186)

Holy Scripture

1. Holy Scripture the Only Source and Norm of Christian Doctrine for the Church Today (p. 193)
2. Holy Scripture Identical with the Word of God (p. 213)
3. The Verbal Inspiration of Holy Scripture (p. 217)
4. The Relation of the Holy Ghost to the Holy Writers (p. 228)
5. Objections to the Doctrine of Inspiration (p. 232)
6. On the History of the Doctrine of Inspiration (p. 265)
7. Luther and the Inspiration of Holy Scripture (p. 276)
8. A Brief Critique of Modern Theology in So Far as It Denies the Inspiration of Scripture (p. 298)
9. The Consequences of the Denial of the Inspiration of Holy Scripture (p. 303)
10. The Properties of Holy Scripture (p. 307)
    1. Authority (p. 307)
    2. Efficacy (p. 315)
    3. Perfection, or Sufficiency (p. 317)
    4. Perspicuity (p. 319)
11. The Witness of History for Scripture (Homologoumena and Antilegomena) (p. 330)
12. The Integrity of the Biblical Text (p. 338)
13. The Original Text of Holy Scripture and the Translations (p. 343)
14. The Use of Scripture in Deciding Doctrinal Controversies (p. 349)
15. The Authority of Scripture and the Confessions (p. 354)
16. Holy Scripture and Exegesis (p. 359)

The Doctrine of God

1. The Natural Knowledge of God (p. 371)
2. The Christian Knowledge of God (p. 376)
3. The Trinitarian Controversies (p. 381)
4. Objections to the Unity of the Godhead (p. 387)
5. The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Old Testament (p. 393)
6. The Trinity and Human Reason (p. 398)
7. Ecclesiastical Terminology and the Christian Knowledge of God (p. 406)
8. God's Essence and Attributes (p. 427)
   1. The Relation of the Divine Essence to the Divine Attributes and of the Attributes to One Another (p. 428)
   2. Classifications of the Divine Attributes (p. 434)
      1. The Negative Attributes (p. 437)
      2. Positive Attributes (p. 447)

The Creation of the World and of Man

1. The Record of Creation (p. 467)
2. The Definition of Creation (p. 467)
3. The Hexaemeron (p. 468)
4. The Order Observed in Creation (p. 469)
5. The Work of the Six Days (p. 470)

Divine Providence, or the Preservation and Government of the World

1. Definition of Divine Providence (p. 483)
2. The Relation of Divine Providence to the Causae Secundae (p. 487)
3. Divine Providence and Sin (p. 489)
4. Does God Permit Men to Sin? (p. 490)
5. Divine Providence and Free Will (p. 491)

Angelology

1. The Existence of Angels and the Time of Their Creation (p. 498)
2. The Name "Angel" (p. 499)
3. The Nature and the Properties of the Angels (p. 500)
4. Number and Ranks of the Angels (p. 504)
5. Good and Evil Angels (p. 504)
6. The Good Angels and Their Activity (p. 506)
7. The Evil Angels, Their Activities, and Their Eternal Punishment (p. 508)

The Doctrine of Man

1. Man Before the Fall (p. 515)
   1. Man Created in the Image of God (p. 515)
   2. What Constituted the Image of God (p. 516)
   3. Image of God in the Wider and in the Proper Sense (p. 518)
   4. The Relation of the Divine Image to the Nature of Man (p. 520)
   5. Immediate Consequences of the Possession of the Divine Image (p. 521)
   6. The Purpose of the Divine Image (p. 523)
   7. Woman and the Divine Image (p. 523)
2. Man After the Fall (p. 526)
   1. On Sin in General (p. 528)
      1. Definition of Sin (p. 528)
      2. The Divine Law and Sin (p. 529)
      3. How the Divine Law is Made Known to Man (p. 531)
      4. The Cause of Sin (p. 533)
      5. The Consequence of Sin (p. 535)
   2. Original Sin (p. 538)
      1. Definition of Original Sin (p. 538)
      2. The Effect of Hereditary Corruption on the Mind and Will of Man (p. 543)
      3. The Negative and the Positive Side of Original Corruption (p. 547)
      4. The Subject of Hereditary Corruption (p. 550)
      5. The Effects of Original Corruption (p. 551)
   3. Actual Sin (p. 557)
      1. Definition of Actual Sin (p. 557)
      2. The Causes of Actual Sin (p. 559)
      3. The Scripture Doctrine of Offense (p. 561)
      4. The Scripture Doctrine of Temptation (p. 563)
      5. Classification of Actual Sins (p. 564)

Volume II
Volume Guide | Volume I | Volume III
The Saving Grace of God

1. The Necessity of Grace (p. 3)
2. The Concept of Saving Grace (p. 7)
3. Attributes of Saving Grace (p. 18)
4. The Theological Terminology Regarding the Divine Will of Grace (p. 34)

Concluding Remarks (p. 49)

The Doctrine of Christ
Importance and Division of the Doctrine (p. 55)

1. The Doctrine of the Person of Christ (p. 56)
   • Short Summary of the Doctrine (p. 57)
   1. The True Deity of Christ (p. 59)
   2. The True Humanity of Christ (p. 65)
      • Peculiarities of Christ's Human Nature (p. 71)
      • The Human Nature of Christ Came into Existence Through the Operation of the Holy Ghost (p. 71)
      • The Sinlessness of the Human Nature of Christ (p. 73)
      • The Impersonality of the Human Nature of Christ (p. 79)
   3. The Personal Union (p. 85)
      • The Personal Union and the Christological Theories of Modern Theology (p. 103)
   4. The Communion of Natures (p. 118)
      • The Reason for the Special Discussion of the Communion of Natures (p. 118)
      • Critique of the Denial of the Communion of Natures (p. 120)
      • The Communion of Natures More Completely Described (p. 123)
   5. The Communion of Attributes (p. 129)
      • The Three Genera of the Communication of Attributes (p. 132)
        • The First Genus of the Communication of Attributes (p. 135)
          • Critique of the Denial of the First Genus (p. 147)
          • Abstract Terms in the First Genus (p. 151)
        • The Second Genus of the Communication of Attributes (p. 152)
          • Communicated Omnipotence (p. 158)
          • Communicated Omniscience (p. 162)
          • Communicated Omnipresence (p. 166)
          • Communicated Divine Honor (p. 215)
          • In the Second Genus the Divine Attributes are Not Separated from the Divine Essence (p. 224)
          • The Abstract Terms of the Genus Maiestaticum (p. 227)
          • No Reciprocity of the Second Genus (p. 229)
          • All Divine Attributes are Communicated to the Human Nature (p. 236)
        • The Third Genus of the Communication of Attributes (p. 243)
          • The Importance of the Genus Apotelesmaticum (p. 252)
          • The Genus Apotelesmaticum and the Ancient Church (p. 258)
          • Lutherans and Reformed Use the Same Term of the Third Genus but in a Different Sense (p. 260)
          • Eutychianism and Nestorianism Repudiated in the Third Genus (p. 268)
   • Summary Critique of Reformed Christology (p. 271)


2. The Doctrine of the States of Christ (p. 280)
   1. The Nature of the Humilation and the Exaltation (p. 281)
      • False Views of the Humiliation of Christ (p. 292)
      • The Crypto-Kenotic Controversy, 1619-1627 (p. 296)
      • On the Terminology Used in Describing the Humiliation and Exaltation (p. 301)
   2. The Several Stages of Christ's Humiliation and Exaltation (p. 305)
      • Christ's Conception and Nativity (p. 306)
      • Christ's Education, Growth in Wisdom, and Visible Earthly Life (p. 309)
      • Christ's Suffering, Death, and Burial (p.310 )
      • Christ's Descent into Hell (p. 314)
      • The Forty Days Between Christ's Resurrection and Ascension (p. 323)
      • Christ's Ascension (p. 324)
      • Christ's Session at God's Right Hand (p. 329)
      • Christ's Second Advent (p. 330)


3. The Doctrine of Christ's Office
   • In General (p. 330)
   • The Threefold Office of Christ (p. 333)
     • The Prophetic Office of Christ
       • The Execution of the Prophetic Office in the State of Humiliation (p. 334)
       • The Execution of the Prophetic Office in the State of Exaltation (p. 339)
     • The Sacerdotal Office of Christ
       • The Sacerdotal Office of Christ in the State of Humiliation (p. 342)
         • The Vicarious Satisfaction (p. 344)
         • Objective and Subjective Reconciliation (p. 347)
         • Objections Raised Against the Vicarious Satisfaction (p. 351)
         • Some Modern Theories of the Atonement Examined (p. 361)
         • The Active Obedience of Christ (p. 372)
         • The Sacrifice of Christ and the Sacrifices of the Old Testament (p. 378)
         • To Whom and for Whom Christ Rendered Satisfaction (p. 379)
         • The Intercession of Christ (p. 382)
       • The Sacerdotal Office of Christ in the State of Exaltation (p. 382)
     • The Kingly Office of Christ
       • A Threefold Kingdom (p. 385)
       • The Unity of the Three Kingdoms (p. 386)
       • Differences of the Three Kingdoms (p. 387)
       • The Doctrine of the Kingly Office of Christ an Article of Faith (p. 389)
       • False Teachings Regarding the Kingly Office of Christ (p. 390)

The Application of Salvation

• Preliminary Survey (p. 397)
• Orderly Arrangement of the Doctrine Pertaining to the "Ordo Salutis" (p. 419)
  • Saving Faith (p. 422)
    1. The Sole Object of Saving Faith Is the Gospel (p. 423)
    2. Saving Faith is "Fiducia Cordis" (p. 426)
    3. Saving Faith is "Fides Specialis" (p. 431)
    4. Saving Faith is "Fides Actualis" (p. 432)
    5. The Function of Faith in Justification (p. 437)
    6. Saving Faith is "Fides Directa" (p. 443)
    7. Saving Faith Embraces the Assurance of Grace, Faith, and the Testimony of the Holy Ghost (p. 445)
    8. Saving Faith Is Trust in the Grace That is Offered to Us in the Gospel (p. 446)
    9. The Faith of Infants (p. 448)
    10. On the Meaning of the Term "Faith" (p. 449)
  • Conversion (p. 452)
    1. The Nature of Conversion (p. 454)
    2. The Efficient Cause of Conversion (p. 455)
    3. The Means Through Which God Effects Conversion (p. 459)
    4. The Inner Motions of Conversion (p. 459)
    5. Conversion is Instantaneous (p. 461)
    6. Man Can Prevent His Conversion (p. 464)
    7. Transitive and Instransitive Conversion (p. 466)
    8. Continued Conversion (p. 466)
    9. Re-Conversion (p. 467)
    10. Objections to Divine Monergism in Conversion (p. 471)
        • The Ostensible Reasons are Devoid of Logic (p. 471)
        • Synergism on the Defensive (p. 480)
        • The True Reason for Opposing Divine Monergism in Conversion (p. 483)
        • The Pernicious Character of Synergism (p. 492)
    11. Synonyms of Conversion (p. 498)
  • Justification by Faith (p. 503)
    1. Justification by Faith, Without the Deeds of the Law (p. 503)
    2. The Strong Language Used in Scripture against the Workmongers (p. 506)
    3. The Postulates of Justification by Faith, Without Works (p. 508)
    4. Justification the Central Doctrine of the Christian Religion (p. 512)
    5. All Christians Believe in Justification by Faith (p. 516)
    6. The Disastrous Results of the Denial of Justification by Faith (p. 518)
    7. The Terminology Employed in Presenting this Doctrine (p. 522)
    8. Justification on the Basis of Works (p. 541)
    9. The Doctrine of Justification and the Distinction Between the Law and the Gospel (p. 545)
    10. The Assurance of Justification (p. 548)
    11. The Papacy and the Doctrine of Justification (p. 552)
    12. Modern Protestant Theology and the Doctrine of Justification (p. 555)

Volume III
Volume Guide | Volume I | Volume II
The Christian Life, or Sanctification and Good Works

1. Sanctification Defined (p. 3)
2. The Essential Difference Between Sanctification (in the Narrow Sense) and Justification (p. 6)
3. The Relation of Justification to Sanctification (p. 7)
4. Who Effects Sanctification? (p. 14)
5. The Inner Motions (Motus Interni) of Sanctification (p. 15)
6. The Means by Which Sanctification is Effected (p. 18)
7. The Necessity of Sanctification and Good Works (p. 20)
8. The Imperfection of Sanctification (p. 30)
9. The Quality and the Quantity of Good Works (p. 37)
   • The Norm of Good Works (p. 37)
   • Good Works Flow from a Willing Spirit (p. 42)
   • The Good Works of the Heathen (p. 43)
   • The Quality of the Good Works of the Christian (p. 46)
   • The Quantity of Good Works (p. 47)
10. The Reward of Good Works (p. 52)
11. The Great Value of Good Works (p. 59)
12. The Papacy and Good Works (p.61 )
13. Modern Protestant Theology and Good Works (p. 67)
14. The Christian Life and the Cross (p. 68)
15. The Christian Life and Prayer (p. 76)
16. The Christian Life and the Hope of Eternal Life (p. 84)

Final Perseverance

1. The Calvinistic Doctrine of Perseverance (p. 89)
2. The Synergistic Doctrine of Perseverance (p. 91)

The Means of Grace

1. The Means of Grace in General (p. 104)
2. All Means of Grace Have the Same Purpose and the Same Effect (p. 108)
3. The Number of Sacraments (p. 115)
4. False Teachings on the Means of Grace (p. 116)
   • Romanism on the Means of Grace (p. 117)
   • Calvinism on the Means of Grace (p. 118)
   • The Synergists on the Means of Grace (p. 122)
   • Means of Grace According to the Deniers of the Vicarious Satisfaction (p. 125)
   • The Means of Grace According to the Enthusiasts (p. 127)
   • Denial of the Means of Grace in the Personal Life of Christians (p. 131)
5. The Importance of the Christian Doctrine of the Means of Grace (p. 132)
6. Comprehensive Characterization of the Reformed Teaching of the Means of Grace (p. 142)
7. The Relation of Luther's Doctrine of the Means of Grace to the Medieval and Reformed Teaching (p. 183)
8. The Means of Grace in the Form of Absolution (p. 189)
9. Addenda on the Means of Grace (p. 203)
10. The Means of Grace in the Old Testament (p. 211)
11. The Means of Grace and Prayer (p. 215)

Law and Gospel

1. The Terms Law and Gospel (p. 222)
2. What Law and Gospel Have in Common (p. 224)
3. Law and Gospel as Opposites (p. 228)
4. How Law and Gospel Are to Be Joined in Practice (p. 236)
5. The Difficulty of Properly Distinguishing Between Law and Gospel (p. 241)
6. The Importance of Proper Discrimination (p. 243)
7. The Chief Confounders of Law and Gospel (p. 247)

Holy Baptism

1. Baptism a Divine Ordinance (p. 253)
2. The Material of Baptism (p. 256)
3. What Makes Baptism a Sacrament (Forma Baptismi) (p. 257)
4. Baptism a True Means of Grace (Baptismal Grace) (p. 263)
5. The Use of Baptism (p. 275)
6. Who Is to Be Baptized (p. 277)
7. The Administrants of Baptism (p. 279)
8. The Necessity of Baptism (p. 280)
9. Baptismal Customs (p. 282)
10. The Baptism of John the Baptist (p. 288)

The Lord's Supper

1. The Divine Institution of the Lord's Supper (p. 290)
2. The Relation of the Lord's Supper to the Other Means of Grace (p. 293)
3. The Scripture Doctrine of the Lord's Supper (p. 294)
4. A Survey of the Relation of the Various Doctrine of the Lord's Supper to the Words of Institution (p. 337)
5. The Variation in the Wording of the Four Records (p. 349)
6. The Elements in the Lord's Supper (p. 353)
7. What Constitutes the Lord's Supper (Forma coenae sacrae) (p. 365)
8. The Purpose of the Lord's Supper (Finis cuius coenae sacrae) (p. 373)
9. Who Is to Be Admitted to the Lord's Supper (Finis cui coenae sacrae) (p. 381)
10. The Necessity of the Lord's Supper (p. 391)

The Christian Church

1. The Church Universal (De ecclesia universali)
   1. Its Nature (p. 397)
   2. False Doctrines Concerning the Church (p. 402)
   3. The Attributes of the Christian Church (p.408 )
   4. The Dignity and Glory of the Church (p. 412)
   5. How the Church is Founded and Preserved (p. 415)
2. Local Churches (De ecclesiis particularibus)
   1. Nature of the Local Church or Congregation (p. 419)
   2. The Local Church a Divine Institution (p. 420)
   3. Orthodox and Heterodox Churches (p. 422)
   4. Children of God in Heterodox Churches (p. 423)
   5. Church Fellowship with Heterodox Churches (Unionism) Is Prohibited by God (p. 425)
   6. Schism (Separatism) (p. 427)
   7. The Representative Church. Church Government (Ecclesia repraesentativa) (p. 427)

The Public Ministry

1. Nature of the Public Ministry (p. 439)
2. The Relation of the Public Ministry to the Spiritual Priesthood of All Christians (p. 440)
3. The Public Ministry Not a Human, but a Divine Institution (p. 443)
4. The Necessity of the Public Ministry (p. 449)
5. The Call into the Public Ministry (p. 450)
6. The Rite of Ordination (p. 454)
7. The Ministry No Special Spiritual Order Superior to That of the Christian's (p. 456)
8. The Authority (Potestas) of the Public Ministry (p. 459)
9. The Equality of the Servants of the Church (p. 460)
10. The Ministry the Highest Office in the Church (p. 461)
11. The Antichrist (p. 462)

Eternal Election

1. The Nature of Election (p. 473)
2. Election in Its Proper Setting (p. 475)
3. The Elect (p. 478)
4. Being Sure of One's Election (p. 481)
5. The Relation of Faith to the Election of Grace (p. 485)
6. Purpose of the Doctrine of Election (p. 490)
7. No Election of Wrath or Predestination to Damnation (p. 494)
8. The Cause of Error in the Doctrine of Election (p. 501)

Eschatology, or the Last Things

1. Temporal Death (De morte temporali) (p. 507)
2. The State of Souls Between Death and Resurrection (p. 511)
3. The Second Advent of Christ (p. 515)
4. The Resurrection of the Dead (De resurrectione mortuorum) (p. 534)
5. The Final Judgment (De iudicio extremo) (p. 539)
6. The End of the World (De consummatione mundi) (p. 542)
7. Eternal Damnation (De damnatione aeterna) (p. 544)
8. Eternal Life (De beatitudine aeterna) (p. 550)

Volume Guide | Volume I | Volume II | Volume III