It is not uncommon to read general descriptions of seventeenth-century Lutheranism that seek to draw a sharp contrast between the warm and liberating devotion of the Pietists (for example, Johann Arndt and Philip Spener) and the rigid and lifeless orthodoxy of the dogmaticians (for example, Johann Gerhard and Johannes Andreas Quenstedt). The Pietists, we are told, emphasised emotion, the experience of conversion and personal sanctification; the dogmaticians were concerned only with the believer's intellectual assent to pure teaching or doctrine. Needless to say, most of this is a caricature. Although many of the writings by the seventeenth-century Pietists have been translated into English and are widely available, the same cannot be said for the dogmaticians. It is, therefore, a delight that Concordia Publishing House has committed itself to publishing Johann Gerhard's sixteen-volume dogmatic theology, the Theological commonplaces or Loci theologici. The wider dissemination of Gerhard's dogmatic works will provide a welcome challenge to the typical categories used to identify the various seventeenth-century figures.

Johann Gerhard (1582–1637), whose boyhood pastor was Johann Arndt, is widely known for his devotional writings, particularly his Sacred meditations (1606) and Schola pietatis (1622–3). At the same time, Gerhard is the most significant dogmatician of the age of Lutheran Orthodoxy. His Theological commonplaces (1610–22) was the most systematic and comprehensive exposition of Lutheran theology in his day and clearly established him as the authoritative voice of seventeenth-century Lutheranism. This blending together of both doctrinal and practical concerns constitutes, in the words of Ernst Troeltsch, the ‘uniqueness of Gerhard’ (Vernunft und Offenbarung bei Johann Gerhard und Melanchthon, p. 206), and shows plainly how difficult it is to locate him in any strictly defined theological camp.

The first volume of the Theological commonplaces begins with a brief introduction to the task of theology and proceeds with twenty-seven chapters on the nature of Scripture. In chapters i–iv, Gerhard explores the relationship between the ‘Word of God’ and Scripture, the role of tradition in preserving Scripture, and the ultimate author and authority of Scripture. In chapters v–xi, he offers a lengthy discussion of the canonical and apocryphal books in both the Old and New Testaments, providing a brief summary of the major themes and theological importance of every book in the Bible, including the apocryphal works that he rejects.

In chapters xii–xvi, Gerhard addresses the state of the biblical text and whether malice or carelessness has in some way compromised its integrity, and therefore authority. He produces a number of examples of apparent corruptions to both the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament and proceeds to explain how to understand them correctly and piously. Among the many details discussed in this section, Gerhard offers a creative exegesis of Matthew v.18 to demonstrate the inspiration of the Hebrew vowel points.

In chapters xvii–xxii, Gerhard emphasises the clarity and perfection of Scripture in order to underline its authority as the only rule and norm in establishing articles of faith and settling controversies in the Church. Again he marshals a number of disputed texts, particularly those of polemical value for the Roman Catholics in establishing papal authority, and explains how they are to be understood in an evangelical manner.

Finally, in chapters xxiii–xxvii, Gerhard demonstrates that all people are, strictly speaking, the object of Scripture, and therefore it is necessary and prudent to render the Scriptures in the vernacular in order to facilitate its reading by the laity. Gerhard offers a detailed history, as he understands it, of the major translations of the Old and New Testament in such languages as Chaldaic, Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Latin and German. In this section, Gerhard devotes considerable attention to the Vulgate and Luther's German translation, noting the many problematic and disputed passages between the Lutherans and Roman Catholics in these versions. The first volume ends with a brief reflection on the interpretation of Scripture and a short comment on how the volume should be used in theological study.

The thoroughness and detail of Gerhard's discussion in this first volume is impressive. Moreover, Gerhard assembles a remarkable diversity of sources throughout and approaches them in both a constructive and critical manner. He demonstrates considerable knowledge of Jewish, Roman Catholic and Reformed scholars and makes felicitous use of them when they are found to support his theological commitments. He also continues the tradition, well-established in Lutheran circles, of showing the continuity of evangelical theology, particularly its commitment to the authority of Scripture, with the early Church Fathers.

There are a few editorial shortcomings in the volume itself. First, the reader is given no assistance in identifying the many sources used by Gerhard. The only citation offered is a Latin abbreviation of the work followed by book and chapter number; which is to say nothing more than what is provided by Gerhard in the original manuscript. Although the scholar may fare better at tracking down these sources, pastors and students will likely be at a loss. Second, the volume has no index. Although the publisher presumably plans to include an index volume after the entire sixteen-volume work has been published, a brief Scripture or subject index at the end of the volume would have been tremendously valuable. Finally, the publisher could have greatly assisted the reader by providing a detailed table of contents. These shortcomings seriously restrict the usability of the volume.

Despite these problems, the translation of Johann Gerhard's Theological commonplaces is a remarkable achievement and welcome addition to any library. Students and scholars interested in the history of Christian thought, particularly its seventeenth-century expression, will want to purchase this volume and invest in the whole series.