Reformed Dogmatics (Single Volume Edition): A System of Christian Theology

Gift for a friend.

It feels a bit sacrilege to give this book 3 stars. Let me say upfront though: the review has nothing to do with the content. Vos is worthy of 5 stars, without question. I'll leave review of the magnificent content of Vos' Reformed Dogmatics to others.What I do want to comment on is the production of the Single Volume Edition. When I pulled this out of the box, I was surprised to see that it was a relatively small book - 6.25" x 9.25" x 1.5", with the thickness especially coming as a surprise. The Single Volume Edition does in fact contain all the content of the 5-volume set, but crams it into a book that's less than 1.5" thick. The way Lexham Press did this was to rely on VERY thin paper, comparable to most Bible paper. The opacity of the paper seems especially low, which leads to show-through not just from the next page, but the page after that. Coupled with the print impression and lack of line-matching, this leads to a very distracting reading experience. It also means I won't be able to make notes or markings on the pages, which I was hoping to do.One other minor gripe with the production - there's no comprehensive table of contents in this edition. Instead, there's an upfront TOC that provides page numbers for each of the 5 volumes (plus the indices), then each respective volume has its own table of contents at the front of the volume. So, if you want to read Vos' chapter on justification, you'd first need to use the general TOC to find Volume 4 - Soteriology; from the beginning of Volume 4, you could then find the chapter on justification. This is a small issue, but also one that seemingly could have been fixed relatively easily.Couple of positives with respect to the production: 1) the cover (both the jacket and the teal hardcover) are very nice; and 2) there's a very helpful index in the back of the book that lists all of Vos' questions. In many ways, this proves more useful than the table of contents.I do not mean to be over-critical of the book's production. I'd certainly prefer to have this volume rather than no single volume at all! Kudos to Lexham for producing a single volume of this magisterial work. But I do wish to point out some of the flaws I found in hopes of enlightening some who might be expecting something a little different.

In 2013, Lexham Press marvelously translated into English and published Geerhardus Vos’ Reformed Dogmatics (RD) in 5 volumes. Until then, Vos’ RD was only available in Dutch. Now those 5 volumes are available in a single-volume edition! Lexham Press, in 2020, has published Reformed Dogmatics: A System of Christian Theology (Single-Volume Edition). The translator and editor of this work is Richard B. Gaffin Jr.I want to approach this review from two aspects: (1) The content itself, and (2) The physical book itself along with a comparison of this with the 5 volume series.First, the content. I am an avid reader of Reformed Theology, particularly Reformed Systematic Theology. I have been greatly impacted by the writings of Calvin, Bavinck, Turretin, a Brakel, Berkhof, van Mastricht, and more. It may even surprise some to know that Vos fits in with this group of theologians considering he is most often remembered as a biblical theologian, not a systematic theologian. This volume consists of Vos’ teaching from early on in his career, which makes it all the more staggering when you consider that this work represents his early theological thought.This book brings the following five volumes into a single edition: (1) Theology Proper; (2) Anthropology; (3) Christology; (4) Soteriology; and (5) Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. I have always enjoyed the catechetical (question and answer) style of theology. Others have utilized this approach (most notably Turretin), and I have personally enjoyed reading and learning from that format (I’m a Presbyterian, what do you expect). I find Vos to be incredibly readable and understandable (a huge shout out to the translator, Dr. Gaffin, for his part in this). I think that most people could pick up Vos and understand the deep things of theology that he is communicating in his writing. Now, to be sure, he at times engages with the original languages of God’s Word (Hebrew and Greek) which may be a little intimidating to some readers. For pastors and theologians, this aspect will be quite enjoyable. I also want to mention that Vos is very concise. For instance, question 30 in chapter five asks this: “Are the two concepts of election and predestination always so sharply differentiated? No, sometimes the former can be used for the latter; for example, in James 2:5, ‘Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?’” Do you see how concise that answer is? Yet it is biblical, sensible, and theologically rigorous. Now, I’m not saying that Vos is always concise, but he often is. And where he speaks more at length, the reader is sure to find it to be a treat.Second, the book itself. This single edition is also a hardcover. However, this hardcover is absolutely stunning! Unlike the plain black hardcover of the 5-volume series, this single edition is a beautiful green color with gold lettering on both the front and the spine. This is the first time I have ever wanted to take off the dust-jacket to enjoy the hardcover! Don’t get me wrong though, I do love the dust-jacket. The same green color is also used on the dust-jacket for some lettering and on the bottom of the book where “Single-Volume Edition” is printed.Ok, so here is my one, and my one and only, criticism of this book: The paper is simply way too thin! It is nothing at all like the thick, off-white paper in the 5 volume series. This paper is much more like your typical Bible paper (I’m not sure of the GSM, but it’s super thin). If you write any notes or underline or highlight, no matter what type of writing utensil you use, you can count on it bleeding through. I really wish they would have chosen a thicker paper than this. Now, to be fair, Lexham did shove nearly 1300 pages into one single volume, so I completely understand the impossibility of using the same nice paper from the 5 Volume set in this single edition. This is a very small book, however, considering the fact that it’s 1300 pages. I would like to have seen Lexham use thicker paper, making the single volume much thicker than it actually is. If I were carrying this around everywhere, then perhaps I would be in love with the thinner paper for the sake of the smaller size of the book. But, this book stays on my desk, and it could definitely afford to be fatter!Ok, now that this is out of my system, I want to resume praising this volume. Even with the thinner paper, I really like the single edition. I plan on reading through Vos’ RD in their entirety in 2021, and I will most likely be using this single edition. I find it convenient to have his entire RD in one place. The only thing that could possibly change that is if the notetaking and underlining drives me crazy.If you are a Christian (especially of the Reformed variety), you absolutely must read Vos! You will grow in your understanding of God’s Word and the teaching of theology. And when you grow in those things, you will likewise grow in your affection for the Lord and your desire to worship Him in all of life. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Tolle lege, take up and read!Disclaimer: My thanks to Lexham Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.

No need to write about Geerhardus Vos, but what I WILL say about this all-in-one volume is that it's worth every penny at £29. Pages are thin but not too thin. There is some bleed but not to distract. An all-round quality production that will not disappoint.