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{{Short description|Dutch-American Calvinist theologian}}{{Infobox academic
'''Geerhardus Vos''' ([[March 14]], [[1862]] – [[August 13]], [[1949]]) was an [[American]], [[Reformed]] [[theologian]] and one of the most distinguished representatives of the [[Princeton theologians|Princeton Theology]]. He is sometimes called the father of Reformed [[Biblical Theology]].
| honorific_prefix = <!-- see [[MOS:CREDENTIAL]] and [[MOS:HONORIFIC]] -->
| name = Geerhardus Vos
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Geerhardus Johannes Vos (1862–1949).jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name = Geerhardus Johannes Vos
| birth_date = {{birth date|1862|03|14}}
| birth_place = [[Heerenveen]], [[Friesland]], [[Netherlands]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1949|08|13|1862|03|14}}
| death_place = [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_cause =
| region =
| nationality =
| citizenship =
| residence =
| other_names =
| occupation =
| period =
| known_for = [[Biblical theology]], [[Calvinist]] [[theologian]]
| home_town =
| title = Professor of [[Biblical theology|Biblical Theology]] at [[Princeton]]
| boards = <!--board or similar positions extraneous to main occupation-->
| spouse = Catherine Smith
| children = Johannes, Bernardus, Geerhardus Jr., Marianne (Radius)
| parents =
| relatives =
| awards = <!--notable national level awards only-->
| website =
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Calvin Theological Seminary]]<br>
[[Princeton Theological Seminary]]<br>
[[University of Strasbourg|Strassburg University]]<!--will often consist of the linked name of the last-attended higher education institution-->
| thesis_title = Die Kampfe und Streitigkeiten zwischen den banu umajja und den benu hasim
| thesis_url =
| thesis_year = 1888
| school_tradition = Reformed Biblical theology
| doctoral_advisor =
| academic_advisors =
| influences = <!--must be referenced from a third party source-->
| era =
| discipline = <!--major academic discipline – e.g. Physicist, Sociologist, New Testament scholar, Ancient Near Eastern Linguist-->
| sub_discipline = [[Calvinism|Reformed]], [[Biblical theology]]<!--academic discipline specialist area – e.g. Sub-atomic research, 20th Century Danish specialist, Pauline research, Arcadian and Ugaritic specialist-->
| workplaces = [[Calvin Theological Seminary]], [[Princeton Theological Seminary]]<!--full-time positions only, not student positions-->
| doctoral_students = <!--only those with WP articles-->
| notable_students = <!--only those with WP articles-->
| main_interests =
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas =
| influenced = <!--must be referenced from a third party source-->
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| signature_size =
| footnotes = See [[title]].
}}
'''Geerhardus Johannes Vos''' (March 14, 1862 &ndash; August 13, 1949) was a Dutch-American [[Calvinist]] [[theologian]] and one of the most distinguished representatives of the [[Princeton theologians|Princeton Theology]]. He is sometimes called the father of [[Calvinism|Reformed]] [[Biblical theology]].{{by whom|date=October 2023}}{{cn|date=October 2023}}


==Biography==
==Biography==
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]].


Vos was born to a [[Dutch Reformed]] [[pastor]] in [[Heerenveen]] in [[Friesland]] in the [[Netherlands]].<ref name="harms" /> In 1881, when Geerhardus was 19 years old, his father, Jan Vos, accepted a call to be the pastor of a [[Christian Reformed Church in North America|Christian Reformed Church]] congregation in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]].<ref name="harms" />
Geerhardus Vos began his education at the Christian Reformed Church's Theological School 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]].


[[Image:A young Geerhardus Johannes Vos (1862–1949).jpg|thumb|right|150px|Vos while a young man.]]
[[Herman Bavinck]] and [[Abraham Kuyper]] tried to convince Vos to become professor of [[Old Testament]] Theology at the [[Vrije Universiteit|Free University]] in [[Amsterdam]], but Vos chose to return to America. Thus, in the Fall of 1888, Vos took up a position on the CRC's Theological School faculty. In [[1892]], Vos moved and joined the faculty of the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he became its first Professor of [[Biblical Theology]]. At Princeton, he taught alongside [[J. Gresham Machen]] and [[B.B. Warfield]] and authored his most famous works, including: ''Pauline Eschatology'' (1930) and ''Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments'' (1948).


===Education in Europe and America===
Vos' wife, Catherine, authored the well-known ''Children's Bible Story''. She died in [[1937]], after 43 years of marriage. They had three sons and one daughter, and their son Johannes studied at Princeton Theological Seminary and also became a minister.


In September, 1881, Geerhardus Vos began his higher education at the [[Christian Reformed Church in North America|Christian Reformed Church]]'s Theological School, which is today's [[Calvin University]] and [[Calvin Theological Seminary]] in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], and his exceptional talents were soon recognized by the school, for he earned his bachelor's degree in a single year. During this period, Vos was appointed by the Curatorium to be the instructional assistant of Gerrit Egbert Boer, the teacher of the school as well as the president of the assembly. During the second year, Vos was paid as a lecturer alongside his studies.
==Writings==


In 1883, Vos was enrolled at [[Princeton Theological Seminary]], and he had already mastered German, Dutch, Latin, French, English, Greek and Hebrew by that time. Upon his request, he entered Princeton as a second year student. His senior paper, titled "The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes", was awarded the Hebrew fellowship prize.
*[http://www.biblicaltheology.org/mop.html ''The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes''] (1886)
*''The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church'' (1903)
*''The Self-Disclosure of Jesus: The Modern Debate about the Messianic Consciousness'' (1926)
*[http://www.biblicaltheology.org/jpia.pdf "Jeremiah's Plaint and its Answer"] in ''The Princeton Theological Review'' (1928)
*''The Pauline Eschatology'' (1930)
*[http://www.biblicaltheology.org/charis.pdf ''Charis, English Verses''] (1931)
*[http://www.biblicaltheology.org/westernrhymes.pdf ''Western Rhymes''] (1933)
*''Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments'' (1948)


Vos carried on further studies at the [[University of Berlin]] in [[Germany]] in 1886. In April, he received [[Abraham Kuyper]]'s invitation to teach in the [[Free University of Amsterdam]] as Professor of Old Testament, however he turned that down partly because of his father's objection. Almost at the same period, the [[Christian Reformed Church in North America|Christian Reformed Church]] nominated him as a professor in Grand Rapids. [[Herman Bavinck]] also arrived at Berlin to meet Vos at the end of July, 1886, and encouraged Vos to study in the Kaiser Wilhelm University of Strassburg when Vos was considering transferring to a new school. Vos received his doctorate in [[Arabist|Arabic Studies]] from the [[Philosophy]] Faculty of [[University of Strasbourg|Strassburg University]] in 1888.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olinger |first1=Danny E. |title=Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian |date=2018 |publisher=Reformed Forum |location=Philadelphia, PA |isbn=9780998748733 |pages=13–26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_WFDwAAQBAJ&q=Geerhardus+Vos:+Life+Between+Two+Worlds+by+James+T.+Dennison,+Jr. |access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref>
Published posthumously:


===Career period===
*''The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews'' (1952)
[[Herman Bavinck]] and [[Abraham Kuyper]] tried to convince Vos to become Professor of [[Old Testament]] Theology at the [[Vrije Universiteit|Free University]] in [[Amsterdam]], but Vos chose to return to America.<ref name="kerux" /> Thus, in the Fall of 1888, Vos took up a position at [[Calvin Theological Seminary|Theological School at Grand Rapids']] faculty. He was installed as Professor of Didactic and Exegetical Theology at the Spring Street Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids on September 4, 1888. In his dogmatics lectures, he did not use the common textbook materials from [[Francis Turretin]], [[John Calvin]], or [[Charles Hodge]], but developed his original work, ''Reformed Dogmatics'' which was published in 1896 in handwritten format. Vos' five volume ''Reformed Dogmatics'' were translated from Dutch to English by [[Richard Gaffin|Richard B. Gaffin Jr.]] and others. The first volume was published in 2013 and the fifth volume was published in 2016.
*''Grace and Glory'' (1994)
*''The Eschatology of the Old Testament'' (2001)


In 1892, Vos moved and joined the faculty of the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he became its first Professor of [[Biblical theology|Biblical Theology]]. At Princeton, he taught alongside [[J. Gresham Machen]] and [[B. B. 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 Machen left to form [[Westminster Theological Seminary]], as he was close to retirement. Nevertheless, D. Clair Davis calls Vos "a great guiding spirit at Westminster."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Calir D. |author1-link= |title=The Pattern of Sound Doctrine: Systematic Theology at the Westminster Seminaries : Essays in Honor of Robert B. Strimple |date=2004 |publisher=[[P & R]] |page=284 |chapter=Reflections on Westminster: Systematics, Spirituality, and the Christian Life}}</ref> Vos retired to California in 1932, three years after the formation of Westminster.
[[Category:1862 births|Vos, Geerhardus]]

[[Category:1949 deaths|Vos, Geerhardus]]
In 1894, Vos married Catherine Smith. Known for being the author of ''The Children's Story Bible'', she died in 1937. They had three sons and one daughter. One of their sons, Johannes G. Vos (1903-1983), studied at Princeton Theological Seminary and became ordained in the [[Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America]], and was also a professor at [[Geneva College]] in Pennsylvania.
[[Category:Reformed theologians|Vos, Geerhardus]]

[[Category:American theologians|Vos, Geerhardus]]
===After retirement===
After retirement from Princeton, Vos remained in the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States of America|Presbyterian Church (USA)]], whereas his wife (Catherine) and their two sons, Geerhardus Jr. and Johannes together with Johannes' wife, Marian, joined the [[Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America]]. His daughter, Marianne, joined the [[Christian Reformed Church in North America]] with her husband, William Radius. Bernardus Vos joined [[Gresham Machen]]'s newly formed church, which was later renamed as the [[Orthodox Presbyterian Church]] in 1939.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olinger |first1=Danny E. |title=Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian |date=2018 |publisher=Reformed Forum |location=Philadelphia, PA |isbn=9780998748733 |page=274 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_WFDwAAQBAJ&q=Geerhardus+Vos:+Life+Between+Two+Worlds+by+James+T.+Dennison,+Jr. |access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref>

On August 13, 1949, Vos passed away in Hessel Convalescent Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A funeral service was conducted by H. Henry Meeter in Zaagman Chapel in [[Calvin College]] two days later. Vos' body was then buried in the tiny village of [[Roaring Branch, Pennsylvania]] on Wednesday, August 17, 1949. For his burial, very few people turned out. Only two family members, Bernardus and Geerhardus Jr., a man and a woman from the local Methodist Church, and two ministers from the [[Orthodox Presbyterian Church]], John De Waard and [[Cornelius Van Til]] were present. Van Til preached from 2 Corinthians 5:1 at the burial service. No one was there from his denomination and from the institution he had served for nearly 40 years.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olinger |first1=Danny E. |title=Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian |date=2018 |publisher=Reformed Forum |location=Philadelphia, PA |isbn=9780998748733 |pages=277–79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_WFDwAAQBAJ&q=Geerhardus+Vos:+Life+Between+Two+Worlds+by+James+T.+Dennison,+Jr. |access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref>

==Works==
===Books===
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |title=The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes |location=New York |publisher=A. C. Armstrong & Son |date=1886 |oclc=3144180 }}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblicaltheology.org/mop.html |title=The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes |access-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311221803/http://www.biblicaltheology.org/mop.html |archive-date=March 11, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Idea of Biblical Theology as a Science and as a Theological Discipline: The Inauguration Of the Rev. Geerhardus Vos, Ph.D., D.D., as Professor Of Biblical Theology |location=New York |publisher=A. D. F. Randolph |date=1894 |oclc=8838483 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church |location=New York |publisher=American Tract Society |date=1903 |oclc=3919537 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=Grace and Glory: sermons preached in the chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary |location=Grand Rapids, MI |publisher=Reformed Press |date=1922 |oclc=4995486 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Self-Disclosure of Jesus: The Modern Debate about the Messianic Consciousness |location=New York |publisher=George H. Doran Co |date=1926 |oclc=2430774 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Pauline Eschatology |location=Grand Rapids, MI |publisher=Baker Book House |date=1930 |oclc=697175240 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=Charis, English Verses |location=Princeton, NJ |publisher=Princeton Theological Seminary |date=1931 }}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblicaltheology.org/charis.pdf |title=Charis, English Verses |access-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615112152/http://www.biblicaltheology.org/charis.pdf |archive-date=June 15, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=Western Rhymes |location=Princeton, NJ |publisher=Princeton Theological Seminary |date=1933 }}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblicaltheology.org/westernrhymes.pdf |title=Western Rhymes |access-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615112221/http://www.biblicaltheology.org/westernrhymes.pdf |archive-date=June 15, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments |location=Philadelphia, PA |publisher=Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church |date=1934 |oclc=66323285 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews |location=Philadelphia, PA |publisher=Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church |date=1944 |oclc=5971869 }}

'''Published posthumously'''
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Eschatology of the Old Testament Phillipsburg, NJ |publisher=[[P&R Publishing]] |date=2001 |isbn=9780875521817 |oclc=45888861 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos |location=Phillipsburg, NJ |publisher=P&R Publishing |date=1980 |isbn=9780875522708 |oclc=6968978 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Collected Reviews of Geerhardus Vos |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2013 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Collected Articles of Geerhardus Vos |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2013 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Collected Dictionary Articles of Geerhardus Vos |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2013 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |translator1-last=Gaffin |translator1-first=Richard B. |title=Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 1 - Theology Proper |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2013 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |translator1-last=Gaffin |translator1-first=Richard B. |title=Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 2 - Anthropology |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2014 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |translator1-last=Gaffin |translator1-first=Richard B. |title=Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 3 - Christology |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2015 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |translator1-last=Gaffin |translator1-first=Richard B. |title=Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 4 - Soteriology |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2015 }}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |translator1-last=Gaffin |translator1-first=Richard B. |title=Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 5 - Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology |location=Bellingham, WA |publisher=Lexham Press |date=2016 }}

===Journal articles===
*{{cite journal|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=The Scriptural Doctrine of the Love of God |journal=[[The Presbyterian and Reformed Review]] |volume=13 |date=1902 |pages=1–37 }}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblicaltheology.org/sdlg.pdf |title=The Scriptural Doctrine of the Love of God |access-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923184503/http://www.biblicaltheology.org/sdlg.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{cite journal|author1-last=Vos |author1-first=Geerhardus |author1-mask=3 |title=Jeremiah's Plaint and its Answer |journal=[[The Princeton Theological Review]] |volume=26 |date=1928 |pages=48l–495 }}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblicaltheology.org/jpia.pdf |title=Jeremiah's Plaint and its Answer |access-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106023454/http://www.biblicaltheology.org/jpia.pdf |archive-date=January 6, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{cite journal|url=https://www.kerux.com/doc/1401A1.asp |title=The Nature and Aims of Biblical Theology|journal=[[Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary]]|volume=14|issue=1|date=May 1999}}

==References==
{{Reflist| refs=

<ref name="harms">{{cite web| url=http://www.calvin.edu/publications/spark/2003/fall/flashback.htm | title=Geerhardus Vos, Calvin's first Ph.D.| author=Richard H. Harms| date=2003| access-date= January 26, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="kerux">{{cite web| url=http://www.kerux.com/documents/keruxv14n2a3.htm| author=James T. Dennison, Jr.| title=Geerhardus Vos: Life Between Two Worlds| work=Kerux| access-date=January 26, 2011}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite journal |first=Danny E. |last=Olinger |title=Geerhardus Vos: Education in America and Europe, 1881–1888 |journal=Ordained Servant |url=https://www.opc.org/os.html?article_id=580 |year=2016}}
*{{cite book |last1=Olinger |first1=Danny |title=Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian |date=2018 |publisher=Reformed Forum |isbn=9780998748733 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_WFDwAAQBAJ&q=Geerhardus+Vos:+Life+Between+Two+Worlds+by+James+T.+Dennison,+Jr.}}

==External links==
{{external media
|video1=[http://vimeo.com/41099601 "Three Minute Theology"] Recommendation of Vos' "The Eschatology of the Old Testament"}}
* {{cite web |title=Geerhardus Vos Collection, 1886-2005 |url=https://archives.calvin.edu/?p=collections/findingaid&id=177&q= |website=Calvin University, Archives}}

{{Princeton Theological Seminary}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vos, Geerhardus}}
[[Category:1862 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Heerenveen]]
[[Category:Dutch emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American people of Frisian descent]]
[[Category:Orthodox Presbyterian Church members]]
[[Category:American Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:Supralapsarians]]
[[Category:19th-century American writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:Princeton Theological Seminary alumni]]
[[Category:Princeton Theological Seminary faculty]]

Latest revision as of 19:10, 11 November 2024

Geerhardus Vos
Born
Geerhardus Johannes Vos

(1862-03-14)March 14, 1862
Heerenveen, Friesland, Netherlands
DiedAugust 13, 1949(1949-08-13) (aged 87)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Known forBiblical theology, Calvinist theologian
TitleProfessor of Biblical Theology at Princeton
SpouseCatherine Smith
ChildrenJohannes, Bernardus, Geerhardus Jr., Marianne (Radius)
Academic background
Alma materCalvin Theological Seminary

Princeton Theological Seminary

Strassburg University
ThesisDie Kampfe und Streitigkeiten zwischen den banu umajja und den benu hasim (1888)
Academic work
Sub-disciplineReformed, Biblical theology
School or traditionReformed Biblical theology
InstitutionsCalvin Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary
Notes
See title.

Geerhardus Johannes Vos (March 14, 1862 – August 13, 1949) was a Dutch-American Calvinist theologian and one of the most distinguished representatives of the Princeton Theology. He is sometimes called the father of Reformed Biblical theology.[by whom?][citation needed]

Biography

[edit]

Vos was born to a Dutch Reformed pastor in Heerenveen in Friesland in the Netherlands.[1] In 1881, when Geerhardus was 19 years old, his father, Jan Vos, accepted a call to be the pastor of a Christian Reformed Church congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1]

Vos while a young man.

Education in Europe and America

[edit]

In September, 1881, Geerhardus Vos began his higher education at the Christian Reformed Church's Theological School, which is today's Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, and his exceptional talents were soon recognized by the school, for he earned his bachelor's degree in a single year. During this period, Vos was appointed by the Curatorium to be the instructional assistant of Gerrit Egbert Boer, the teacher of the school as well as the president of the assembly. During the second year, Vos was paid as a lecturer alongside his studies.

In 1883, Vos was enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary, and he had already mastered German, Dutch, Latin, French, English, Greek and Hebrew by that time. Upon his request, he entered Princeton as a second year student. His senior paper, titled "The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes", was awarded the Hebrew fellowship prize.

Vos carried on further studies at the University of Berlin in Germany in 1886. In April, he received Abraham Kuyper's invitation to teach in the Free University of Amsterdam as Professor of Old Testament, however he turned that down partly because of his father's objection. Almost at the same period, the Christian Reformed Church nominated him as a professor in Grand Rapids. Herman Bavinck also arrived at Berlin to meet Vos at the end of July, 1886, and encouraged Vos to study in the Kaiser Wilhelm University of Strassburg when Vos was considering transferring to a new school. Vos received his doctorate in Arabic Studies from the Philosophy Faculty of Strassburg University in 1888.[2]

Career period

[edit]

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.[3] Thus, in the Fall of 1888, Vos took up a position at Theological School at Grand Rapids' faculty. He was installed as Professor of Didactic and Exegetical Theology at the Spring Street Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids on September 4, 1888. In his dogmatics lectures, he did not use the common textbook materials from Francis Turretin, John Calvin, or Charles Hodge, but developed his original work, Reformed Dogmatics which was published in 1896 in handwritten format. Vos' five volume Reformed Dogmatics were translated from Dutch to English by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. and others. The first volume was published in 2013 and the fifth volume was published in 2016.

In 1892, Vos moved and joined the faculty of the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he became its first Professor of Biblical Theology. At Princeton, he taught alongside J. Gresham Machen and B. B. 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 Machen left to form Westminster Theological Seminary, as he was close to retirement. Nevertheless, D. Clair Davis calls Vos "a great guiding spirit at Westminster."[4] Vos retired to California in 1932, three years after the formation of Westminster.

In 1894, Vos married Catherine Smith. Known for being the author of The Children's Story Bible, she died in 1937. They had three sons and one daughter. One of their sons, Johannes G. Vos (1903-1983), studied at Princeton Theological Seminary and became ordained in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, and was also a professor at Geneva College in Pennsylvania.

After retirement

[edit]

After retirement from Princeton, Vos remained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), whereas his wife (Catherine) and their two sons, Geerhardus Jr. and Johannes together with Johannes' wife, Marian, joined the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. His daughter, Marianne, joined the Christian Reformed Church in North America with her husband, William Radius. Bernardus Vos joined Gresham Machen's newly formed church, which was later renamed as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1939.[5]

On August 13, 1949, Vos passed away in Hessel Convalescent Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A funeral service was conducted by H. Henry Meeter in Zaagman Chapel in Calvin College two days later. Vos' body was then buried in the tiny village of Roaring Branch, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, August 17, 1949. For his burial, very few people turned out. Only two family members, Bernardus and Geerhardus Jr., a man and a woman from the local Methodist Church, and two ministers from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, John De Waard and Cornelius Van Til were present. Van Til preached from 2 Corinthians 5:1 at the burial service. No one was there from his denomination and from the institution he had served for nearly 40 years.[6]

Works

[edit]

Books

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  • Vos, Geerhardus (1886). The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes. New York: A. C. Armstrong & Son. OCLC 3144180.[7]
  • ——— (1894). The Idea of Biblical Theology as a Science and as a Theological Discipline: The Inauguration Of the Rev. Geerhardus Vos, Ph.D., D.D., as Professor Of Biblical Theology. New York: A. D. F. Randolph. OCLC 8838483.
  • ——— (1903). The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church. New York: American Tract Society. OCLC 3919537.
  • ——— (1922). Grace and Glory: sermons preached in the chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformed Press. OCLC 4995486.
  • ——— (1926). The Self-Disclosure of Jesus: The Modern Debate about the Messianic Consciousness. New York: George H. Doran Co. OCLC 2430774.
  • ——— (1930). The Pauline Eschatology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. OCLC 697175240.
  • ——— (1931). Charis, English Verses. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Theological Seminary.[8]
  • ——— (1933). Western Rhymes. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Theological Seminary.[9]
  • ——— (1934). Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. Philadelphia, PA: Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. OCLC 66323285.
  • ——— (1944). The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Philadelphia, PA: Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. OCLC 5971869.

Published posthumously

  • ——— (2001). The Eschatology of the Old Testament Phillipsburg, NJ. P&R Publishing. ISBN 9780875521817. OCLC 45888861.
  • ——— (1980). Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing. ISBN 9780875522708. OCLC 6968978.
  • ——— (2013). The Collected Reviews of Geerhardus Vos. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2013). The Collected Articles of Geerhardus Vos. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2013). The Collected Dictionary Articles of Geerhardus Vos. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2013). Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 1 - Theology Proper. Translated by Gaffin, Richard B. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2014). Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 2 - Anthropology. Translated by Gaffin, Richard B. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2015). Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 3 - Christology. Translated by Gaffin, Richard B. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2015). Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 4 - Soteriology. Translated by Gaffin, Richard B. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • ——— (2016). Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 5 - Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology. Translated by Gaffin, Richard B. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Journal articles

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References

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  1. ^ a b Richard H. Harms (2003). "Geerhardus Vos, Calvin's first Ph.D." Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  2. ^ Olinger, Danny E. (2018). Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian. Philadelphia, PA: Reformed Forum. pp. 13–26. ISBN 9780998748733. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  3. ^ James T. Dennison, Jr. "Geerhardus Vos: Life Between Two Worlds". Kerux. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  4. ^ Davis, Calir D. (2004). "Reflections on Westminster: Systematics, Spirituality, and the Christian Life". The Pattern of Sound Doctrine: Systematic Theology at the Westminster Seminaries : Essays in Honor of Robert B. Strimple. P & R. p. 284.
  5. ^ Olinger, Danny E. (2018). Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian. Philadelphia, PA: Reformed Forum. p. 274. ISBN 9780998748733. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. ^ Olinger, Danny E. (2018). Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian. Philadelphia, PA: Reformed Forum. pp. 277–79. ISBN 9780998748733. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. ^ "The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes". Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  8. ^ "Charis, English Verses" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "Western Rhymes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "The Scriptural Doctrine of the Love of God" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  11. ^ "Jeremiah's Plaint and its Answer" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2018.

Further reading

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External videos
video icon "Three Minute Theology" Recommendation of Vos' "The Eschatology of the Old Testament"
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