The Old Princetonians have received renewed attention today, as their theological method, doctrine of Scripture, and Reformed soteriology are resurrected. But they are not often analyzed in the domain of Christology. This new edition of B. B. Warfield’s works on Christology is therefore an invitation full of potential. Here is an opportunity to consider the variety of ways in which Warfield articulated Christology in an age still influenced by the effects of modernity. In view of today’s rising interest in retrieval, this volume should reenter the conversation as the next generation examines Warfield’s Christology in light of our church fathers and their famous definition of Christology at Chalcedon.
P&R Publishing has done the church an invaluable service by reprinting and updating many of the important works of B. B. Warfield. The articles contained in The Person and Work of Christ still represent some of the best scholarly evangelical and Reformed treatments of the nature of the second person of the triune God and his unique work as the Redeemer of the world. The updated edition of this seminal work should be enthusiastically welcomed by scholars and pastors alike. The diligent student of Scripture must become acquainted with Warfield’s far-ranging treatment of Christological themes. One will be richly rewarded in doing so.
The Person and Work of Christ gathers seventeen extraordinary essays on Jesus in himself, Jesus as atoning sacrifice, and Jesus as the one we believe and follow. B. B. Warfield’s work always merits reading for its superb harmony of exegesis, systematic reflection, and personal devotion. Any number of Warfield’s articles are priceless for their unique contribution (see ‘The Emotional Life of Our Lord’), for their contribution of foundational theology (see ‘The Chief Theories of the Atonement’), or for their clear call to discipleship (see ‘Imitating the Incarnation’).
B. B. Warfield’s clear and profound articles on the person and work of Christ are a gold mine of observation, clarification, and application. He is an astute biblical, historical, and doctrinal commentator who never leaves the reader unimpressed by the beauty and coherence of the orthodox biblical faith.
When we consider B. B. Warfield’s The Person and Work of Christ, and especially the context in which it was written, it stands out for a number of reasons. First, Warfield begins the book with a wonderful biblical-theological approach, akin to George Smeaton, taking the student of Scripture through progressive revelation in order to formulate doctrinal conclusions. Warfield does this with remarkable exegetical care and precision, which demonstrates that sound exegetical method and lofty theology are not mutually exclusive. Another reason that this book has stood the test of time is found in the second half, dealing with the work of Christ. In this portion of the book, Warfield masterfully, yet succinctly, outlines the various atonement theories—laying the groundwork to which the modern consensus is indebted. Finally, The Person and Work of Christ causes readers to reflect on the claims of Christianity and Christ in such a way that they can evaluate the authenticity of such claims. The Christ-centeredness of Warfield’s work is a heavenly height to which the pulpit and academy must once again ascend.
The interpenetration of doctrinal judgment and biblical detail in B. B. Warfield’s work on Christology is an abiding marvel. Though these essays are over a century old, they startle readers with paragraphs and passages that remain unsurpassed as synthetic summaries of the most important aspects of Christian thought.
I purchased the 1970 edition of the five-volume set of the collected writings of B. B. Warfield published by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company (now P&R) shortly after publication and have consulted them on numerous occasions since. The Person and Work of Christ is hugely important in addressing Apollinarian tendencies in our time that shy away from addressing Christ’s true humanity. The chapter on the emotional life of our Lord is legendary, and deservedly so. Recent Christological debates on the issue of subordination were anticipated and answered in this majestic volume. The section on the work of Christ brings out the very best that Calvinism has to offer. This updated edition is superbly done and a must-read for scholars, pastors, and anyone else desiring to be thoroughly orthodox.
The two-part doctrine of the person and work of Christ was the single Christian doctrine that felt by far the most immediate impact of historical-critical scholarship in the modern period. Combining in typical fashion his expertise in dogmatics with meticulous biblical exegesis, B. B. Warfield defended a distinctive Reformed rendition of Chalcedonian Christology along with its soteric implications against modern challenges, including the life-of-Jesus tradition handed down from Schleiermacher and Strauss, neo-Kantian reinterpretations of the atoning significance of Christ made popular by the Ritschlian school, and kenotic theories that denied the immutability of God in ways reminiscent of Hegel and German idealism. The overall picture that this welcome volume presents is an ‘orthodox yet modern’ Christology that remains highly pertinent in our own day, when proposals to reject, revise, or repair Chalcedon seldom present any substantially new argument or evidence that was not already repudiated in Warfield’s works.
It is not often recognized that B. B. Warfield was first and foremost, at heart, a Christologian. His writings in this area are extensive, his analysis of the critical issues is exegetically precise, and his heart for our Redeemer pulses through it all. Essential reading.
