Possible Thesis Studies (17thC)

I’m going to post (and possibly add) some areas that, I believe, require further study in the area of seventeenth-century Reformed orthodoxy and Puritanism. Feel free to add to this list. It’s amazing how many people “google” such phrases hoping to get an idea on what to study.

With regards to John Owen:

1) For the ambitious, do his ecclesiology. I would only recommend this to someone who is prepared to spend four years in the UK; there will be a massive amount of historical, political, and theological research. See Paul Lim’s excellent study on Baxter to get an idea for how the thesis would look.

2) I think something still needs to be done on the divine attributes in Owen’s thinking. In my opinion, both MA and Phd students could tackle this area of Owen and focus on either the incommunicable or communicable attributes.

3) The definitive study on Owen’s covenant theology. David Wong did his PhD thesis on Owen’s covenant theology, so you might have a hard time justifying it as a PhD project. But I think a publisher should contact someone about writing a book on this area in Owen. What a treat it would be for the church. It would need to be carefully done because of the massive amount of primary literature as well as the ever-growing list of secondary literature.

4) Owen’s response to the Socinians. You’d need to be up on your Latin, IMO, because many of the Socinian writings were in Latin.

5) Work on his Theologoumena (Biblical Theology). I have a friend who has done some work in his PhD thesis on this area, but surely there would be scope for comparing, say, Cocceius and Owen and their approach to theology (unfolding revelation/biblical theology). Someone may want to explore Owen’s comment that systematization is illegitimate, hence his ordering of Theologoumena.

6) Danny Hyde has informed me he is looking at Owen’s liturgics in his MTh thesis.

Goodwin:

1) His work on Election is something that is practically untouched.

2) His ecclesiology would also be fascinating, more so than Owen’s in some respects. In connection with this, I would suggest tying together his ecclesiology with his eschatology. There’s a definite correlation between the two.

3) Stay away from Christology

4) Goodwin’s doctrine of justification would be a fruitful study, especially because he has some rather interesting takes on things (i.e. eternal justification & final judgment).

5) A good MA thesis, for someone with a boring disposition, would be to show how the 19thC editors changed Goodwin’s Works (17thC edition).

6) Goodwin’s response to the Socinians occupies a central concern in his theological project. Again, just as in Owen, more work needs to be done in this area.

7) Goodwin’s covenant theology. I’m hoping to cover this area in some detail, but Goodwin’s doctrine of the covenant of works is fascinating and I’d encourage MA students to look at this area.

Others:

1) Almost anything on Manton. To my knowledge, there is not a single PhD thesis on Manton.

2) William Strong’s work, Discourse of the Two Covenants, is a goldmine that no one has touched. It is a massive work and represents some of the very best Puritan covenant theology.

3) Samuel Petto. I’m hoping Michael Brown will do some work on Petto’s excellent work, The Great Mystery of the Covenant of Grace. But Petto’s pneumatology would also be a good MA topic! Also, he wrote “Revelation Unveiled”. Petto’s eschatology would be a good MA thesis, as well.

4) Spirit-Christology in the seventeenth century. Alan Spence’s work on Owen is a good place to start, but I would like to see who else takes the same view as Owen (Goodwin does, for example).

5) The atonement debate on the necessity of the atonement. Comparing Twisse, Owen, Goodwin, Rutherford and the Socinians would be a fascinating study.

6) I would like to see if someone can find info on the role of the Spirit in the pactum salutis.

7) I’m not aware of any studies on Patrick Gillespie, esp. his covenant theology.

The doctrine of the Trinity – 17thC Trinitarianism is vastly under-researched. John Arrowsmith is a key player and his work, Theanthropos, is (unfortunately) not often cited or even looked at.

9) A comparison of the major confessions (Savoy, Westminster, London) and the reasons for the differences.

More to come … (it’s my day off)