The Zurich Origins of Reformed Covenant Theology

This engaging and finely-crafted study sheds much-needed light on the enduring significance of Zwingli and Bullinger's contributions to covenant theology in the Reformation era. With verve and a well-honed mastery of the Zurich Reformers' writings, including a number of manuscript sources by Bullinger provided in the appendices, Pierrick Hildebrand persuasively argues for the vital role of Zurich's theologians in understanding the development of sixteenth-century covenantal theology. * Karin Maag, Director, Meeter Center for Calvin Studies * Pierrick Hildebrand's The Zurich Origins of Reformed Covenant Theology is a decisive advance in the understanding of the emergence of historic Reformed covenantal thought. His scholarship plumbs the vast corpus of Bullinger's writings and demonstrates Bullinger's substantial covenantal perspective, carefully situating it in the reformational milieu of Zwingli, Melanchthon, Calvin, Olevianus, and Ursinus. He makes a compelling case for the foundational and pivotal role that Bullinger played in the early Reformed organic articulation of covenant themes. Hildebrand's research must be taken into account in the articulation of the origins of covenant theology. * Dr. Peter A. Lillback, President, Westminster Theological Seminary * In The Zurich Origins of Reformed Covenant Theology the author draws a crystal clear map of the road that the biblical concept of the covenant took in theological reflection from Zwingli to Bullinger. A detour takes the reader from Zurich to Geneva. The main route leads to Heidelberg where a younger generation, Ursinus and Olevian, followed the lead of the Zurich fathers. Pierrick Hildebrand is a young scholar who takes Reformation studies a firm stride forwards, critically engaging with older studies and neutralizing anachronistic concepts. Bringing valuable unpublished sources to the table, the author enriches our understanding of the Reformed doctrine of the covenant. Both the academy and churches can profit from this offspring of Zurich scholarship. * Erik de Boer, Professor of Church History, Theological University Kampen *