Front matterThirty-Nine Theses Explained in This Treatise

Translated from the Latin by Claude · Working translation

About this text

Latin public domain · new translation

Draft English translation by Claude (Anthropic) from Kuyper’s Latin text of the second edition, made independently of David C. Noe’s published translation, with Kuyper’s page and column markers and translator’s notes. Source: Abraham Kuyper, ed., D. Francisci Junii Opuscula theologica selecta (1882), 39–101.

Junius’s Latin (first published 1594) and Kuyper’s 1882 edition of it are in the public domain in the United States. The English translation and its notes are new, made for Baptist Seminarian from that Latin text. Rights evidence. Verified 2026-10-22.

Theology signifies either the discourse of God himself, or discourse or reasoning about the deity, to use the words of Augustine, City of God 8.1. We shall speak of the latter sense. Ch. I.
That there is a theology is taught by the things themselves and by the consent of all peoples. By the things: for God exists, and he is the principle of all good in the nature of things, and God speaks and acts. By consent: for all acknowledge by the light of nature that this is so.
But although everyone believes that there is a theology, among the common people it is spoken of equivocally (ὁμωνύμως): for one is true, the other false and a matter of opinion.
False theology is twofold: one common, the other philosophical. The common is that which, settling in the imperfect principles of our nature, does not rise higher by reasoning. The philosophical is that which, by error of reasoning, has run off into false conclusions and from those principles has produced the fabulous, the natural, and the civil [theology].
Theology is wisdom concerning divine things. Ch. II.
It is either archetypal (ἀρχέτυπος), namely the wisdom of God himself, or ectypal (ἔκτυπος), formed by God. Ch. III.
Archetypal theology is the divine wisdom of divine things. This we adore; we do not investigate it. Ch. IV.
Ectypal theology, whether considered simply (as they say) or in a certain respect, is the wisdom of divine things formed by God from his archetype [col. 1371] through the communication of grace, for his own glory. Ch. V.
And this theology, simply so called, is the whole wisdom of divine things that is communicable to a created thing according to the mode of the one communicating.
Theology in a certain respect is the wisdom of divine things communicated to creatures according to their own mode. It is communicated by union, by vision, or by revelation.
The theology we call of union is the whole wisdom of divine things communicated to Christ the God-man (θεανθρώπῳ), that is, insofar as the Word was made flesh, according to his humanity. Ch. VI.
The theology of vision is that which is communicated to the angels and to the spirits of the consecrated, or perfected, saints in heaven. Ch. VII.
The theology [p. 42] of revelation is that which is communicated here to the human race; you may also, not unfittingly, call it our theology. Ch. VIII.
There are two modes of communicating theology, nature and grace: the first as the internal principle of the communication, the second as its external principle. Hence one theology is called natural and the other supernatural. Ch. IX.
Natural theology is that which proceeds from principles known in themselves by the natural light of the human intellect, according to the mode of human reason. Ch. X.
The knowledge of this natural theology in the human intellect is concerned with common things, and is obscure and imperfect; and so it must receive its perfection from the supernatural. [col. 1372]
This was the condition of natural theology in Adam while his nature was whole: it was to be cultivated and increased by reasoning from common, obscure, and imperfect principles, and to be perfected by grace.
But after this nature was corrupted, those same principles remained in each person, common, obscure, and imperfect; but in themselves utterly corrupt and among themselves utterly confused, like the rubble of our nature, through our depravity.
This theology, therefore, can bring nothing whatever to perfection, and never does; nor is it of itself even capable of a perfection supervening from grace.
Wherefore that inspired theology had to come upon man, which from its origin we call supernatural, and from its mode of communication the theology of revelation. Ch. XI.
Supernatural theology is the wisdom of divine things that proceeds from principles known in themselves by the light of a higher knowledge, above the mode of human reason.
This supernatural theology may be considered in two ways: either absolutely and in itself, according to the mode of the one communicating; or in a certain respect, according to the small measure of those to whom the communication comes.
Our theology, absolutely so called, is the wisdom of divine things according to divine truth, inspired by God, committed to his servants in Christ through enunciative speech, and set down in the Old and New Testaments through the Prophets, Apostles, and Evangelists, so far as it is expedient for it to be revealed to us here, for his glory and the good of the elect. Ch. XII.
The matter of theology is divine things: namely God, and whatever is ordered to God, according as the teaching of God concerning his nature, works, and right had to be delivered. Ch. XIII.
The form of theology is divine truth, which is considered in theology in two ways: either the whole, or some part of the whole, is considered simply in itself; or some parts are considered in relation to others by a just comparison. Ch. XIV.
This truth is holy, just, and perfect: it teaches nothing profane, unjust, or imperfect, and leaves nothing holy, just, or perfect untaught; so that we may be directed as perfectly as possible to holiness in ourselves, justice toward all, and perfection in all things.
This theology, therefore, is one, eternal, and immutable. For what is necessarily true is necessarily one; what is just and holy can never [p. 43] not be just and holy; and finally, what is perfect according to God is wholly and always immutable. [col. 1373]
We posit a twofold efficient cause of our theology: one principal, the other instrumental. Ch. XV.
The principal and absolute efficient cause of our theology is God the Father, in the Son, through his Spirit, inspiring it, as the one and only author and the highest and most perfect producer of this wisdom in his servants.
The instrumental cause of this wisdom is the uttered word (λόγος προφορικός), or the enunciative speech of God: [the spiritual] spiritually, and the corporeal corporeally.¹
The end of theology is twofold: one is remote or highest; the other proximate and secondary to it, and subordinate (as they say) to it. Ch. XVI.
The primary or highest end of theology is the glory of God: for theology displays it for all to behold, and all good men, by the lawful use of this wisdom, bear witness to it, as wisdom is justified of her children.
The secondary or subordinate end of our theology is the good of the elect, present and future: for to their piety are made the promises of this life and of the life to come, and this theology is the wisdom of true piety.
Our theology in a certain respect, or theology called "in the subject," is that same wisdom of divine things, modified according to the condition of the men in whom it is, and from which they are called theologians. Ch. XVII.
The mode of this theology in the subject cannot be circumscribed, because it both varies within each person and is most diverse among all.
It varies within each person, because there is in each a twofold principle, nature and grace, of which the former must be diminished and the latter increased from glory to glory, by the power of the Spirit and the effective communication of theology.
It varies among all, because nature is diminished and grace grows strong more in some than in others; although here no one at all comprehends perfectly, in every respect, the whole form of our theology.
For the Prophets and Apostles did perceive the whole and perfect form of this theology, but not perfectly in themselves; and by a singular power of the Spirit they handed it down whole. All the rest [perceive it] neither whole nor perfectly.²
Therefore the form of our theology is indeed one in itself, as we said before, but in us it is now manifold,³ and will be until, coming together into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, we become a perfect man and are raised together to the measure of the stature of the Church, which is the fullness of Christ. Ch. XVIII. [col. 1374] [p. 45]

Translator’s notes

1The thesis reads tum spiritualiter, tum corporalis, corporaliter. The restatement in chapter XV (tum spiritualis, perceptus spiritualiter, tum corporalis, corporaliter) shows that spiritualis has dropped out here; the bracket supplies it.

2Kuyper punctuates eamque totam tradiderunt singulari virtute spiritus reliqui omnes: nec totam, nec perfectè, which would make "all the rest" the subject of "handed it down." The restatement in chapter XVII punctuates Spiritus: reliqui omnes nec totam, nec perfectè, and is followed here.

3In nobis modo est multiplex: modo is taken as the adverb "now," answering atque futura est ("and will be"). It could also be the ablative of modus, "manifold in mode" (Noe's reading), but the contrast of present and future favors the adverb.