The Works of Herman Ridderbos

Since I first encountered Herman Ridderbos in seminary, I’ve been a fan of his writings and theology. I chose him as my theologian to study and present on in Advanced New Testament Theology. His writings changed the way I read and understand Scripture, helping me to see the more objective, redemptive-historical themes where I was inclined to see more subjective individualism. So I’m happy to see his works be made available to a broader audience who may not otherwise be acquainted with Ridderbos.

One of the great things about my job at Logos Bible Software is that I get to give input into what works we pursue and add to our offerings, which now number more than 26,000 resources (19,000 from Logos and 7,000 from Vyrso). I’ve been pushing for Ridderbos’s works for a while, so I was excited to see a collection go up on Pre-Pub earlier this week.

It includes the following nine volumes (listed in chronological order):

• The Coming of the Kingdom
• Paul and Jesus: Origin and General Character of Paul’s Preaching of Christ
• The Authority of the New Testament Scriptures
• Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures, Biblical and Theological Studies
• When the Time Had Fully Come: Studies in New Testament Theology
• Bultmann
• Paul: An Outline of His Theology
• Studies in Scripture and Its Authority
• The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary

The collection is nearly complete and is missing only three of his English works:

• Matthew’s Witness to Jesus Christ: The King and the Kingdom
• The Speeches of Peter in the Acts of the Apostles
• Matthew, Bible Student’s Commentary

To learn more about Ridderbos, check out these articles:

• Riemer Roukema, “Biblical Studies: Herman Ridderbos’s Redemptive-Historical Exegesis of the New Testament,” Westminster Theological Journal 66, no. 2 (2004): 259–73.
• William L. Lane, “Herman Ridderbos’ Paul: A Review Article,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 22, no. 4 (December 1979): 363–71.
• Richard B. Gaffin Jr., “Paul as Theologian: A Review Article,” Westminster Theological Journal 30, no. 2 (May 1968): 204–32.

To get a taste of the implications of Ridderbos’s redemptive-historical exegesis, see these articles:

• Walt Russell, “The Apostle Paul’s Redemptive-Historical Argumentation in Galatians 5:13–26,” Westminster Theological Journal 57, no. 2 (Fall 1995): 333–57.
• Walt Russell, “Does the Christian Have “Flesh” in Gal 5:13–26?” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 36, no. 2 (June 1993): 179–87.

To see some of the ways Ridderbos has influenced by thinking, check out Paradigm Shift—Paul’s Use of Σάρξ and Herman Nicolaas Ridderbos.