Incarnation and Sacrament

"Jonathan Bonomo helps us relive one of the most important theological debates in nineteenth-century America, as represented in the exchanges between two giants of the time, Charles Hodge and John Williamson Nevin. With command of the scholarship, the author probes the views of Hodge and Nevin on the Lord's Supper/Eucharist and their underpinnings in the doctrines of Incarnation and Atonement . . . rightly appealing for what is called today, 'mutual affirmation and mutual admonition.'"

--Gabriel Fackre, Andover Newton Theological School



"Charles Hodge at Princeton Seminary and John Williamson Nevin at Mercersburg Seminary in Pennsylvania drew the rapt attention of nineteenth century Reformed theologians when they battled with each other over the deepest themes of Christian thought, from sacraments and the Incarnation and to history and redemption . . . This is a revealing, brief introduction to a controversy that has continued to evoke interest and generate commentary almost two centuries after the two theologians began their exchange."

--E. Brooks Holifield, Emory University



"Happily, there is renewed interest in the theology and significance of the Supper in Reformed circles today. Many of the same tensions in contemporary discussions reflect deeper issues that have always generated different sacramental views. With clarity matched by scholarship, Bonomo puts these issues in sharp focus by concentrating on a critical debate in American Calvinism. For historians as well as theologians and pastors, this is essential reading."

--Michael Horton, Westminster Seminary, California



"Arguments about sacramental theology are never simply disputes about sacramental theology, but are always also about creation and Christology, time and metaphysics, anthropology and theological method. Jonathan Bonomo's balanced, clear, and insightful study of the intramural dispute between Charles Hodge and John Williamson Nevin has the great virtue of highlighting the clash of opposing visions and versions of Reformed theology and practice that lay at the heart of their debate about the real presence and the incarnation."

--Peter J. Leithart, New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho.



"Bonomo performs a great service by connecting the sacramental controversy between these two theological giants of the nineteenth century to the wider theological issues of Christology and soteriology. Irenically situated within the Reformed tradition, Bonomo expertly handles the historical and theological nuances of the debate. He is one of a rising younger generation of historical theologians whose work will change the way we talk about these issues in the years ahead."

--Richard Lints, Gordon-Cownell Theological Seminary