The Mystical Presence

Synopsis:

The Mystical Presence (1846), John Williamson Nevin's magnum opus, was an attempt to combat the sectarianism and subjectivism of nineteenth-century American religion by recovering the robust sacramental and incarnational theology of the Protestant Reformation, enriched with the categories of German idealism. In it, he makes the historical case for the spiritual real presence as the authentic Reformed doctrine of the Eucharist, and explains the theological and philosophical context that render the doctrine intelligible. The 1850 article "The Doctrine of the Reformed Church on the Lord's Supper" represents his response to his arch critic, Charles Hodge of Princeton Seminary, providing what is still considered a definitive historical treatment of Reformed eucharistic theology. Both texts demonstrate Nevin's immense erudition and theological creativity, contributing to our understanding not only of Reformed theology, but also of the unique milieu of nineteenth-century American religion.

The present critical edition carefully preserves the original text, while providing extensive introductions, annotations, and bibliography to orient the modern reader and facilitate further scholarship.

The Mercersburg Theology Study Series is an attempt to make available for the first time-in attractive, readable, and scholarly modern editions-the key writings of the nineteenth-century movement known as the Mercersburg Theology. An ambitious multi-year project, this aims to make an important contribution to the academic community and to the broader reading public, who may at last be properly introduced to this unique blend of American and European, Reformed and Catholic theology.

Endorsements:

"No single book on sacramental thought from nineteenth-century America has attracted more attention in the past half century than The Mystical Presence . . . This new edition by Linden J. DeBie and W. Bradford Littlejohn clarifies [Nevin's] importance by placing his work in its American context, showing his engagement with European theologians, and locating him in his own theological tradition . . . Nevin's work will continue to make a mark, and this new edition brings to bear the latest scholarship."
-E. Brooks Holifield
Emory University

"Karl Barth's commentary on Romans was not the first bomb to fall on the playground of theologians. John Williamson Nevin's The Mystical Presence had a similar effect on the nineteenth-century American church. His appeal for a return to the sacramental views of the sixteenth-century Reformed confessions was a voice in the wilderness in an era of decidedly low-church sympathies. This wonderful new edition clearly reveals the relevance of Nevin's controversial book in both his day and ours."
-Keith A. Mathison
Reformation Bible College


Author:
John Williamson Nevin (1803-1886) was a leading nineteenth-century American theologian. Originally trained in the Presbyterian Church, he took up a teaching post at Mercersburg Sem...