Covenant theology: an invitation to friendship

Abstract

In his covenant or federal theology Johannes Cocceius (1603-1669) sought to formulate a theology which described all of human history by introducing the structure of consecutive covenants or foedera. In this essay I explore the various ways in which he described the covenantal relationship between God and humankind in terms of ‘friendship with God’ (amicitia cum Deo). It enabled him to shed new light on many of the traditional topics of Protestant theology: (1) salvation history; (2) ecclesiology (church and sacraments) and (3) the Christian life (ethics). The main thesis defended is that the type of covenant theology presented by Cocceius can be best described as an interesting form of what today might be called a ‘relational theology’ with some significant hermeneutical perspectives and theological possibilities for today.