Why Kissed Earth: The Christology of the Puritan Reformed Orthodox theologian, Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680)

In short, the central argument of this study posits that Goodwin’s Christology is grounded in, and flows out of, the eternal covenant of redemption, also known as the pactum salutis or counsel of peace . That is to say, his Christology does not begin in the temporal realm at the incarnation, but stretches back into eternity when the persons of the Trinity covenanted to bring about the salvation of fallen mankind. Goodwin’s Christology moves from the pretemporal realm to the temporal realm with a decidedly eschatological thrust, that is, with a view to the glory of the God-man, Jesus Christ. What this work does is connect two vital aspects of Reformed theology, namely, the doctrine of Christ and the concept of the covenant. The findings of this study show that, for Goodwin, Christ is the Christ of the covenant.