The role of the Bible in reformational philosophy: historical and systematic notes

Abstract

In this article the role of the Bible in the elaboration of refor-mational philosophy, a neo-calvinist school founded in the 1930s by Dooyeweerdand Vollenhoven, is analysed. According to the author of this article, these two authors had somewhat different approaches to this problem, but their intentions were similar and the strategies they devised are compatible and even integrating each other. In practice, one might say that Vollen-hoven favoured a more “textual” approach, while Dooyeweerd emphasised the importance of the biblical religious ground motive. The proposals of a more recent thinker in this move-ment, Jacob Klapwijk, are also explored and the promises and the “perils” of his approach are pointed out. The main purpose is to show that, in this philosophical tradition, the issue of the role of the Bible in philosophy has been tackled with discern-ment and devotion, stemming from a genuine commitment to the inscripturated Word.