As I have said previously before here on Veritas Domain, I think the biggest contribution that Calvinistic Dispensationalists have made towards Presuppositional apologetics has been the exegetical project to establish the exegetical underpinning for this apologetic methodology. This being the case, I hope that the doctoral dissertation that I’m bringing readers attention to would allow the larger world of Presuppositionalists (many who are more Covenantal in their theology) to be aware of this contribution. I do believe that this dissertation is a little known treasure for the cause of Presuppositional apologetics.
This dissertation was written in 1982 by a doctoral student of Theology at Grace Theological Seminary, titled, Presuppositional Apologetics: Exegetical and Theological Bases for a Consistently Presuppositional Approach to Apologetics. The student, George Zemek, has gone on to teach in various setting in theological education from various Bible institutes, The Master’s Seminary and eventually where he is at now, The Expositor’s Seminary. Of course throughout this time he has also taught Presuppositional apologetics to many believers.
If you would like to track down this thesis at the nearest theological library near you, click on this link to World Cat, of if you want to get a hard copy for yourself, it’s available through Theological Research Exchange Network.
Here is the binding that shows the title:
Below is the abstract. As you can see, George Zemek is interested in defending exegetically a distinctively Van Tillian approach towards apologetics.
Note the table of contents begins with an introductory chapter, then one on an epistemological life line followed by the third chapter on hamartiological complication.
Then a chapter on Soteriological Theocentricity…
Efficient Provision and Theological Reflections
Followed by a Summary-Conclusion and appendixes.
If the chapters interests you, and you are into Presuppositional apologetics, I think the sub-sections within each chapter should also heighten your curiosity!
I don’t know if you realize this about dissertations (particularly non-PhD ones, this was for a ThD), but they aren’t widely available. This one is only held at 11 universities in the world and only 3 of them have it in book form, the one he graduated from, one he worked for, and one oddball one (the others are in microfilm or microfische, both of which can be murder on the eyes). Simply put, it’s just not common to find them, I think your readers will have difficulty getting their hands on one.
That’s true. I also think PhDs are also harder to track down, especially older ones. It took me a long time to track down Greg Bahnsen’s PhD dissertation. I’ve also had similiar problems when I was in undergraduate for non-theological fields as well. But you are right, it’s hard to track them down. This is where I appreciate the fact that there are also inter-library loans and also the existence of TREN online! It makes it a little (note, a little) easier. By the way brother, what are you planning to write your dissertation on?
Well I’m about finished and it’s on Wolfhart Pannenberg’s Scientific Theology of History
Great!
The dissertation is available here. Does the book address Ps. 2 at all?
Ah thanks Jeff! I forgot to give a link to TREN. I find them helpful (not that I brought anything there yet), since it tracks dissertations and theses that I might want to be aware of. I do not own a physical copy of the dissertation but I will make the trip to the library this Friday to verify for you concerning Psalm 2, if the work has a Scriptural index.
Was there a particular interests Jeff that you have with Psalms 2 with Presuppositional apologetics?
Before I left TMS, I spent a whole day photocopying some theses (with permissions of course), and this was one of them! It’s a beast, but it’s definitely worth reading. Zemek is one of my favorite exegetical writers.
He is to me as well! I’ve enjoyed his exegetical works, he’s a good caliber expositor, theolgian and apologist who is exegetically driven.
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[…] a Calvinistic Dispensationalist engaged in Presuppositional apologetics that we have interviewed HERE and documented the table of content of his doctoral dissertation HERE. His dissertation was on […]
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