Johannes Cocceius

Johannes Cocceius (born Aug. 9, 1603, Bremen [Germany]—died Nov. 5, 1669, Leiden, Neth.) was a Dutch theologian of the Reformed Church, biblical scholar, prolific writer, and a leading exponent of covenant theology, a school of religious thought emphasizing the compacts between God and man.

Educated in biblical languages, Cocceius was appointed in 1630 to the professorship of biblical philology at the Gymnasium Illustre at Bremen. Six years later he accepted an offer to teach Hebrew at the university at Franeker, Neth., and in 1650 he moved to Leiden, where he taught until his death.

Biblical interpretation forms both the central theme of Cocceius’ many writings and the starting point of his systematic theology. His Summa doctrinae de foedere et testamento Dei (1648; “Comprehensive Treatise on the Doctrines of the Covenant and Testament of God”) is based on the conception that the relation between God and man, both before the Fall and after it, was a covenant. In the original paradise there was a covenant of works by which salvation was promised for perfect obedience. After sin made obedience impossible for man, the covenant of works was “abrogated” by the covenant of grace, by which salvation was given as a free gift of God. This gracious covenant originated in a pact within the Trinity between the Father and the Son and is realized in a succession of historical steps culminating in the eternal Kingdom of God. The covenant of works that is reflected in the conscience of mankind provided a basis for Cocceius’ theological treatment of the broader social and political areas of life, while the gracious covenant permitted his interpretation of many Old Testament symbols as prefigurations of the New Testament Christ. Thus Cocceius was able to strengthen biblical piety and to introduce the idea of the history of salvation, including an uncharacteristic millennialism, within scholastic Reformed theology.