Dissertation on the Inspiration of the New Testament

Philip Doddridge's 1750s theological treatise addresses one of Christianity's most consequential questions: what does it mean when the New Testament writers claim divine inspiration? Doddridge doesn't simply assert inspiration as doctrine, he systematically examines how the apostles and evangelists understood their own authority, what they believed they were doing when they wrote, and whether their claims cohere logically or collapse into contradiction. His argument hinges on an intriguing premise: if these writers were merely human and mistaken about their inspiration, their various statements about prophecy, divine authority, and spiritual gifts become internally incoherent; yet if they were self-aware agents claiming genuine inspiration, their unified testimony demands serious intellectual engagement. Written in the mold of 18th-century rational theology, Doddridge applies Enlightenment logic to defend traditional belief without sacrificing spiritual conviction. This remains essential reading for students of biblical inspiration, the history of Protestant apologetics, and anyone curious about how Enlightenment-era thinkers defended the foundations of Christian authority.