Calvin's Ladder


Book Description

Calvin's Ladder traces the theme of participation in early Christian spirituality, then reveals how Calvin reworks it into the heart of his Protestant manifesto on theology. --from publisher description




Calvinus clarissimus theologus


Book Description

The Tenth International Congress on Calvin Research took place at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. »Reconciliation« was choosen as the overall theme of the plenary papers in order to relate scholarly research to present day issues and, in this case, the recent history of South Africa. It is noteworthy that all presenters have managed to deal with this topic in various ways and without doing injustice to academic standards. Even a good number of short papers took notice of the theme and all of this results in this volume, in which the latest in Research on Calvin is presented.Other than some had expected, the attention for Calvin did not decline after the Calvin Year 2009 in which so many conferences were held and so many books were published. Bloemfontein proved that quite the opposite is true, namely that the 500th celebration of Calvin's birthday gave a boost to research and encouraged many young scholars and from a growing number of countries to deal with the Genevan's theology, biography and influence.




Jacob's Ladder


Book Description

There are ten important questions everyone should ask; ; and the answers to these questions, which lead to ultimate ; truth, are a matter of reason, not of faith. Well-known Catholic philosopher and writer Peter ; Kreeft tackles each of these questions in a logical ; step-by-step way, like climbing the rungs of a ladder. ; Because questions are best answered by dialogue, Kreeft ; answers these fundamental questions in an imaginary ; conversation between two very different people who meet at ; the beach. Kreeft's characters begin at the ; beginning, at the bottom of the ladder, which is the ; passion for truth. When it comes to the most important ; questions a person can ask, no mere interest in ; philosophical dabbling will do. The passion for truth does ; not stop there, however, but carries the reader from one ; page to the next in this thought-provoking adventure of the ; mind. Among the topics, or "steps", that ; Kreeft's characters delve into include: Do you ; have the passion to know? Does truth ; exist? What is the meaning of life? What ; is love, and why is it so important for our ; lives? If there is a God, what proof is there for ; his existence? Has God revealed himself to us in a ; personal way? And many other important ; questions and topics to help climb the ladder to the truth ; about life.




Received by Christ


Book Description

Huldrych Zwingli had an idea. To the shock of both Rome and fellow Protestant Martin Luther, he argued that Christ is not physically present in the Lord’s Supper. Rather, the Eucharistic elements only represent Christ’s body and blood. However, the unique basis undergirding his theory is often overlooked, both by his contemporaries and later commentators. He specifically understood the Lord’s Supper to be patterned after the Passover meal, the meal of the Old Testament. His memorialist understanding was in fact based on the memorialist nature of the Passover. By bringing in Jewish scriptures to bear on our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, his approach unlocks new questions that do not necessarily presuppose Greek metaphysics or a break from traditions. This work seeks to continue to develop the method Zwingli left behind, delineating a Eucharistic theology for the church today, one that gives careful consideration to God’s actions in relation to Israel and therefore sees the meal not metaphysically, but historically and relationally.




Calvin for the Third Millennium


Book Description

This work is a series of sermons produced by Emeritus Professor Hans Mol, and based on Biblical texts, the Commentaries of John Calvin on these texts, and on Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. Mol is Australia's pre-eminent scholar in the sociology of religion, particularly in Australia. His 1971 volume, Religion in Australia, was the first attempt at statistical analysis of religion in Australia, which was also internationally significant. Parallel to Mol's interest in the sociology of religion has been his interest in Calvin. Indeed the theological basis of his life has been as a Calvinist. Here in this volume he brings both of these interests together. His sermons, preached over the years in Canberra, seek to apply the teachings of Calvin to a world-view in which the scientific study of religion, and indeed the wider study of sociology, are of central significance. In these sermons, he succeeds considerably in this. The volume is a substantial contribution to scholarship, in that the combination of these two factors has only rarely been attempted. Thus, the volume has originality and will have enduring value. It is especially appropriate that it should be published at this time, in preparation for the 500th Anniversary of Calvin's birth (1509-2009).




Image and Hope


Book Description

Developments in biblical studies, neurosciences, and Christian philosophy of mind force theologians to reconsider the traditional concept of the immortal soul. At the same time, the concept itself tends to create axiological dualism between the bodyand the soul that in turn may lead to insufficient appreciation of the physical life in this world. A more holistic approach to the ontology of human beings is required. The aim of this study is to analyse the function of the concept of the soul in the dualistic anthropology of John Calvin and to compare it to the holistic anthropology of Karl Barth in order to answer the question of whether the transition from one to the other is possible without the loss of the functions fulfilled by the soul.




Calvin's Doctrine of the Work of Christ


Book Description

The revival of interest in the Protestant Reformation in the mid-twentieth century was marked by several studies of John Calvin. J.F. Jansen, however, noted that these had shed new light on almost every aspect of his thought except that which lies at the heart of his theology – the doctrine of Christ’s work. In Calvin’s Doctrine of the Work of Christ, Jansen corrects this omission, providing a fresh study of Calvin’s work in this area with special reference to his exegetical writings. Besides critiquing Calvin’s development of the doctrine, he also examines the traditional theological formula of the three offices of Christ as prophet, priest and king. Reacting against the return to this formula by contemporary theologians such as Emil Brunner, he shows that an alternative conception of Christ’s work is possible.




Triadosis


Book Description

The complex nature of Christian communion with a personal God requires a nuanced expression. Since its inception, the early church affirmed God’s unknowable nature and also participation in God through Christ. The church fathers employed the language of theosis in talking about union with God and human transformation in the likeness of God. However, the term theosis or deification is a broad category and requires precise explanation to avoid human dissolution into the divine in the mystical union it attempts to describe. In Triadosis, Eduard Borysov offers a new approach to the conundrum of the imparticipable divine nature and the prospect of personal union between human and the Trinity. Most significantly, he proposes that if God is Trinity, then we are created and restored in the image of the same tri-personal God.




Divine Accommodation in John Calvin's Theology


Book Description

Arnold Huijgen analyses und assesses the idea of divine accommodation in John Calvin's theology. He proves that Calvin's idea of accommodation was terminologically influenced by Erasmus, while its content originated in patristic theology. Though Calvin's idea of accommodation is multifaceted, Huijgen subsumes and analyzes it in the light of the two main perspectives of pedagogy and revelation. The pedagogical aspect relates to Calvin's understanding of salvation history, and the relation between the Old and the New Testament. In this perspective Christ as the mediator holds a central position. The aspect of revelation focuses on Calvin's comprehension of God's nature which for him is behind God's revelation. Calvin's understanding of accommodation implies a distinct dynamic to revelation, which is disrupted by its static, hierarchical ontology. Huijgen points out the weaknesses of Calvin's idea of accommodation on the basis of modern critiques by Karl Barth, Isaak August Dorner, and Harry M. Kuitert; he also explores the viable points for present day theology.




Engraved Upon the Heart


Book Description

How does liturgy impact the formation of faith? The Protestant Church has traditionally emphasized human reason and doctrinal knowledge. But there is another method with great formative power--participation in liturgy. Human beings gain important knowledge not only through traditional, cognitively focused learning, but also through practice and participation. And because knowledge is wholistic, an inability to express an idea in language does not necessarily signify an absence of knowledge. This book shows how liturgy transmits knowledge that transcends human reason. We repeat the liturgy in weekly public worship, and its contents are inscribed on our minds and bodies. Contrary to common belief, this is also true for children and cognitively challenged individuals. They may be unable to verbally express the contents of their faith in a way that satisfies "normal" adult expectations, but these two groups of people are capable of rich religious experiences. This book explores how welcoming them into experience and practice of worship and sacrament can benefit children, cognitively challenged church members, their families, and the church community as a whole, and makes us all a more inclusive community in Christ.