This is a thorough study of Calvin's conception of Christian philosophy, his exposition of insights of classical philosophy, and his evaluations of classical philosophers. Special attention is given to the doctrines of providence and predestination.
Examining John Calvin's theological ideas through a philosophical lens, Paul Helm looks at how Calvin worked at the interface of theology and philosophy and in particular how he employed medieval ideas to do so.
The theology of John Calvin (1509-1564) was given classic expression in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559). In this definitive work, longtime Calvin expert Charles Partee offers a careful exposition of Calvins theology as it appears in the Institutes, paying special attention to the relation of Calvins theology to the history of Christian thought and to the questions of Calvins own time. Partee also examines the development of later Calvinism and the adaptations of Calvins thought by his later followers. As Partee shows, Calvins theology provides a profound exposition of Christian faith and a magnificent resource for theology today.
As a major theologian John Calvin is often the subject of widespread misunderstanding and misinterpretation, this new Guide for the Perplexed will provide an ideal introduction to his thoughts and views.
This work makes three important contributions to Calvin studies and, more generally, adds to the growing literature on anthropology in the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. First it challenges the prevalent bias toward focusing on Calvin's doctrine of God to the neglect of his doctrine of humankind. Second, it provides an original and provocative interpretation of the overall structure of Calvin's anthropology. And third, Engel's analysis of specific issues (imago dei, reason, and faith, the will, immortality and resurrection) present helpful insights into those areas of Calvin's thought which remain controversial. 'John Calvin's Perspectival Anthropology' succeeds T.F. Torrance's Calvin's Doctrine of Man as the second full-length examination of Calvin's anthropology.
Cover -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- List of Abbreviations and Early Modern Editions -- Preface -- 1 Calvin's Erasmus, Theologia Rhetorica, and Pauline Folly -- 2 Foolishness as Religious Knowledge -- 3 Hidden Wisdom and the Revelation of the Spirit -- 4 Milk for Babes: A Pauline Eloquence -- 5 Blaming Philosophy, Praising Folly -- 6 The Affective Christian Philosophy -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index
An exploration of the consequences of various ideas in the thought of John Calvin, and the influence of his ideas on later theologians. The emphasis is on philosophical ideas within Calvin's theology, dealing in turn with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues. Helm provides a fresh perspective on Calvin's theological context and legacy.
Philosophy for Understanding Theology has become the classic text for exploring the relationship between philosophy and Christian theology. This new edition adds chapters on postmodernism and questions of the self and the good to bring the book up to date with current scholarship. It introduces students to the influence that key philosophers and philosophical movements through the centuries have had on shaping Christian theology in both its understandings and forms of expression.
This volume... has emerged from a small scholarly conference... on the relationship between Christianity and Greco-Roman civilization, above all, that civilization's characteristic patterns of philosophical thought... The field of investigation [is] the neo-Calvinist current within Dutch protestantism and the elaboration in the 1920s and 1930s of 'Calvinistic' philosophy as one of its most distinctive effects... this 'parish tale' has more to recommend it than might appear at first blush. For there is a good argument to be made why such a thoroughly local study can benefit a much broader segment of contemporary Protestantism.