introduction to Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion

Institutes Of The Christian Religion
John Calvin
Lesson 2
A timeline of Calvin's Life
May 16 2004 RMPCA adult education

On the net at: http://www.dakotacom.net/~rmwillia/lesson2_essay.html

First, covering the questions from lesson 1 reading. It is my preference to let Calvin speak for himself, wherever possible, that is why the primary sources are embedded in the printed lessons and secondary sources follow. It is my intention to ask a few questions from the readings for the first 10-15 minutes and use the those readings to get into today's material.

From the readings.

The Epistle to the Reader
1539 edition-not 1536 and Calvin is in Strasburg. What happened, why isn't he in Geneva? What was he doing in Strasburg?
This return I would have made much earlier, had not the Lord, for almost two whole years, exercised me in an extraordinary manner.
He was in Geneva, asked with Farel to leave. The "exercised me in an extraordinary manner" will tie strongly into the major theme for today's lesson--Calvin as aware of his special calling as a pastor and as a doctor of theology.
to prepare and train students of theology
Calvin's purpose is changing, from cathecism to textbook for seminary students, primarily French exiles going back into Catholic France.
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
the relationship of the commentaries to Institutes. We will look briefly at the Romans commentary with the knowledge of God class.

the next reading is:
The Original Translator's Preface.
Prefixed to the fourth edition 1581
according to the occasions of the text that were offered him
His sermons were in the Bible's order, therefore so were the commentaries. But the structure of Institutes is different with the commentaries feeding into it.
This manner of writing, beside the peculiar terms of arts and figures, and the difficulty of the matters themselves, being throughout interlaced with the school men's controversies, made a great hardness in the author's own book, in that tongue wherein otherwise he is both plentiful and easy, insomuch that it sufficeth not to read him once, unless you can be content to read in vain.
what language is Institutes written in? why? Compare and contrast to the 95 thesis.
whose works are very good and profitable to the Church of God, yet by the consenting judgement of those that understand the same, there is none to be compared to this work of Calvin, both for his substantial sufficiency of doctrine, the sound declaration of truth in articles of our religion, the large and learned confirmation of the same, and the most deep and strong confutation of all old and new heresies; so that (the Holy Scriptures excepted) this is one of the most profitable books for all students of Christian divinity.
doesn't this negate 'sola scriptura'? me and my bible alone are sufficient? the image of a bookshelf.

Method and Arrangement, or Subject of the Whole Work
[From an Epitome of the Institutions, by Gaspar Olevian.]

Leave this to next week, the internal structure of the institutes and how it changed through the editions and why. But it is important to think about the structure of Institutes from the very beginning of our study.

end of review

today's essay:
II. Calvins Purpose
Why read or study a nearly 500 year old book?
justify the effort. Ask the class to propose reasons.

Especially in the light of Sola Scriptura, there is a good outline at: http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/aahsolascrp.htm that puts tradition into perspective with reference to Scripture and therefore puts Calvin and the Reformed tradition especially with regard to the Roman Catholic Church's position of the authority of institutional interpretation. Or at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/102/52.0.html

is : “Christian History Corner: "The Bible Alone"? Not for John Calvin!
When we seek answers to churchly and societal issues in the Bible alone, citing the Reformation principle of sola scriptura, we are actually contradicting the Reformers.
By Chris Armstrong”

where he says: “Worth asking, however, is whether we really understand what Sola Scriptura means within the church itself. Does this Reformation principle mean that the Bible yields up obvious answers to all our questions? That we need not turn to any interpretation of Scripture other than the conclusions each of us draws from our own common-sense interaction with Scripture? That the great teachers in the church's earlier eras—the "church fathers"—should have nothing to say to us today, for they represent nothing but "human traditions"?”

and at: http://www.pcea.asn.au/01.WCF/suff_scr.html

is: “SOLA SCRIPTURA:
The Sufficiency of Scripture By Dr. Rowland Ward”


Introduction to the trapestry of Institutes and the 3 threads:
Example from the national gallery of art lecture on the painting in 4 pieces. the institutes as a mosaic and well revised work.
The silver thread, throughout the class follow what appears to be 3 of the most important motifs. silver is Calvin as Pastor-Preacher-Teacher.
And the awareness of his calling. Brief analysis of pastor-teacher and 3 part eldership: doctor-pastor-deacon of Calvin's day.
(gold is sovereignity of God and the incarnation of Jesus, copper is Calvin's concern for the reformation in France which ignites the church-state relationship issue)

build a timeline of Calvin's life.
Consciously expand the two smaller timelines from last week. The idea of the inverted pyramid and influences on Institutes and Institutes influences on later history- the takehome message from last week. We see institutes not as those readers of 1559, but rather through the historical influences that it makes into history, We see Institutes through 400+ years of Institutes-colored glasses.

If i were to write an essay on the history of the 20thC, i would look at two major themes, the extraordinary numbers of people who died violent deaths and the driving force underneath our societies of a rapidly changing technology. Interestingly the 16thC was probably the most violent in Europe upto the 20thC, but technology played a minor role---printing press. But the violence was not just man killing other man but the plague.

1347–1351 The Black Death (bubonic plague) devastates Europe, killing as many as two-thirds of the population in some parts
1453 Sack of Constantinople by the Turks; Christian refugees are welcomed into Florence bring their libraries, including ancient copies of the Greek Septuagint, with them; this encourages the revival of “New Learning” throughout western Europe and will make possible Erasmus’s ground breaking work on the Greek New Testament (the basis of the Textus Receptus)
1455 Gutenberg completes printing the Bible using movable type (first printing of the Bible in any language); the invention of the commercial printing press revolutionizes how knowledge and information are shared; it proves to be an essential and powerful tool in spreading the Gospel
1519 Zwingli begins New Testament sermons; Swiss reformation is born
1521 Diet of Worms; Luther refuses to recant; gets backing of German princes; begins German translation of Bible
1525 Anabaptist movement begins in Zürich, spreads to Germany; First Zürich disputation with those opposed to infant baptism; First believer’s baptism in Zürich; Denck banished from Nuremberg for views on Lord’s Supper; First Anabaptist congregation of 35 converts established in Zollikon; First imprisonment of Anabaptists occurs in Zürich; they escape
1529 Reformation becomes official in Basel
1531 Father died in disgrace in Noyon over missing funds. John received law degree.
1532 Calvin starts Protestant movement in France; publishes his first work—a commentary on Seneca’s De Clementia.
1533 Calvin and Nicolas Cop flee Paris. At about this time Calvin undergoes a “sudden conversion.” (note: reading includes this)
1535 Anabaptist uprising at Münster put down, and Anabaptists executed
1536 Menno Simons breaks with Rome; becomes Anabaptist leader in Netherlands
Calvin is persuaded by Farel to remain in Geneva; publishes the first edition of Institutes of the Christian Religion
1538 Landgrave Philip of Hesse arranges debate between Anabaptists and Bucer; results in Hessian Anabaptists returning to state church and state church deciding to excommunicate immoral Christians
Calvin and Farel are banished from Geneva. Calvin goes to Strasbourg as pastor to the French-speaking congregation.
1538 Helped Martin Bucer in Strasbourg.
1539 Cardinal Sadeleto writes letter to Geneva. Calvin is asked to respond on behalf of Geneva.
1540 Married widow Idelette de Bure.
1541 Wooed back to Geneva where he was more powerful than before—this time without Farel.
1542 Only son James died.
1543 Copernicus writes that earth revolves around sun
1549 Idelette died. John remained in Geneva writing copiously and preaching
1553 Servetus, Spanish theologian and physician executed in Geneva as a heretic
1555 Bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley are burned at the stake as Cranmer watches; Later John Hooper and John Bradford are also burned
(Latimer died much more quickly; as the flames quickly rose, Latimer encouraged Ridley, "Be of good comfort, Mr. Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out." The martyrdoms of Ridley, Latimer, and Thomas Cranmer are today commemorated by a Martyrs' monument in Oxford. The faith they once died for can now be freely practiced in the land.)
see: http://dlib.lib.ohio-state.edu/foxe/foxecat.php

1557 Publication of Geneva New Testament
(see http://www.e-sword.net/ it has a geneva bible module, plus geneva bible notes)
May 27, 1564. By his request buried in an unmarked grave.

Calvin's Life
What Peter says about Paul often tells us more about Peter than Paul? Why?
This is certainly happening in biographies of Calvin. Much maligned from a very early date, with influential biographies which were not historical but polemical.
Calvin is a very private person.
almost no details of his life: age at starting college, date of conversion.



My take on Calvin's life and work
first the silver thread, Calvin's call to Geneva by Farel, his depression at leaving and the energy released at returning.

Readings for the week:
we have 2 readings. 4 page xerox from the Battles translation of the 1556 edition, the poetical version of Calvin's conversion taken from the Commentary on the Psalms. Why i chose this piece to read.

The dedicatory letter from Calvin to Francis 1.
This appears in all the editions of Institutes.
Try to read it twice, the second time outloud, it will read easier and you ought to understand it better hearing it as well as seeing it.....



further links for online research:

from the Institutes
http://www.crta.org/books/institutes/bk1ch06.html

what makes Calvin in general and Institutes in particular so special?
http://www.solideogloria.ch/calvin/english/johncalvin.htm
http://www.gospelcom.net/chi/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps018.shtml
http://www.apuritansmind.com/Reformation/McMahonInterpretingJohnCalvinSummary.htm

more timelines:
http://www.williamtyndale.com/0reformationtimeline.htm
http://din-timelines.com/bline.shtml
http://www.historyteacher.net/APEuroCourse/WebLinks/WebLinks-Reformations.html

reformed link lists:
http://members.aol.com/Graceordained/
http://www.hisglory.us/puritan sermons/puritan_sermons_index.htm

questions for thought?
why was Calvin so maligned? see: http://www.heroesofhistory.com/page69.html


a fascinating essay:

NONE DARE CALL IT BLASPHEMY
Calvinism and the Older Testament Law
THE REFORMERS AND THEONOMY:
From Victory to Defeat
Three studies on the Reformers' Rejection of God's Law
Chapter 13 of a study on
the Reformers' treatment of the Anabaptists

Kevin Craig
December, 1982

at:
http://members.aol.com/VFTINC/anabaptists/13-0index.htm




The Protestant Reformation: religious change and the people of sixteenth-century Europe


at: http://lib329.bham.ac.uk/coreRes/reformat/contents.htm

John Calvin:
The Man and His Doctrine
at: http://www.wcofc.org/deep/calvin the source of his doctrin.htm#Introduction

http://www.prca.org/books/portraits/calvin.htm

True Piety According to Calvin
at: http://www.the-highway.com/piety1_Battles.html



<hr>
i will keep my annotated reading list at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...A/ref=cm_aya_av.sylt_sylt/002-2398661-1811269
15:42
May 2nd 2004

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Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin

lesson 3: The Structure of Institutes

scheduled 23 May 2004


Our Motivation:

Explore the structure of Institutes as a guide to understanding it better before we read.
Logical Structure--what is it? How does it differ from literary (OTOH) or philosophic structure(OTO)?

What is Calvin trying to achieve, does the purpose change through the different editions?
How Institutes was written-->
the constant revisions, the relationship of Calvin's commentaries, sermons, and tracts to Institutes. The effect of Calvin as Pastor-Teacher (the silver thread) on the concerns of the Institutes. The issues that Calvin is primarily replying to, what drives his efforts. Set the stage for an analysis of particular themes.

Given how Institutes was written, what are the major themes? That is given our limited time, where should we start reading and why?


Source of jpeg:

http://demo.lutherproductions.com/historytutor/basic/reformation/story/images/Calvin'sInstitutes.jpg

One piece of answering this question lies in a discussion of last week' reading.

Review of this week's readings:

Outline of the dedicatory letter to Francis I.

from amazon, the table of contents from:
Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books (Harvard Classics, Part 39)
by Charles W. Eliot (Editor)
1909. Contents: William Caxton: Title, Prologue and Epilogues to the Recuyell of the Histories of Troy; Epilogue to Dictes; Prologue to Golden Legend, Caton, Aesop; Proem to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales; Prologue to Malory's King Arthur and Virgil's Eneydos. John Calvin: Dedication of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Nicolaus Copernicus: Dedication of the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies. John Knox: Preface to the History of the Reformation in Scotland. Edmund Spenser: prefatory Letter to Sir Walter Raleigh on the Faerie Queene. Sir Walter Raleigh: Preface to the History of the World. Francis Bacon: Prooemium, Epistle Dedicatory, Preface, and Plan of the Instauratio Magna.

I. Prefactory Address to King Francis I of France
....A. 1- Circumstances in which the book was first written
........1.My purpose was solely to transmit certain rudiments by which those who are touched with any zeal for religion might be shaped to true godliness. And I undertook this labor especially for our French countrymen.
........2.It is as if this doctrine looked to no other end than to wrest the scepters from the hands of kings, to cast down all courts and judgments, to subvert all orders and civil governments, to disrupt the peace and quiet of the people, to abolish all laws, to scatter all lordships and possessions--in short, to turn everything upside down!
....B. 2-Plea for the persecuted evangelicals
.........1.Rather, I embrace the common cause of all believers, that of Christ himself--a cause completely torn and trampled in your realm today, lying, as it were, utterly forlorn, more through the tyranny of certain Pharisees than with your approval.
.........2.For ungodly men have so far prevailed that Christ's truth, even if it is not driven away scattered and destroyed, still lies hidden, buried and inglorious.
.........3.But our doctrine must tower unvanquished above all the glory and above all the might of the world, for it is not of us, but of the living God and his Christ whom the Father has appointed King....
.........4.Now look at our adversaries (I speak of the order of priests, at whose nod and will the others are hostile toward us), and consider with me for a mement what zeal motivates them. They readily allow themselves and others to ignore, neglect, and despise the true religion, which has been handed down in the Scriptures, and which ought to have had a recognized place among all men. They think it of no concern what belief anyone holds or does not hold regarding God and Christ, if only he submit his mind with implicit faith (as they call it) to the judgment of the church.
....C. 3-Charges of Antagonists refuted: newness, uncertainty; the value of miracles
..........1. But however they may jest about its uncertainty, if they had to seal their doctrine in their own blood, and at the expense of their own life, one could see how much it would mean to them. Quite the opposite is our assurance, which fears neither the terrors of death nor even God's judgment seat.
....D. 4-Misleading Claim that the Church Fathers oppose the Reformation teaching
....E. 5-The appeal the "custom" against the Truth
..........1 what is seen being done by the many soon obtains the force of custom; while the affairs of men have scarely ever been so well regulated that the better things pleased the majority. Therefore, the private vices of the many have often caused public error, or rather a general agreement on vices, which these good men now want to make law.
....F. 6. Errors about the nature of the Church
.........1. Our controversy turns on these hinges: first, they contend that the form of the church is always apparent and observable. Secondly, they set this form in the see of the Roman Church and its hierarchy.
.........2. let us leave to him the fact that he sometimes removes from men's sight the external signs by which the church is known. That is, I confess, a dreadful visitation of God upon the earth. But if men's impiety deserves it, why do we strive to oppose God's just vengeance? In such a way the Lord of old punished men's ingratitude.
.....G. 7. Tumults alleged to result from Reformation Preaching
..........1 Lastly, they do not act with sufficient candor when they invidiously recount how many disturbances, tumults, and contentions the preaching of our doctrine has drawn along with it, and what fruits it now produces among many.
..........2. And first, indeed, he [satan] stirred up men to action that thereby he might violently oppress the dawning truth. And when this profited him nothing, he turned to stratagems: he aroused disagreements and dogmatic contentions through his catabaptists and other monstrous rascals in order to obscure and at last extinguish the truth.
.......H. 8- Let the King Beware of acting on false charges: the innocent await divine vindication

discussion of Calvin's conversion autobiographical notes from Psalms commentary.


Essay:

extended illustration:
A. Example of misdirection. Put the book on someone's desk. Ask them to turn to book 3 chapter 22. Tell them this is the high point of the whole book. The chapter that summarizes Calvin's life's work—double predestination.
Examine consequences, this is what many of the books about Calvin and the institutes do.

B. Put the institutes on someone else's desk, tell they this has only historical significance to a few professors and their unfortunate students who must read and sustain examinations on it. It has no significance to your life, its a nice story by a dry, overly intellectual, old dead white European man.
This seems to summarize another approach to institutes.
Would you find the time and energy to read Institutes if you believed this?

C. Go to other person. Offer them this book that summarizes 30 years of Bible study by a uniquely gifted man called by God to pastor a church and teach in a school during one of the most tumultuous times in European history. He intended it to be an introduction for young seminary students into the lifelong study of the Scriptures and offers a systematic way to relate what is otherwise distributed throughout the Bible.
Which person is more likely to read and get something out of Institutes?

D. This is the interpretive triangle. The corners are: logical order has one or two ideas of primacy, historical order has Calvin outdated-often they pulldate the Scriptures as well, the 3rd corner is---my grandfather was just as smart, and just as lead by the Holy Spirit as i am--history as prologue.

The corners are historical theology, systematic theology, and Biblical theology. Imagine a ball suspended in the center and drawn to each corner with a different strength. This internal tug-of-war between: history, Bible, philosophy. Take a minute to explain the corners and how they relate. See how speculative theology doesn't fit into either Calvin's Institutes nor into the triangle.

Now i would like nothing better than to offer you a concise outline of Institutes. Say controlling theme is Apostoles Creed, 4 parts corresponding to the four books, then take each book and break it down into 10 major points and those into subpoints. What we would end up with is an analysis of Calvin's systematic theology. If we wanted to explore the imago dei all we had to do was look up in an index and poof 1 chapter on the imago dei and around it would be related chapters, leading us into a complete study of the Reformed doctrine. The problem is that i can't do this. Nor do i think anyone can, nor is there a few themes that structure Calvin's thought like predestination or even the soverignity of God. My idea of the metal threads is a way to remember and relate the lessons together, not a systematic way to see Institutes. Why is this?

Primarily because Calvin is a Biblical theologian with a lawyer's logical mind. And Institutes reflects this Biblical structure, for it doesn't approach the faith as a systematic theology does, categories and organization based on first principles. For instance, look at the difference between preaching through the books of the Bible and a pastor getting up monday morning and figuring out the most important current event that week from the newspaper, then doing research on what the Bible speaks about that issue, then structuring the sermon around this. OTOH Calvin preaches through the Scriptures as does our Pastor, a system that holds up not just the Words of Scripture but the very structure as important and authoritative. Thus tackeling each issue as it appears in Scripture rather than what you think is important for the moment. This contrast of pastoral theological techniques is likewise something deeply engrained in Calvin's Institutes.

So i can't offer you an outline of Institutes systematic theology, but i can offer you a lifeline to allow you to feel more comfortable reading it without drowning. First, like a novel, read it from front to back. Second, take notes, highlight, read outloud, struggle and work at it. Third, look at it as an introduction to Biblical theology as seen by Calvin as he reacts to the burning issues of the day and struggles to relate his sermons and commentaries to what he sees as an introduction for young pastor-teachers. So i propose following the pattern of the books for the rest of the class, three Sunday mornings for each of the 4 books. But when we come to each book, recognize that we can not read the entire book, nor is just reading the first 45 pages (3 weeks, 15 pages per week) satisfactory, but rather concentrating our efforts three related points that strike the modern reader as being particularly important. Realizing that we are not trying to summarize Calvin, but rather look at the pieces that history has challenged most strongly since he wrote the book.


see: Outline of Method and Arrangement by Olevian from the first class notes.

This is going to form the framework for the rest of the class:

Book One-The knowledge of God as Creator 1st-what can we know about God from the Creation (chp 3,5)2nd-what is the effect of sin on this understanding 3rd-this knowledge is through the Scriptures- accommodation

Book Two- 1st: Christ the Mediator. 2nd: subject of original sin 3rd: the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King

Book Three- 1st: particularism-does not unite all men to Christ 2nd:assurance of salvation 3rdredestination

Book Fourth: 1st: Servetus 2nd:means of grace 3rd:outside the church there is no salvation

These choices are driven by today's burning questions: are the heathen saved? The nature of Christ. Predestination, schism or denominationalism

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The forces that modified the structure, Calvin's commentaries and sermons.

The charts from Battle' outline on how the chapters changed.

The chronology from Oberman on Calvin's literary output by month and year.

Geneva as a pastoral laboratory, where Calvin's battle with the Council's feeds back into his sermons(primarily), and his calling as a pastor and a teacher drive him to Scripture for the answers to these political dilemmas.

from: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/lifelong-learning/distrib/reforml9.htm#1.2

Part I: The Origins of the Institutes 1. How the Institutes Evolved

The Institutes of the Christian Religion, as they are now universally called in English, were first published in Latin in 1536 under the title Institutio Christianae Religionis [6.1.2, Reardon, pp. 154-57]. Calvin was just twenty-seven and the Reformation of Martin Luther was not yet fully established. The word institutio would remind the humanist readers of the legal code of the Emperor Justinian [6.1.2, McGrath, p. 136]. The Institutes were written in and for the sixteenth-century.

The first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion was the Latin version published in Basle in 1536, it went to a second edition in 1539 (printed in Strasbourg) with quite substantial amounts of new material. Indeed the second edition was three times a voluminous as the first edition and ‘it is no longer a primer; it is well on the way to being a definitive statement on the nature of the Christian faith’ [6.1.2, McGrath, p. 137]. The third edition evolved more slowly through 1543-50 (printed in Geneva) and contained revisions across the substance of the work and new material on monasticism but it was less well organised (some regard the 1543/1550 publications as one edition, others [for example, 6.1.2, Wendel, p. 117] as two editions). The final version of the Institutes was published in 1559 in Geneva and has obviously become the definitive edition of the Institutes [6.1.2, Greengrass, p. 172, has a very useful summary table of the evolution of the editions and also see, 6.1.2, McGrath, p. 141].

The notion that the Institutes was originally meant as a primer with catechetical intent can be seen from the Preface, the apologetic letter to Francis I: ‘My purpose was solely to transmit certain rudiments by which those who are touched with any zeal for religion might be shaped in true godliness’. You must decide for yourself whether this claim is correct and that the apologetic tone of the Preface of the Institutes is carried though into criticism and polemic. The 1536 edition certainly contained polemic in that the fifth chapter, of its six chapters, was "The Five False Sacraments".

The 1536 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion is about 220 pages in a modern edition and the 1559 edition about 1500 pages. It is likely therefore that some changes in content and purpose must have occurred between these dates. The 1536 edition is made up of six chapters, the 1559 edition 4 Books and 80 chapters. Each Book title and each chapter heading in the 1559 edition are quite explicit and precisely described. As the editions evolved they became more like the topoi of Aristotle (loci in Latin and used, for example, by Cicero), that is, a discussion of ‘important topics’ (topos literally means "place" or "position").

The fourfold structure of topics the Institutes is clear in each edition and may represent a rough framework of the exegesis of the Apostles Creed:

*

I believe in the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth ...

*

I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son Our Lord ...

*

I believe in the Holy Spirit ...

*

I believe in the holy catholic Church ...

As Wendel has claimed [6.1.2, pp. 122-44] the Institutes are made up, or influenced by, a number of sources: (a) the Bible - both in Hebrew and Greek [6.1.2, Ganoczy, 1996, p. 236], (b) the Church Fathers, (c) Roman law, (d) nominalist thought and (e) the thought of Martin Luther [6.1.2, Ganoczy, 1966, pp. 133-81, for a full exposition of the sources]. The Institutes of the Christian Religion became a programmatic statement of Christian theology as understood by Calvin [6.1.2, Wendel, pp. 111-49]. It was not the first such work of the emergent Protestant sects. In 1521, Philipp Melanchthon published the Loci Communes ("Commonplaces") which was an exposition of Luther’s thinking [6.1.2, McGrath, pp. 139f.], Huldrych Zwingli wrote in 1525 the Commentarius de vera et falsa religione and Guilluame Farel, in 1534, his Sommaire which was a brief exposition of the key aspects of being a Christian [6.1.2, Parker, p. 34]. In 1529, in Avignon, Francis Lambert wrote Somme Chrestienne a short work which Calvin deliberately used as a "source" and basis for his Institutes.

The political circumstances of the origins of the Institutes is a key item in our interpretation of the work. We saw in the last session that Guillaume Cop, rector of the University of Paris, was implicated by the authorities over a sermon, based on the daily lectionary reading, Matthew 5.1-12, and both were forced to flee Paris and they went together to Basel in February 1535. The Institutes were written soon after this traumatic event and the Preface of the Institutes reflects an apologetic intent as well as an attempt by Calvin to persuade Francis I that his faith was not dangerous or seditious. The 1536 Preface, an open letter to Francis I, the famed Epistola Nuncupatoria, remained unchanged throughout all of the editions of the Institutes.

Francis I was implacably opposed to the evangelicals in France and sent instruction to the French parliament:

Dear faithful friends ... we are very troubled and displeased at what has taken place ... where at the principal university of Christendom that accursed heretical Lutherans sect swarms. Its further spread we wish with our might and power to prevent. And to that end we wish and understand that such a grievous punishment should be meted out that it would be a correction to the accursed heretics and an example to all others [in A.-L. Herminjard, Correspondence des Réformateurs (Geneva, 1870), vol. 3, pp. 114f.].

Given this serious situation, it is unsurprising that an apologetic motive is evident in the Institutes of the Christian Religion but it also indicates something of its genesis.

(see: _Analysis of the Institutes of the Christian Religion of John Calvin_ by Ford Lewis Battles)
pg. 23-4 "How should one undertake to read the Institutes? I have a bad habit of reading new books (new to me, that is) by scrutinizing the index examing the conclusions, savoring the organization, perhaps sampling a few test passages and then asking myself, Is it worth further reading? I would not recommend this approach to reading the Institutes. First, you must want to read the book; you must set out from the beginning; third you must persist, however long it takes you, until you reach the last page. Do not become a Calvinist of the first five chapters or of the first book. I can generally tell, when people speak of Calvin, whether they know him only be hearsay, have read a few pages, or have sampled him anthologically. They have no clue to the wonderful interconnectedness of Calvin's thought. They ask questions which a fuller reading of the Institutes could have answered.

Fourth, do not lament that a question seems to go unanswered, or a loose end seems not to be tied; it will be answered; it will be tied. Be patient. If, after you have read the whole book for the first time, you remain inserious disagreement with Calvin--well, so be it! But what coherent alternative will you have to offer?

Fifth, as you read, think not only of Calvin's time (perhaps reviewed by way of T.H.L.Parker's Portrait of Calvin or W.Monter's Calvin's Geneva) but also of your own. Is Calvin somehow speaking too to the late 20thC? So speculating, readers of the Institutes have sometimes made surprisingly helpful discoveries.

Last, do not hesitate to place this Analysis beside you as you read. For some of you who prefer to grasp the structure of the book as a whole before you plunge into it, the Analysis can be a help, for it faithfully sets forth the tripartite book, chapter, and section organization of the work.
...
These words would be incomplete if Calvin's own call to Scripture were not re-sounded. He wrote the Institutes to draw Christians to the Scriptures; he wrote his commentaries to elucidate not so much the larger elments of the faith as the details of the text itself. He proclaimed the Scriptures from the pulpit. The reader of the Institutes will find his own understanding and conviction quickened by continueing his study beyond the Institutes to the Scriptures that are its source and to the Commentaries and Sermons which further expound the biblical faith of John Calvin.


references for further study:
http://www.antithesis.com/features/sola_scriptura_01.html

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/lifelong-learning/distrib/reforml8.htm

http://www.superior.net/~covenant/reformation.htm

http://www.bible.org/docs/history/calvin/institut/ci000007.htm
Method and Arrangement, or Subject of the Whole Work[From an Epitome of the Institutions, by Gaspar Olevian.]

http://www.apuritansmind.com/Reformation/McMahonShortSummaryInstitutes.htm
A Condensed Summary of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion by C. Matthew McMahon

Click to expand...

for this lesson:
Particulars of this 1st class on Book I:
I.the topic is Calvin's epistemology.
***new word alert: define epistemology-->
1.how do we know God and know ourselves? what is the relationship between the two types of knowledge?
2.how reliable is the knowledge thus gained? what is the difference between knowledge and belief?
3.how do we justify or warrant this knowledge?
***new word alert: define warrant/justification-->
4.the difference between seeing and hearing.
5.the essentialness and inescapableness of the personalness of knowledge.
6.the 3 part modality of our knowledge.
II. the sense of divinity
1. immediateness, vitality, personalness, inescapable
2. it is the answer to the question of how a mercyful God can judge those who have not heard the Gospel.
III. issues of natural theology
1. Calvin is attacking RC natural theology
2.for a humanist how do you account for the genius of the Greeks:S. A. P. without making them into christians before the fact?

the structure is best seen in what does Calvin wish to prove:
1st: I believe in God....what does it mean to KNOW God?
answer: To recognize Him as your Creator, to be motivated by piety and gratitude for this, and to rightful worship Him.
2nd: is God just in condemning the heathen to hell?....What does it mean to know God as CREATOR?
answer: yes, everyone who has ever lived knows enough about God as their Creator to be without excuse.
3rd: is this natural knowledge enough to save? or was Aristotle, or Plato or Cicero saved by their extraordinary grasp of reality?
answer: no, natural theology is not sufficent to save, God as Redeemer is not available to us in creation.

Essay:

Today's lesson is going to be a little bit different in structure, mostly because of the complexity of the issues and partly because of my interest in them. Catch me if i lapse into philosophic technical jargon, it is not my intention to confuse with these terms.

First we can spent a little time on the overall structure and thesis of Book One.
First the knowledge of God is inescapable, all human beings know enough about God to realize that they owe Him piety and worship.
But this information is not enough to force the emotions of the natural man to love God, nor to properly worship Him.
Second, Scripture alone shows God to be our Redeemer. But the natural man can not even read Scripture properly to understand this.
Lastly, Providence renders mankind even more guilty of ingratitude in that we are sustained by God and are not thankful to Him for this.

Thus we are discussing and studying it from the top down, remembering that Calvin is a bottom up thinker, from Scripture to the big issues. So we are not studying it in the same direction that Calvin wrote it. But we are trying to get a handle on Institutes as quickly and painlessly as possible and top down is better for these reasons. Then we are going to talk about the selections/abridgements that i made and included in the readings for lesson 4, this morning. Then i'll ask you to reread the lesson here and read at that time the selections from Calvin. I think hearing about them first in context, then thinking about the major ideas they contain before reading them will help a little bit on motivation and understanding. The big point is simply to keep people interested and awake during the reading of the selections from Calvin. I'd like a little bit of feedback on if this works as intended, please.

What i've done is to pull a few quotes from each section, put them into bold print, put the needed context around them in italics and copy the headers of each chapter as well, so you can see the topics in their order. Then ask a few questions that will hopefully get to the heart of the matter and gather a few explantory notes from my reading, inserting them as appropriate. Then at the end of lesson 4 are the links to the sections of Book I we've been discussing so if you are inspired to do so, you can read the complete chapters. Since the length would exceed our 20 page maximum i have cut pieces out and marked them with "...", i feel bad about abridging Calvin, but i don't see an option.

Topic is Reformed Epistemology, although Calvin certainly never used these terms. It's a big topic in both modern theology and philosophy, I am just a little skeptical of my ability to see through the last 450 years of discussion on the topic and to actually capture what Calvin thought about the topic, rather than what history teaches, but i will try.

{First a little motivation with the subject: vacuum cleaners and spam sorting software, AI, natural language translation and visual face recognization.}

But before i embark on a tour of epistemology (introduce as new word), I'd like to try to summarize an extended metaphor that both Calvin uses, is embedded in Scripture and is a part of our language. draw this as motif #3, (another graphic handout), the world via eyes and ears.

Explanation of 'testimony of eyewitnesses' motif
In the world of nature, we use our eyes to navigate. Sounds are almost always warnings. A dear friend, Jerry was blind and often we discussed what was worse, being blind or not being able to hear, Jerry insisted that deafness cuts you off from the world of people, where blindness 'only' cut you off from the physical world. We use the analogy of our senses in a significant and interesting way. Terms that 'betray' this motif: The voice of God, an eyewitness account, we hear rumors, while we see the truth or the factualness of the situation.

No better place to see this then
Jhn 20:20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jhn 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace {be} with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
Jhn 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Jhn 20:23 "If you forgive the sins of any, {their sins} have been forgiven them; if you retain the {sins} of any, they have been retained."
Jhn 20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
Jhn 20:25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
Jhn 20:26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace {be} with you."
Jhn 20:27 Then He *said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."
Jhn 20:28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jhn 20:29 Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed {are} they who did not see, and {yet} believed."
Jhn 20:30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
Jhn 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

This metaphor of sight and touch versus hearing. The world of nature and certainty versus the world of men, of words, of deceit, one via the eyes and the other via the ears.

Exd 33:18 Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!"
Exd 33:19 And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."
Exd 33:20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"
Exd 33:21 Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand {there} on the rock;
Exd 33:22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
Exd 33:23 "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."

What is the point of this? Why can we hear God's voice and yet not see His face/form/glory? Why do we consistently draw this difference between the modes of knowing the world- between seeing and hearing?

1st hearing is the world of men, and we know people lie to us. Words are used to deceive, we use words in such sinful ways ourselves and are aware of being victimized likewise. 2nd is the directionality of sight, versus the haziness, the lack of specificity of hearing. 3rd is words themselves, language must be interpreted, we are aware of foreign languages that we can not translate. The illustration that a native language is one that you can not resist hearing meaningfully. The connection of hearing words and the ideas they provoke in our minds. Where things we see seem to offer a different, much more secure route into our consciousness. Seeing is believing, eyewitnesses to the truth. Seeing is touch at a distance, reach out and touch someone with your voice, eyes are windows of the soul. The innate certainty of sight, versus the doubting quality of hearing. How close things appear in a telescope, so that we are tempted to reach out and touch them......

But what happens to these sensations once they get 'inside' our brains? The easiest metaphor is the 3 divisions of us into: reason, will, emotion.

2nd motif: Knowledge as possessing 3 modalities
***new word alert: define modalities--->
Knowledge of God for Calvin, analogous to faith is an activity of all 3 pieces. Strictly intellectual knowledge is impossible, like:
Jam 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble
Note how the belief-that there is one God, yields an emotional matrix-fear followed by a 'physical' activity---tremble. All three pieces: reason, will emotion, or mind, soul, body, or intellect, emotion, will, however you wish to divide us up, all the pieces are involved in knowledge, not just the intellectual. For Calvin knowledge, especially the knowledge of God is never neutral, never without stimulating the heart to react, either positively in worship and adoration or negatively in fear and trembling. The knowledge itself causes a reaction in all people. I'm going to use the terms persuasive knowledge and cordial knowledge to make this distinction.
***new word alert: define cordial--->

{I spent a lot of time trying to find an example of this modalism of knowledge, and found it in the example of my wife hearing our baby cry and her milk let down.}

finished with the motifs, with these two illustrations, now to the text of Institutes:
The first question is why? Why did Calvin begin Institutes in this manner? The short answer is Romans 1. In particular verses 18 through 25.


Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Rom 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
Rom 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.


The long answer is Calvin's Commentary on these verses, part of the reading for this week, it is the first commentary or sermon quotation we've seen for the class. So try to see the difference in tone between this and the Institutes.

[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom38.all.html#v.vi]
Please remember from lesson 2 of the significance of both commentaries and sermons to the Institutes. This ought to make us play close detailed attention to the following:

{Take a moment and discuss the classes understanding of this section of Romans 1. What are the big topics?}

Calvin finished the Commentary in 1539, the same year as the major 2nd edition of Institutes. More than one commentator on Institutes has made a remark like "Institutes is deeply effected by Romans in general and Book 1 is an extended commentary on Romans 1". I believe that Calvin like many Biblical theologians through history have seen that Romans 1:19-23 has crucial verses for the question of why the heathen are inexcusable before God. I often use the catchphrase of "the first time you can plead ignorance when you do something wrong, but you can plead stupidity as many times after that as you want." God however doesn't allow this defense of ignorance, nor does Calvin, following closely in Paul's argument.

Click to expand...

there is no room for excuse. We cannot plead ignorance, without being at the same time convicted by our own consciences both of sloth and ingratitude

Particulars of this 1st class on Book I:
I.the topic is Calvin's epistemology.
***new word alert: define epistemology-->

from: http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/EPISTEMI.html
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge. It attempts to answer the basic question: what distinguishes true (adequate) knowledge from false (inadequate) knowledge?
1.how do we know God and know ourselves? what is the relationship between the two types of knowledge?
2.how reliable is the knowledge thus gained? what is the difference between knowledge and belief?
3.how do we justify or warrant this knowledge?

***new word alert: define warrant/justification-->


4.the difference between seeing and hearing.
5.the essentialness and inescapableness of the personalness of knowledge.
6.the 3 part modality of our knowledge.
II. the sense of divinity
1. immediateness, vitality, personalness, inescapable
2. it is the answer to the question of how a mercyful God can judge those who have not heard the Gospel.
III. issues of natural theology
1. Calvin is attacking RC natural theology
2.for a humanist how do you account for the genius of the Greeks:S. A. P. without making them into christians before the fact?

the structure is best seen in what does Calvin wish to prove:
1st: I believe in God....what does it mean to BELIEVE in God, is this the same as to KNOW God?
answer: To recognize Him as your Creator, to be motivated by piety and gratitude for this, and to rightful worship Him.
2nd: is God just in condemning the heathen to hell?....What does it mean to know God as CREATOR?
answer: yes, everyone who has ever lived knows enough about God as their Creator to be without excuse.
3rd: is this natural knowledge enough to save? or was Aristotle, or Plato or Cicero saved by their extraordinary grasp of reality?
answer: no, natural theology is not sufficient to save, God as Redeemer is not available to us in creation.

Essay:

Today's lesson is going to be a little bit different in structure, mostly because of the complexity of the issues and partly because of my interest in them. Catch me if i lapse into philosophic technical jargon, it is not my intention to confuse with these terms.

First we can spent a little time on the overall structure and thesis of Book One.
First the knowledge of God is inescapable, all human beings know enough about God to realize that they owe Him piety and worship.
But this information is not enough to force the emotions of the natural man to love God, nor to properly worship Him.
Second, Scripture alone shows God to be our Redeemer. But the natural man can not even read Scripture properly to understand this.
Lastly, Providence renders mankind even more guilty of ingratitude in that we are sustained by God and are not thankful to Him for this.



What I've done is to pull a few quotes from each section, put them into bold print, put the needed context around them in italics and copy the headers of each chapter as well, so you can see the topics in their order. Then ask a few questions that will hopefully get to the heart of the matter and gather a few explanatory notes from my reading, inserting them as appropriate. Then at the end of lesson 4 are the links to the sections of Book I we've been discussing so if you are inspired to do so, you can read the complete chapters. Since the length would exceed our 20 page maximum i have cut pieces out and marked them with "...", i feel bad about abridging Calvin, but i don't see an option.

Topic is Reformed Epistemology, although Calvin certainly never used these terms. It's a big topic in both modern theology and philosophy, I am just a little skeptical of my ability to see through the last 450 years of discussion on the topic and to actually capture what Calvin thought about the topic, rather than what history teaches, but i will try.

{First a little motivation with the subject: vacuum cleaners and spam sorting software, AI, natural language translation and visual face recognization.}

But before i embark on a tour of epistemology (introduce as new word), I'd like to try to summarize an extended metaphor that both Calvin uses, is embedded in Scripture and is a part of our language. draw this as motif #3, (another graphic handout), the world via eyes and ears.

Explanation of 'testimony of eyewitnesses' motif
In the world of nature, we use our eyes to navigate. Sounds are almost always warnings. A dear friend, Jerry was blind and often we discussed what was worse, being blind or not being able to hear, Jerry insisted that deafness cuts you off from the world of people, where blindness 'only' cut you off from the physical world. We use the analogy of our senses in a significant and interesting way. Terms that 'betray' this motif: The voice of God, an eyewitness account, we hear rumors, while we see the truth or the factualness of the situation.

from:http://www.redeemer.on.ca/~tplanti/k/TSZ.HTM
Visualism. The philosophical tendency, which goes back to the Greeks, to understand knowledge in terms of vision or sight. To know is to see, to have a view. John Dewey complained about the "spectator" conception of knowledge.

This is the same kind of distinction between the knowledge of how and the ability to do, praxis versus intellectualism, that we hear from engineering and other practical people.

No better place to see this then in the Gospel of John 20:20-31

And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace {be} with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

"If you forgive the sins of any, {their sins} have been forgiven them; if you retain the {sins} of any, they have been retained."

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace {be} with you."

Then He *said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."

Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed {are} they who did not see, and {yet} believed."

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.


This metaphor of sight and touch versus hearing. The world of nature and certainty versus the world of men, of words, of deceit, one via the eyes and the other via the ears. The testimony of the apostles ought to have been sufficient, for it is for the subsequent Church through the ages. But Thomas is a good illustration of what epistemology is all about.

and in Exodus 33:18-23

Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!"

And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."

But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"

Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand {there} on the rock;

and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

"Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."


What is the point of this? Why can we hear God's voice and yet not see His face/form/glory? Why do we consistently draw this difference between the modes of knowing the world- between seeing and hearing?

1st hearing is the world of men, and we know people lie to us. Words are used to deceive, we use words in such sinful ways ourselves and are aware of being victimized likewise. 2nd is the directionality of sight, versus the haziness, the lack of specificity of hearing. 3rd is words themselves, language must be interpreted, we are aware of foreign languages that we can not translate. The illustration that a native language is one that you can not resist hearing meaningfully. The connection of hearing words and the ideas they provoke in our minds. Where things we see seem to offer a different, much more secure route into our consciousness. Seeing is believing, eyewitnesses to the truth. Seeing is touch at a distance, reach out and touch someone with your voice, eyes are windows of the soul. The innate certainty of sight, versus the doubting quality of hearing. How close things appear in a telescope, so that we are tempted to reach out and touch them......

But what happens to these sensations once they get 'inside' our brains? The easiest metaphor is the 3 divisions of us into: reason, will, emotion and how knowledge applies to each of these 'pieces'.

2nd motif: Knowledge as possessing 3 modalities
***new word alert: define modalities--->

n. pl. mo·dal·i·ties

1. The fact, state, or quality of being modal.
2. A tendency to conform to a general pattern or belong to a particular group or category.




Knowledge of God for Calvin, analogous to faith is an activity of all 3 pieces/divisions within our human nature, intellect, emotions and the will. Strictly intellectual knowledge is impossible, like:

Jam 2:19


Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble

Note how the belief-that there is one God, yields an emotional matrix-fear followed by a 'physical' activity---tremble. All three pieces: reason, will emotion, or mind, soul, body, or intellect, emotion, will, however you wish to divide us up, all the pieces are involved in knowledge, not just the intellectual. For Calvin knowledge, especially the knowledge of God is never neutral, never without stimulating the heart to react, either positively in worship and adoration or negatively in fear and trembling. The knowledge itself causes a reaction in all people. I'm going to use the terms persuasive knowledge and cordial knowledge to make this distinction.
***new word alert: define cordial--->
dealing with the heart, emotions.

{I spent a lot of time trying to find an example of this modalism of knowledge, and found it in the example of my wife hearing our baby cry and her body responding to get ready to feed the baby. Here is the issue, a babies cry is as an engineer would phrase it, just a signal, yet ask any mother-she can recognize her child's cry. How can this be in a nursery crowded with crying babies? Yet each mother-child shares this bond that just a small cry inititates a cascade of emotion and hormones that results in the mom being ready to feed the child.}

finished with the motifs, with these two illustrations, now to the text of Institutes:
The first question is why? Why did Calvin begin Institutes in this manner? The short answer is Romans 1. In particular verses 18 through 25.


Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Rom 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
Rom 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.


The long answer is Calvin's Commentary on these verses, part of the reading for this week, it is the first commentary or sermon quotation we've seen for the class. So try to see the difference in tone between this and the Institutes.

[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/Calvin/calcom38.all.html#v.vi]
Please remember from lesson 2 of the significance of both commentaries and sermons to the Institutes. This ought to make us play close detailed attention to the following:

Click to expand...

Introduction:
In chapters 1-5 Calvin discusses the knowledge of the natural world(Creation) and how it interacts with the natural man, sometimes he is talking about before the fall, other times natural man as we experience him today, fallen and sinful, context makes the difference clear most of the time. The basic problem is that from the world we can not see the fall, because we don't have an objective standard to measure the Creation, nor ourselves by to determine if what we can see is normative. In fact, this problem in philosophy is called the naturalist fallacy, to try to bridge the gap from 'what is' to 'what ought to be', that gap from existence to morality. That is why Calvin introduces Scripture at this point, to teach us that 1-we are broken, 2-the world of human beings, both history and societies are likewise broken, as a result of people not being as originally designed, 3-that this knowledge of the Creation which ought to drive us to God as Creator does not achieve it's intended purposes because of this pervasive sin.

{see:http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/naturalistic fallacy for fuller explanation.
"Many people use the phrase "naturalistic fallacy" to characterize inferences of the form "This behavior is natural; therefore, this behavior is morally acceptable" or "This behavior is unnatural; therefore, this behavior is morally unacceptable". Such inferences are common in discussions of homosexuality and cloning, to take two examples. ... This use of the term "naturalistic fallacy" to describe the deduction of an ought from an is, has inspired the use of mutually reinforcing terminology which describes the converse (deducing an is from an ought) either as the "reverse naturalistic fallacy" or the "moralistic fallacy"."}

An idea:
This section, at first blush looks like a parenthesis, an aside in the forcefulness of the argument in Book I(which argues from Creation to Providence via Scripture), is a relatively uncontroversial section for us. I'd like to take the time therefore to present the quotations from Calvin in a different way, commenting within the sections. A proof of concept test to see which way stimulates the most conversation in the class.


Outline of this section's discussion questions:

1. Why is Scripture required?
2. What is the witness of the Holy Spirit and why is it required in order to properly understand Scripture?
3. What is accomodation, that is how does God accomodate Himself to our form?
4. The motif-illustration-thought picture of spectacles, a continuation and extension of the 'testimony of eye-witnesses' motif from last week.

Essay:

The argument is pretty straightforward:

0.Book One is: I believe in God the Father maker of Heaven and Earth.
I. Creation is not sufficient witness or revelatory of God. Why? First, it presents a creator god, not necessary the One True Only God for creation teaches transcendence, power but not God as Redeemer or Jesus as Mediator. The problem of particularity or specificity which results in idol worship. (the god of Creation is not a Father to us) Second, the fall is not evident in Creation.
II. Therefore God graciously gives to the world(elect, Church) the Scriptures. The polemic right to the RC with the authority of Scripture does not rest with the Church, then the polemic left to the radicals with their position that revelation replaces Scripture. The apologia for the via media of: God's confirmatory action of the Spirit seals our minds and hearts to Scripture but does not add propositional knowledge to it.
III. Then concerning the true knowledge of Himself as revealed in Scripture God justifies it. First the polemic right to the RC in that natural reason is not sufficient to prove the truthfulness of it, then the polemic left to the radicals that revelation is not in addition to Scripture, as opposed to reason. The question of a faithless reason versus an unreasonable faith. And the apologia of the via media where Calvin starts with reason but immediately claims for the Spirit a far better justification of the truth, the standard being God's character. So reason is needed but is at best a weak start-credibility, so revelation is extrareasonable, not unreasonable or irrational.

the bolding is meant to draw your eyes to the important issues during a skimming through process, and the underlining is meant to mark the things i'd like to get to talk about in class. didn't italicize the quotes as that is harder on my eyes than the usual typeface.

The Abridged Text:

6. THE NEED OF SCRIPTURE, AS A GUIDE AND TEACHER, IN COMING TO GOD AS CREATOR.

[http://www.smartlink.net/~douglas/calvin/bk1ch06.html]

1.God bestows the actual knowledge of himself upon us only in the Scriptures

Therefore, though the effulgence which is presented to every eye, both in the heavens and on the earth, leaves the ingratitude of man without excuse, since God, in order to bring the whole human race under the same condemnation, holds forth to all, without exception, a mirror of his Deity in his works, another and better help must be given to guide us properly to God as a Creator. Not in vain, therefore, has he added the light of his Word in order that he might make himself known unto salvation, and bestowed the privilege on those whom he was pleased to bring into nearer and more familiar relation to himself. For, seeing how the minds of men were carried to and fro, and found no certain resting-place, he chose the Jews for a peculiar people, and then hedged them in that they might not, like others, go astray. And not in vain does he, by the same means, retain us in his knowledge, since but for this, even those who, in comparison of others, seem to stand strong, would quickly fall away. For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any books however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly. God therefore bestows a gift of singular value, when, for the instruction of the Church, he employs not dumb teachers merely, but opens his own sacred mouth; when he not only proclaims that some God must be worshipped, but at the same time declares that He is the God to whom worship is due; when he not only teaches his elect to have respect to God, but manifests himself as the God to whom this respect should be paid.

---notes:
effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.
From Latin ex- "out of, from" + fulgere, "to shine." The adjective form of the word is effulgent.

AFAIK this is his first use of the spectacles metaphor. Note what the glasses do, they gather the light of God which is first in our minds, and afterwards that light in creation or in the history of the Jews. At the same time he moves seamlessly from the sight metaphor to the spoken metaphor of God's voice.

We are going to see the spectacles metaphor, along with a related image of reflections in a mirror, many more times as we study Institutes together. It is my intention to draw our attention to these dominant and useful illustrations. First, the spectacles are a gift, they are not part of our bodies like our eyes are, in fact, they are to correct the problems with our natural eyes. [there are 249 hits on google with spectacles+calvin+institutes] This aspect of the metaphor, the glasses are external to us, is designed to lead us to humility and gratitude. Second, if you wear glasses you will realize the essentialness of them. I am blind and very uncomfortable without my glasses except for computer work and reading. Even to listen to people seems to require my glasses, to see their lips moving and to assure myself that they are talking to me. The metaphor grows naturally out of the two books motif(Creation and Scripture) and furthermore extends the need to interpret both(Creation essentially is read by science, and Scripture by Christian theology, one with the physical eyes, the other with the eyes of faith).

first usage definition AFAIK-"as far as i know".
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(Two sorts of knowledge of God in Scripture)
The course which God followed towards his Church from the very first, was to supplement these common proofs by the addition of his Word, as a surer and more direct means of discovering himself. And there can be no doubt that it was by this help, Adam, Noah, Abraham, and the other patriarchs, attained to that familiar knowledge which, in a manner, distinguished them from unbelievers. I am not now speaking of the peculiar doctrines of faith by which they were elevated to the hope of eternal blessedness. It was necessary, in passing from death unto life, that they should know God, not only as a Creator, but as a Redeemer also; and both kinds of knowledge they certainly did obtain from the Word. In point of order, however, the knowledge first given was that which made them acquainted with the God by whom the world was made and is governed. To this first knowledge was afterwards added the more intimate knowledge which alone quickens dead souls, and by which God is known not only as the Creator of the worlds and the sole author and disposer of all events, but also as a Redeemer, in the person of the Mediator. But as the fall and the corruption of nature have not yet been considered, I now postpone the consideration of the remedy, (for which, see Book 2 c. 6 &c.) Let the reader then remember, that I am not now treating of the covenant by which God adopted the children of Abraham, or of that branch of doctrine by which, as founded in Christ, believers have, properly speaking, been in all ages separated from the profane heathen. I am only showing that it is necessary to apply to Scripture, in order to learn the sure marks which distinguish God, as the Creator of the world, from the whole herd of fictitious gods. We shall afterward, in due course, consider the work of Redemption. In the meantime, though we shall adduce many passages from the New Testament, and some also from the Law and the Prophets, in which express mention is made of Christ, the only object will be to show that God, the Maker of the world, is manifested to us in Scripture, and his true character expounded, so as to save us from wandering up and down, as in a labyrinth, in search of some doubtful deity.

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it is here where i get the short statement that creation presents God as Creator but only in Scripture can we know Him as Redeemer, in the person of the Mediator. I would contend that this means that God's love is not apparent in creation, although Calvin in several earlier places states that God's mercy is known in creation. The big point about Scripture however is that only here is available the knowledge that quickens, that gives life. In the next lesson, Calvin talks about the goodness God shows us in creation and providence, this is not the same thing as showing His love for me in particular, something i can only know in Jesus' sacrifice being applied to my heart directly by the Spirit.

One of the strongest criticisms from the world directed at the Church is that of denominationalism. Calvin is continuing his exposition of Romans 1:18-25 and has his ancient Greek and Latin philosopher teachers in mind. Essentially if human beings are so smart, and these are the best of the brightest, why can't they agree? Rather each fashions for himself a different idol, a whole herd of fictitious gods. This is exactly the criticism of denominationalism turned back on the secular, for if we are so smart, and science is so powerful an investigator of the universe, then why can't the philosophers agree on anything?

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"I will praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and thy truth," (Ps. 138: 2.) I need not quote what is said in the Prophets, to the effect that God is merciful and faithful in his promises. It were presumptuous in us to hold that God is propitious to us, had we not his own testimony, and did he not prevent us by his invitation, which leaves no doubt or uncertainty as to his will. It has already been seen that Christ is the only pledge of love, for without him all things, both above and below speak of hatred and wrath. We have also seen, that since the knowledge of the divine goodness cannot be of much importance unless it leads us to confide in it, we must exclude a knowledge mingled with doubt, - a knowledge which, so far from being firm, is continually wavering. But the human mind, when blinded and darkened, is very far from being able to rise to a proper knowledge of the divine will; nor can the heart, fluctuating with perpetual doubt, rest secure in such knowledge. Hence, in order that the word of God may gain full credit, the mind must be enlightened, and the heart confirmed, from some other quarter. We shall now have a full definition of faith, if we say that it is a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favor toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds, and sealed on our hearts, by the Holy Spirit.

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