John Calvin is universally acknowledged as one of the formative Christian theologians and one of the great doctors of the Church. His work continues to be the subject of almost continuous exposition and scholarly appraisal. This book is the first at length treatment of some of his key ideas and his theological positions that have a philosophical aspect to them. Work has been done on the philosophical sources of some of Calvin's work, but little or nothing on how Calvin actually made use of philosophical ideas in his work. Calvin has frequently been thought of as anti philosophical in his bent, ... More

John Calvin is universally acknowledged as one of the formative Christian theologians and one of the great doctors of the Church. His work continues to be the subject of almost continuous exposition and scholarly appraisal. This book is the first at length treatment of some of his key ideas and his theological positions that have a philosophical aspect to them. Work has been done on the philosophical sources of some of Calvin's work, but little or nothing on how Calvin actually made use of philosophical ideas in his work. Calvin has frequently been thought of as anti philosophical in his bent, with particular focus being placed on his intense dislike of speculation. Emphasis has been placed on his role as a theologian of 'the Word' and on his Renaissance background. It is not denied that Calvin was first and foremost a theologian, and not a philosopher, and the influence of the Renaissance upon him, particularly on his style, must be recognized. However, careful analysis of his theology reveals both Calvin's thorough familiarity with a range of philosophical ideas, and a willingness to use these, putting them to work in elucidation of his own theological positions, and even on occasion indulging in a little speculation on his own account.