John Calvin’s Proof for Satan’s Existence (October 22, 2012)

2019-03-29: An updated version of this article is available here: Does the Devil (or Satan) Exist? Friedrich Schleiermacher debates John Calvin Illustration of the Devil in the Codex Gigas, Early 13th Century John Calvin's proof for the existence of Satan in Institutes 1.14.17-18 continues to be useful, so I'm providing an extended […]

Related: christian faith, Devil, Friedrich Schleiermacher, institutes of the christian religion, John Calvin, Problem of Evil, Proof for the Devil, Proof of Satan, Satan, Theodicy

John Calvin’s Letter to Lelio Socin (On Socinianism) (October 9, 2012)

I was surprised to read a short letter from John Calvin written to Laelius Socinus. It was Laelius Socinus's rationalism that caused him to doubt many orthodox beliefs, often in the name of reason, and as a radical reformer of the 16th century he pioneered the ideas that his disciples formalized […]

Related: 17th century, antitrinitarian, Fausto Sozzini, Faustus Socinus, francis turretin, Heinrich Bullinger, institutes of elenctic theology, John Calvin, Laelius Socinus, Lelio Socin, Melanchthon, Refusal to reply to the curious questions proposed to him by Socin., Servetus, Socinianism, The Letters of John Calvin, Turretin, Ulrich Zwingli

Abraham Kuyper on Hegel, Schleiermacher and Natural Theology (June 22, 2012)

Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) was a Dutch Reformed Theologian and Political, and in his massive three-volume Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology, I've quoted Kuyper's assessment of Hegel and Schleiermacher in regards to Natural Revelation. Beginning with the introduction in John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, the Reformed Church has defined its epistemology […]

Related: abraham kuyper, antithesis, christian faith, dialetic, encyclopedia of sacred theology: its principles, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Hegel, institutes of the christian religion, John Calvin, Natural Revelation, Revelation, synthesis, thesis

Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (June 20, 2012)

Keith A. Mathison's Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper is a magisterial treatment of John Calvin's doctrine of the Lord's Supper. The main thesis of the book is that the Reformed Tradition has abandoned Calvin's Real Presence view of the Lord's Supper and has over time returned […]

Related: charles hodge, Communion, Eucharist, extra calvinisticum, Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper, John Calvin, John Williamson Nevin, Keith A. Mathison, Keith Mathison, lord's supper, real presence, real spiritual presence, Reformed Church, Reformed Theology, Zwingli

Origen on Election and Apokatastasis (June 8, 2012)

Origen of Alexandria and apokatastasis: Edward Moore Origen of Alexandria's writings on Election and Predestination must be read while keeping his teachings on Universalism and Resurrection in mind. Origen's doctrine of ἀποκατάστασις (apokatastasis or apocatastasis) is famous for supporting Universalism (or Universal Reconciliation), that is that all people will eventually saved and […]

Related: apocatastasis, Apokatastasis, Decretum Absolutum, Double Predestination, First Principles, Frederick Crombie, Gottschalk, Gottshalk of Orbais, Gregory of Nyssa, John Calvin, Origen of Alexandria, Resurrection, Universalism

Philip Melanchthon against Thomas Aquinas: Do the sacraments benefits others besides the recipients? (March 30, 2012)

In Melanchthon's Loci, he says that the belief that the Mass benefits others besides the recipient originated in Thomas' Summa, here's the quotation from Loci:  "All Masses are godless, therefore, except those by which consciences are encouraged for the strengthening of faith. A sacrifice is what we offer to God, but we do […]

Related: Benefits, Didache, Eucharist, John Calvin, Loci Communes, lord's supper, Philip Melanchthon, Sacrifice, Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas

Martin Luther and The Great Exchange (March 28, 2012)

I've been told by many people that Martin Luther referred to 2 Corinthians 5:21 as "The Great Exchange." But I've been unable to verify that Luther had ever actually used the term "The Great Exchange." For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in […]

Related: 2 corinthians 5:21, Anselm, cur deus homo, Institutes, John Calvin, Martin Luther, mirifica commutatio, the great exchange, the wondrous exchange

Christ And Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr (review) (October 20, 2011)

It's almost impossible to engage in a conversation about culture without someone mentioning H. Richard Niehbur's Christ & Culture. I learned about Niehbur through D.A. Carson's magisterial Christ & Culture: Revisited, which I unfortunately read before ...

Related: Al Mohler, Albrecht Ritschl, Augustine, Augustine of Hippo, Christ, Christ and Culture, Culture, ethics, Friedrich Schleiermacher, H. Richard Niebuhr, Helmut Richard Niebuhr, John Calvin, Leo Tolstoy, Niebhur, Paul Tillich, Tertullian, Thomas Jefferson

Francis Turretin’s Institutes of Elenctic Theology (September 10, 2011)

Francis Turretin (1623–1687) or François Turretini was a Reformed Theologian who taught in Calvin's academy in Geneva a couple generations after John Calvin had died. He is most famous for his timeless and massive systematic theology titled: ...

Related: charles hodge, francis turretin, francois turretini, institutes of elenctic theology, John Calvin, michael horton, socinius, systematic theology

Seven Important New Testament Uncial Codex Manuscripts (March 10, 2011)

I've listed seven important codex uncial manuscripts that are invaluable witnesses to the Greek New Testament. The first four are the great uncials, which means that they are hand written in uncials (upper-case letters) and have no spaces or punctuatio...

Related: aleph, alexandrian, b, beza, byzantine, c, caesarean, d, John Calvin, manuscripts, text-types, theta, uncials, w, western