ST 441 Morse

SEMINAR: JOHN CALVIN'S INSTITUTES

Spring 2009 U. T. S.

Aim: To read the Institutes of 1559 in entirety, to understand and assess Calvin's treatment of basic Christian doctrines, and to recognize issues which Calvin's teaching poses for theology today. Requirements: (1) Completion of the assigned readings as scheduled, (2) regular participation in the seminar discussions, (3) a seminar presentation, and (4) the choice of either a 20 pp. term paper plus a 2 pp. final summation statement, or ten 2 pp. assessments of the weekly assigned readings handed in seriatim on the dates the readings are discussed plus a 2 pp. final summation statement. The topic of the term paper must be approved in advance. The final due date for all work is May 15. . Schedule of reading assignments in the Library of Christian Classics, Vols. XX and XXI., edition of the Institutes. 2/10 Introduction to the work of the course. Autobiographical Sketch from the Dedication of the Commentary on the Psalms, 1557, in Library of Christian Classics, Vol. XXIII, Calvin: Commentaries, pp. 51-57.

2/17

Prefaces and Book I, The Knowledge of God the Creator, Chs. 1-12, pp. 3-120.
Calvins rationale for writing the Institutes. What it means to know God as Creator and how this knowing is granted to us.

2/24

Book I (cont.), Chs. 13-18 and Book II, The Knowledge of God the Redeemer, Chs. 1-2, pp. 120-289.
The difference Scripture makes in distinguishing truth from falsity with respect to deity, the Trinity, human nature, providence, and how God can use even ungodliness in providing for creation. How freedom of choice is to be understood in light of the scriptural testimony regarding the fall of Adam.

3/3

Book II (cont.), Chs. 3-8, pp. 289-423.

The implications of scriptural testimony regarding the Fall continued, and why these implications raise objections about free will. How the moral law of the Ten Commandments provides hope of redemption from

the Fall in light of the coming of Christ.

3/10

Book II (cont.), Chs. 9-17 and Book III, The Way In Which We Receive The Grace of Christ: What Benefits Come To Us From It, And What Effects Follow, Chs. 1-2, pp. 423-592.
How the same Christ is known, but differently, in both the Old and the New Testaments and how these Testaments cannot be separated in their witness to Gods one eternal Word. The classical doctrine of Christ the Mediators two natures, human and divine, and the threefold role attributed to the annointed in scripture of prophet, priest, and king. Atonement, and what it means to hear of the merit brought about by Jesus Christs coming, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven as bringing salvation. What faith is as the work of the Holy Spirit.

3/17

Spring Holidays. No class.

3/24

Book III (cont.), Chs. 3-10, pp. 592-725.

The doctrine of the Christian Life. What is involved, and not involved, in true repentance and why ideas of self-salvation are to be recognized for the false hope and mistaken confidence that they engender. How the promise of a future makes a difference in the way we live in the present.

3/31

Book III (cont.), Chs. 11-19, pp. 725-849.

Why the Reformers stress justification by faith alone. The significance of such terms as justification, judgment, and justice within the context of scriptural testimony compared with how we conventionally define these terms in other contexts of usage. Why promise is such a key concept in the life of faith. What freedom in this context really means.

4/7

Book III (cont.), Chs. 20-25, pp. 850-1008.

Prayer, its role in the life of faith and how God works through it. The doctrine of divine election and its double decree: how according to scripture God is said to have predestined some to salvation without their deserving it and others to destruction, and what to make of this scriptural testimony in ministry today. How to understand the biblical promise of the final resurrection of all.

4/14

Book IV, "The External Means Or Aids By Which God Invites Us Into The Society Of Christ And Holds Us Therein," Chs.1-7, pp. 1011-1149.
The Church and its ministry. How the Church becomes institutionally corrupt and why reformation is necessary. Polemic having to do with the history of medieval papal ecclesiastical governance. The biblical teaching concerning ministers and their proper functions.

4/21

Book IV (cont.), Chs. 8-13, pp. 1149-1276.

Continued polemic against perceived abuses of papal ecclesiastical governance. The significance of Church councils and the hermeneutical rules for interpreting conciliar decisions regarding doctrine. What it means for churches to exercise discipline and for individuals to take vows.

4/28

Book IV (cont.), Chs. 14-19, pp. 1276-1484.

The two sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper, their significance for faith and how they become subject to unfaithful distortion. Why other ceremonies of the church are not on a sacramental par with them.

5/5

Book IV (cont.), Ch. 20, pp. 1485-1521.

Teaching regarding civil government. Calvins social ethic and political theology regarding just and unjust rulers and the nature of faithful civic responsibility in the face of tyranny and injustice in the social order.

During the semester it is recommended that all students read Franois Wendel, Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought, 1950 (Baker Books Reprint, 1997).

The final due date for all written work to be placed in Prof. Morses Pit mailbox is May 15. Include a self-addressed, stamped (if necessary) envelope large enough for return of papers. Please do not submit any written work for evaluation without a sufficient size self-addressed return envelope.

ST 441 SEMINAR: JOHN CALVINS INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION SPRING 2009 MORSE

REQUESTED LIBRARY RESERVE LIST REQUIRED (est. enrollment c. 12) The required edition of the two-volume Institutes, and the only one we will be using, is : *John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vols. XX and XXI of The Library of Christian Classics, ed. by John T. McNeill and trans. by Ford Lewis Battles, Westminster Press, 1960. *Franois Wendel, Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought, 1950 (Grand Rapids: Baker Book Reprint, 1997). RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED Ford Lewis Battles, Analysis of the Institutes of the Christian Religion of John Calvin (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980). Allan Boesak, Black and Reformed: Apartheid, Liberation and the Calvinist Tradition (Maryknoll: Orbis Press, 1986). William J. Bouwsma, John Calvin: A Sixteenth Century Portrait (New York: Oxford Press, 1988). Jane Dempsey Douglas, Women, Freedom, and Calvin (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1985). Alexandre Ganoczy, The Young Calvin (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1987). Serene Jones, Calvin and the Rhetoric of Piety (Westminster John Knox Press, 1995) David Steinmetz, Calvin in Context (New York: Oxford Press, 1995). John Witte, Jr. and Robert M. Kingdon, Sex, Marriage, and Family in John Calvins Geneva, William B. Eerdmans, 2005. NOTE Check the Burke Library catalogue for numerous additional Calvin listings. The Calvin Theological Journal contains an annually updated "Calvin Bibliography" article.