John Calvin: Writings on Pastoral Piety
Overview
This volume presents select works of John Calvin (1509–1564), the great Reformer of Geneva, with special emphasis on his piety. Many often forget that in addition to being one of the sharpest theological minds of any generation, Calvin was also a pastor. His writing on this subject is of great use to modern believers who wish to emulate his practice.
For a massive collection including over a hundred and twenty of the volumes in this series, see the Classics of Western Spirituality Bundle (126 vols.).
Key Features
- A self-description of Calvin’s pastoral emphases
- Fully integrates and cross references with other resources from your Logos library
- A primary source that is highly applicable
Top Highlights
“First, the Christian life for Calvin was suffused with a profound awareness that Christians are not their own: they belong to God by right of creation and still more by right of redemption (an echo of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20). The ‘sum’ of the Christian life is self-denial, a deliberate renunciation of self-love and a commitment to live for God.” (Page xvi)
“His purpose was to lead and challenge all who heard him, or read what he wrote, to realize that their true happiness consists in devotion to God for God’s glory; that their salvation is assured by Christ’s grace; and so their lives will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and should be given over to the service of God and their neighbor.” (Pages xi–xii)
“I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, ‘An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul’; for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.” (Page 56)
“Those who were regarded as the leaders of faith neither understood Your word, nor greatly cared for it” (Page 43)
“Bern, the city’s patron, was Zwinglian in its church order; this meant that the civil government was charged with the practical oversight of church life, including discipline and liturgical ceremony. In Calvin’s view, the church must be autonomous in its own life; it should not only be free to preach the gospel but also to control its own government and worship practices.” (Page 10)
- Title: John Calvin: Writings on Pastoral Piety
- Author: John Calvin
- Series: The Classics of Western Spirituality
- Publisher: Paulist Press
- Print Publication Date: 2001
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Pages: 384
- Era: era:reformation
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Pastoral theology › Reformed Church
- ISBNs: 0809140462, 0809105411, 9780809140466, 9780809105410
- Resource ID: LLS:JOHNCALVIN
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:08:29Z
John Calvin (1509–1564), one of the most important thinkers in church history, was a prominent French theologian during the Protestant Reformation and the father of Calvinism. His theological works, biblical commentaries, tracts, treatises, sermons, and letters helped establish the Reformation throughout Europe.
Calvinism has spawned movements and sparked controversy throughout the centuries. Calvin began his work in the church at the age of 12, intending to train for the priesthood. Calvin attended the Collège de la Marche in Paris at 14, before studying law at the University of Orléans and continuing his studies at the University of Bourges.
In 1532, Calvin’s first published work appeared: a commentary on Seneca’s De Clementia. The controversy of calling for reform in the Catholic Church disciplined Calvin in his writing project, and he began working on the first edition of The Institutes of the Christian Religion, which appeared in 1536. Calvin’s Commentaries and The Letters of John Calvin are also influential; both appear in the Calvin 500 Collection.