Calvin and the Independence of the Church
by Herman A. Speelman
Speelman deals with a central question in the intellectual history of the sixteenth century: to what extent can Calvin be regarded as responsible for the tendency in Calvinism or, more broadly, in Reformed Protestantism, to form a church which has its own ecclesiastical organization and office bearers? To better understand this issue, the text examines the position of the church within the city-state of Bern. Secondly, it directs its attention to the manner in which Calvin gave form to ecclesiastical life in Geneva. Next, it deals with the church in France, and finally, it examines the influence of Calvin and French Calvinism on the organization of the Reformed church in The Netherlands in the 1570s.
Speelman deals with a central question in the intellectual history of the sixteenth century: to what extent can Calvin be regarded as responsible for the tendency in Calvinism or, more broadly, in Reformed Protestantism, to form a church which has its own ecclesiastical organization and office bearers? So far, claiming a great deal of independence for the church has been considered an important aspect of Calvin’s legacy. In this line of reasoning, it is assumed that Calvin was a strong opponent of the church as a state organization that did not have its own governing body and power of excommunication. To better understand this issue, the text examines the position of the church within the city-state of Bern. Secondly, it directs its attention to the manner in which Calvin gave form to ecclesiastical life in Geneva. Next, it deals with the church in France, and finally, it examines the influence of Calvin and French Calvinism on the organization of the Reformed church in The Netherlands in the 1570s.
Preface Afterword Translator's Note Contents General Introduction Chapter 1: 1. The Church in Bern after 1528 2. The Church in Bern after 1532 Concluding remarks Chapter 2: Calvin and the Independence of the Genevan Church 1536-1538 and 1541 Introduction 1. The state of the church between 1536 and 1538 2. The ecclesiastical situation late in 1541 Chapter 3: Calvin and the Independence of the French Calvinist Church from 1559 to early 1562 Introduction 1. The Formation of Local Churches 2. The National Church 3. Political Pleasure Conclusion Chapter 4: "We were right to follow the Genevans": Calvin and the Church in the Netherlands 1572-1578 Introduction 1. Motive and Background 2. The Kerkelijke Wetten (1576) and the Acts of the Synod of 1578 3. Responses to the synod of 1578 Conclusion Chapter 5: 1. Bern and Geneva 2. France and the Netherlands Conclusion Abbreviations Literature Index
- By (author) Herman A. Speelman
Other Titles in this Series
Union with God
An Assessment of Deification (Theosis) in the Theologies of Robert Jenson and John Calvin
Volume 69
Britain and the Bestandstwisten
The Causes, Course and Consequences of British Involvement in the Dutch Religious and Political Disputes of the Early Seventeenth Century
Volume 28
Die Pradestinationslehre der Heidelberger Theologen 1583-1622
Georg Sohn (1551-1589), Herman Rennecherus (1550-?), Jacob Kimedoncius (1554-1596), Daniel Tossanus (1541-1602)
Volume 10
The Anchor of a Believer’s Hope
John Flavel's (ca. 1627-1691) Theology of Death, Dying, and Eternal Destiny
Volume 83
Calvinus clarissimus theologus
Papers of the Tenth International Congress on Calvin Research
Volume 18
Reformation of the Commonwealth
Thomas Becon and the Politics of Evangelical Change in Tudor England
Volume 58
Debated Issues in Sovereign Predestination
Early Lutheran Predestination, Calvinian Reprobation, and Variations in Genevan Lapsarianism
Volume 42
Beyond Calvin
Union with Christ and Justification in Early Modern Reformed Theology (1517-1700)
Volume 20
Heinrich Alting (1583-1644)
Lebensbild und Bedeutung fur die reformierte Historiografie und Dogmengeschichtsschreibung des 17. Jahrhunderts
Volume 56
The Ground, Method, and Goal of Amandus Polanus’ (1561-1610) Doctrine of God
A Historical and Contextual Analysis
Volume 73
Mysterium Christi spiritualis praesentiae
Die Abendmahlslehre des Genfer Reformators Johannes Calvin aus romisch-katholischer Perspektive
Volume 19
Symphonia Catholica
The Merger of Patristic and Contemporary Sources in the Theological Method of Amandus Polanus (1561-1610)
Volume 30
Omnes in Adam ex pacto Dei
Ambrogio Catarino's Doctrine of Covenantal Solidarity and Its Influence on Post-Reformation Reformed Theologians
Volume 8
Similar Books
A Companion to Christianity and Sport in Europe and North America (19th-21st centuries)
Volume 1: Western and Eastern Europe
A Connecting Polemic in the Medieval Mediterranean
The Correspondence of Leo III and Ê¿Umar II
Volume 6
Ars Prophetica
Theology in the Poetry of Twentieth-Century Hebrew Poets Avraham Halfi, Shin Shalom, Amir Gilboa, and T. Carmi
As Messianism Turns to Heresy
The Regenstein Chair Lectures On Lurianic Kabbalah and Shabbatai Tzevi at Hebrew Union College - Cincinnati
Creating the Woman in Antiquity
Proceedings of the 16th Melammu Workshop, Innsbruck, 2–3 June 2022
Volume 13
Cultic Kisses
Fruitful Encounters Between Deities and Humans. Festschrift for Angelika Berlejung on the Occasion of Her 65th Birthday
De/colonizing Theologies
Glocal Histories, Contemporary Challenges, Theoretical Reflections
Volume 4
Drunk the Potion, No Whit Charmed
The Doctrine of Pure and Perfect Souls from Iamblichus to Damascius
Extracanonical Traditions and the Holy Land
Texts, Rituals, and Material Culture in Late Antique Palestine
Fear, Fear of God, God-Fearers
Philological and Historical Perspectives on the World of Ancient Judaism and Christianity
Gender and Iconography in Antiquity
Femininities, Masculinities, Ambiguities, and Beyond in the Ancient Levant, Near East, and Mediterranean