Calvin's Old Testament Exegesis in Context Calvin in Context Jean Calvin, the reformer and pastor of Geneva, is renowned as one of the most important figures in what came to be known as the Reformed and Presbyterian branch of the Protestant Reformation. Perhaps less well known is the fact that he devoted the bulk of his creative efforts to prea- ing, lecturing, and commenting on the Bible. Calvin envisioned a program of reform in Geneva in which the Bible, properly interpreted, would shape the minds and morals of the Genevan populace. The people of Geneva, whom Calvin viewed as a precise spiritual reincarnation of the sti- necked, intractable Hebrews of the Old Testament, were in need of some serious remedial education, and it was his duty as their chief minister to provide the requisite training in doctrine and godliness. Despite Calvin's emphasis on preaching and producing biblical c- mentaries, however, scholars have often portrayed him as a man of one 1 bookthat one book being the Institutes of the Christian Religion. In so - ing, they have produced a one-dimensional and consequently incomplete view of Calvin's theological work. Scholars have tended to study Calvin's theology exclusively from the perspective of his Institutes, without taking into account his work of biblical interpretation and preaching, or the re- tionship of those efforts to the Institutes.

Offers a new and corrective perspective on Jean Calvin's use of rhetoric in his theological and homiletic work, focusing on the early modern revival of classical rhetoric, rather than psychoanalyzing the Reformer of Geneva Firmly grounds Calvin's biblical exegesis in the contexts of the broader Christian exegetical tradition, the revival of rhetoric in early modern Europe, and the political tensions surrounding the religious reforms of the sixteenth century Opens a unique window into Calvin's exegetical method and sheds light on the different rhetorical and pedagogical approaches between his commentaries and his sermon Provides deeper insight into how Calvin understood the Old Testament, integrated it into his understanding of Christian theology, and applied it to the practical concerns of everyday life in sixteenth century Geneva Provides evidence of Calvin's development as an interpreter of the biblical text, and as a theologian, demonstrating the integral relationship between Calvin's exegetical work and his Institutes of the Christian Religion as the repository of his theological commonplaces

Klappentext

This study examines Jean Calvin's attempt to nurture a godly society and further his vision of ecclesiastical and societal reform by means of sound pedagogy and persuasive rhetoric. The focus of this work is Calvin's interpretation of the latter Pentateuch, and particularly the book of Deuteronomy. The author examines Calvin's exegesis and rhetoric in his commentary on the latter Pentateuch, as well as the sermons that Calvin preached on Deuteronomymaterial that has received little scholarly attention. Calvin's interpretations are compared with the preceding exegetical tradition and with his contemporaries, and always considered in the contexts of the early modern interest in classical rhetoric and that of the reform of church, theology, and society in Switzerland and beyond. Commonly held assumptions about Calvin's methodology, such as his alleged aversion to rhetoric and the scholarly fixation on his laconic style, are challenged, nuanced, and corrected.

Because of its fresh, contextual approach to Calvin's thought, this study will be an important resource for students of the history of exegesis as well as for Calvin scholars, and it will appeal to seminary as well as university students.

Inhalt

Acknowledgements. Abbreviations. Introduction: Calvin's Old Testament Exegesis in Context.- 1: L'École de Dieu. Pedagogy from the Pulpit. Preaching and Pedagogy in Calvin's Vision of a Godly Society.- 2: Ample Preaching. The Rhetoric of Calvin's Sermons.- 3: Calvin's Sermons on Deuteronomy. A Course in Remedial Education.- 4: Calvin's Pedagogically Correct Commentary On Moses' Perfect History. Improving on Perfection.- 5: Calvin on the Fourth Commandment. The Rhetoric of Rest.- 6: Calvin on Deuteronomy 10:1-2. Smooth Stones, Teachable Hearts.- 7: Calvin on Deuteronomy 21:18-21. The Case of the Incorrigible Son. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.