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THE PROVENANCE OF JOHN CALVIN'S EMPHASIS ON THE ...

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to his complete vilification by the Swiss," 439 at least among the Bernese and the<br />

Zurichers; among the Genevans, it was at this time that Calvin, Farel, and Viret<br />

presented—at least to Bucer and Capito—the Confessio fidei de eucharistia. 440 As noted<br />

in the previous chapter, this is the first of "Calvin's" confessions to speak of Christ's<br />

Spirit as "the bond of our participation in him, [such that] he really feeds us with the<br />

substance of the body and blood of the Lord to everlasting life, and vivifies us by<br />

participation in them." 441 Bucer and Capito subscribed to this confession, with Bucer<br />

adding his own brief commentary. 442<br />

In January 1538, Calvin addressed a letter to Bucer that reveals his increasing<br />

interest in and familiarity with Bucer's work. Already in his 1536 Institutio, Calvin<br />

betrays the influence of Bucer's commentary on the gospels (1527 and 1530) on his<br />

thought, given a few theological inflections expressed there. 443 In early 1538, writes<br />

Gilmont, Calvin penned a long letter to Bucer "encouraging him to calm tensions over<br />

the doctrine of the Lord's Supper." 444 In the midst of that letter, Calvin declares himself<br />

familiar with several of Bucer's works, including "the 1529 Commentary on the Psalms,<br />

439 Bruening, Calvinism's First Battleground, 83.<br />

440 As noted in the previous chapter, "one must be cautious to claim Calvin, Farel, or Viret as the<br />

sole author of this consensus statement. Furthermore, since it is a consensus statement, one must also be<br />

cautious about claiming it as a comprehensive summary of any one subscriber's entire doctrine of the<br />

Lord's Supper."<br />

441 Bruening, Calvinism's First Battleground, 83. The bracketed portion is a modification of<br />

Reid's translation (Calvin: Theological Treatises, 168). "Ergo spiritum eius vinculum esse nostrae cum<br />

ipso particpationis agnoscimus, sed ita ut nos ille carnis et sanguinis Domini substantia vere ad<br />

immortalitatem pascat, et eorum participatione vivificet" (CO 9:711).<br />

442 For more, see Chapter 2 above and Chapter 6 below.<br />

443 Ganoczy, Young Calvin, 159ff. Also Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 172, with<br />

reference to Ganoczy.<br />

444 Gilmont, Calvin and the Printed Book, 172.<br />

131

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