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

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illumination makes us capable of understanding those things which would otherwise far exceed our capacity, and forms us to a firm persuasion, by sealing the promises of salvation on our hearts." 211 Given all that Calvin has already said of the work of the Holy Spirit, such depictions are entirely expectable: The Holy Spirit is the "agent" of believers' reception of Christ and his benefits. Eventually the catechism turns to the sacraments, a dialog that Gottfried Locher characterizes as one long argument against the views of Zwingli. 212 In Calvin's discussion of the sacraments generally considered, one first encounters the question of the purpose of the sacraments with respect to the proper office of the Holy Spirit, the concern being that if the sacraments seal the promises of God on our minds, then the office of the Holy Spirit is affronted. Calvin replies that enlightening the mind and sealing promises to the heart are indeed actions of the Holy Spirit alone, but that "this does not at all prevent God from employing the sacraments as secondary instruments (d'instrumens/organis), and applying them to what use he deems proper, without derogating in any respect from the agency (vertu/virtuti) of the Spirit." 213 So then, one understands that "the power and efficacy of a sacrament is not contained in the outward element, but flows entirely from the Spirit of God," since "the Lord hath been pleased to 211 Tracts and Treatises 2:53. "Mais le sainct Esprit nous illumine, pour nous faire capables d'entendre ce qui autrement nous serait incomprehensible, et nous fortifie en certitude, seellant et imprimans les promesses de salut en noz cueurs" (CO 6:45). "Verum spiritus sanctus illuminatione sua capaces nos intelligendi facit, ea, quae captum nostrum longe alioqui excederent: nosque ad certam persuasionem format, salutis promissiones cordibus nostris obsignando" (CO 6:46). 212 Locher, "Discord Among Guests,"in Zwingli's Thought, 321n34 and 324n46. 213 Tracts and Treatises 2:84. CO 6:111 and 112. 72
exert his energy (virtutem) by his instruments," which "he does without detracting in any respect from the virtue of his Spirit." 214 As noted above, in an earlier portion of his catechism, Calvin emphasizes the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit. In his discussion of the sacraments generally, he refers to the "efficacy" of the Holy Spirit with respect to the sacrament. When he takes up the Lord's Supper in particular, Calvin elaborates on this second role, first in reference to the question of "presence" and that of which we truly partake in the Supper. The catechism's dialog proceeds as follows: Minister: Have we in the Supper only a figure of the benefits which you have mentioned, or are they there exhibited to us in reality (an illic re ipsa nobis exhibentur)? Child: Seeing that our Lord Jesus Christ is truth (veritas) itself, there cannot be a doubt that he at the same time fulfils the promises which he there gives us, and adds the reality (veritatem) to the figures. Wherefore I doubt not that as he testifies by words and signs, so he also makes us partakers of his substance (de sa propre substance/ita etiam suae nos substantiae participes faciat), that thus we may have one life with him." Minister: But how can this be, when the body of Christ is in heaven, and we are still pilgrims on the earth? Child: This he accomplishes by the secret and miraculous agency of his Spirit, to whom it is not difficult to unite things otherwise disjoined by a distant space. 215 According to Calvin, believers are made partakers of the propre substance of Christ's body and blood. The question is how, given that Christ is in heaven and we are on earth. 214 Tracts and Treatises 2:84. This dialog is rendered in CO as follows: LE MINISTRE. Tu entens donc que l'efficace des Sacremens ne gist pas en l'element exterieur: mais procede toute de l'Esprit de Dieu. L'ENFANT. Voire: selon que Dieu veut besongner par les moyens qu'il a instituez, sans deroguer à sa puissance (CO 6:113). MINISTER. Vim ergo efficaciamque sacramenti non in externo elemento inclusam esse existimas, sed totam a spiritu Dei manare? PUER. Sic sentio: nempe, ut virtutem suam exserere Domino placuerit per sua organa, quem in finem ea destinavit. Quod quidem ita facit, ut spiritus sui virtuti nihil detrahat (CO 6:114). 215 Tracts and Treatises 2:91. "C'est par la vertu incomprehensible de son Esprit, laquelle conioinct bien les choses separées par distance de lieu" (CO 6:127). "Hoc mirifica arcanaque spiritus sui virtute efficit: cui difficile non est sociare, quae locorum intervallo alioqui sunt disiuncta" (CO 6:128). 73
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THE PROVENANCE OF JOHN CALVIN'S EMP
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THE PROVENANCE OF JOHN CALVIN'S EMP
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For Paul, Liesl, & Annemarie. Witho
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CONTENTS Acknowledgments...........
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply indebte
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ABBREVIATIONS BDS Bucer, Deutsche S
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INTRODUCTION With respect to one of
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and secondary source material to my
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among humanists who dwell deeply on
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of the Greek Fathers for whom the i
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Optima ineundae concordiae ratio (1
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in the Supper," 13 Calvin refers to
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To make his point even more forthri
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I come to close quarters at once wi
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ends. 33 Read critically it becomes
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purpose, 'My flesh is meat indeed,'
Page 33 and 34: eality" (rei exhibitionem). 51 That
Page 35 and 36: themselves, because of their "natur
Page 37 and 38: locally present on earth, at least
Page 39 and 40: that there is a medium between thes
Page 41 and 42: another to receive." 85 The "nature
Page 43 and 44: the mouth of faith, 91 are truly fe
Page 45 and 46: concordiae ratio of 1560, "raises u
Page 47 and 48: 1.4 Coda under the symbols of bread
Page 49 and 50: CHAPTER 2 A STUDY OF CALVIN'S REFER
Page 51 and 52: a historical development." 108 As J
Page 53 and 54: The chapter itself unfolds as a chr
Page 55 and 56: instructs us by his Word, confirms
Page 57 and 58: and blood in the Supper, he does no
Page 59 and 60: In light of his first treatment of
Page 61 and 62: y which under bread and wine he rep
Page 63 and 64: under the bread, or of the blood un
Page 65 and 66: participation we are fed on eternal
Page 67 and 68: François Gilmont conclude, "If it
Page 69 and 70: enclosed under some corruptible ele
Page 71 and 72: paragraphs before in this very trea
Page 73 and 74: preaching, as far as God uses the i
Page 75 and 76: moved and our souls opened for the
Page 77 and 78: ody, spirit, and soul with him. The
Page 79 and 80: In this passage Calvin concerns him
Page 81 and 82: order that they might truly receive
Page 83: minister and catechumen. He publish
Page 87 and 88: same year Calvin published a liturg
Page 89 and 90: the vital role of the Holy Spirit w
Page 91 and 92: communicated in the sacrament, and
Page 93 and 94: (per spiritum), even although it is
Page 95 and 96: sacramentally, is Calvin's emphasis
Page 97 and 98: The nub of disagreement between Cal
Page 99 and 100: are three: "that the signs are not
Page 101 and 102: seemingly conceded the use of the t
Page 103 and 104: Spirit still figures as the "agent"
Page 105 and 106: truly fulfils what he figures, he t
Page 107 and 108: CHAPTER 3 A NARRATIVE, BIOGRAPHICAL
Page 109 and 110: with another, one must not simply i
Page 111 and 112: Paris were reading, appreciating, a
Page 113 and 114: Faculty and Parlement censured Berq
Page 115 and 116: devotio moderna" who longed for his
Page 117 and 118: Beyond the foregoing detail, little
Page 119 and 120: "brilliant classical scholar" 332 o
Page 121 and 122: oyally endowed lectures in the 'thr
Page 123 and 124: In May 1532, Calvin returned to Orl
Page 125 and 126: writes: "Like most of the humanists
Page 127 and 128: possibility exists, to which father
Page 129 and 130: which offered scholars opportunitie
Page 131 and 132: Oecolampadius' death in 1531 (just
Page 133 and 134: communes theologici, the first edit
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What of patristic influence? Lane t
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open repudiation of the "papist" in
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the churches and the destruction of
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defended the evangelical position,
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to his complete vilification by the
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is wholly due to "the secret and mi
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intention of devoting himself once
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Among medievals: Calvin cites Thoma
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whether positive or negative, of Me
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sources—the exegesis of Origen, 4
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placing loci into their commentarie
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"confluence" of humanistic and scho
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And, of course, Calvin seems to hav
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specifically refers include Bernard
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By now, an emphasis on the Holy Spi
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traditions, rather than by way of h
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subsequent early expressions (prepa
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distinguished Calvin's earliest ins
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sacraments" as seals of promises).
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that "a static view of the eucharis
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Supper between the publication of t
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Davis continues just a little on: O
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Chrysostom and published it in one
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It was in a sermon which Erasmus ha
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Like van't Spijker, Wendel claims d
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up again the question of the proven
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CHAPTER 5 ASSIMILATION: CALVIN'S DO
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when Calvin concerns himself with "
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the Lord's Prayer, and the Sacramen
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creation, "we are never to doubt or
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We are persuaded that there is for
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Here, the "efficacy" of the Spirit
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length. While the doctrine of the T
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Calvin's Trinitarian conception of
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… our faith receives from baptism
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the Godhead into itself. Now who do
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As noted in Chapter 2, Calvin inter
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Calvin broaches the conception of d
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with respect to the person and work
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In his exposition of the confession
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So Christ, the Son, is appointed by
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us to seal the gift of a thing invi
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himself, not the Spirit, but Christ
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Spirit He consecrates us as temples
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This is evident from Calvin's prefa
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CHAPTER 6 ASSIMILATION: THE THOUGHT
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integrate his ideas into a powerful
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Bourges. 694 So it is not unlikely,
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Luther's own doctrine of the Lord's
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Luther's doctrine of the Lord's Sup
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Supper of 1528, 718 Luther employs
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proof that only a spiritual eating,
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ifurcation of these two views, not
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The point is then, that although Ca
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naturally'—vere et efficaciter ex
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Therefore just as the word is an in
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eading them." 760 Given its context
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this view in his definition of the
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the contemplation of faith" (adesse
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doctrine as an argument for Christ'
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physically." This fact seemingly mi
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He then proceeds to his exegetical
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sharers in all his blessings." 800
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century. 808 Oecolampadius had been
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Oecolampadius' treatment of the sac
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The extent to which Calvin had acce
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Clearly Oecolampadius is concerned
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Calvin's thought and expression is
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faithfully defending his predecesso
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which, being received spiritually b
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sacraments, as signs of things sign
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espect to the sacraments, at least
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eliever, operatio spiritu sancti. A
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The Zwinglian, even "Karlstadtian,"
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judiciously, distinguished his thou
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Bucer and Capito given that it was
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might have been picked up from Bren
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"Lutheran-leaning," or, as Amy Nels
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Confessionis Augustanae (1530), 912
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Spirit might incite confusion, migh
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signified. Christ himself is encoun
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The 1537 Synod of Bern was called,
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This is the confession Bucer ratifi
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Lausanne, but also the Pays de Vaud
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the disputation, the Lord's Supper
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By esprit, Viret is presumably spea
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ecepvoir de grace en son corps et e
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thought, though never in a direct q
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1542, when he edited for publicatio
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efers to the Spirit as the nexus be
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Now, it cannot be declared definiti
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Charybdis of Zwingli's spiritualist
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Since Calvin's early interest in th
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"Calvin's use of the fathers (espec
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. . . quando hoc beneficii per spir
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the Spirit as the vinculum 1013 —
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Interestingly, in his presentation
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is likely spurious, its preparer be
Page 331 and 332:
Once again Calvin's signature expla
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of the Institutio, and the expressi
Page 335 and 336:
Even though such an expression is n
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Throughout the dialog between the K
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himself." So Butin, for one among o
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sacramental is equivalent merely to
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Spirit is not expressed in Augustin
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Ratramnus were monks at the Benedic
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as the papal legate designated to p
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Lord's Supper and Ratramnus'. 1089
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Here, as in the passage above, Ratr
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theological tradition of the church
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8.1 Calvin's Liturgy: Context and C
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himself and printed in Strasbourg i
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On the day of the Lord's Supper, th
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himself invites us to His Table: th
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one "disposes" one's soul "to be no
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edition of his Institutio, "suggest
Page 367 and 368:
Their content is likewise distinct.
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lavishness of God's "peace, grace,
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Bürki suggests. And yet such a ric
Page 373 and 374:
Bucer's rhetorical set-up of this c
Page 375 and 376:
truly be for us the communion of Hi
Page 377 and 378:
in true childlike trust, and always
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"Gott sei gelobet" or a psalm, afte
Page 381 and 382:
The prayer of confession immediatel
Page 383 and 384:
Calvin's Genevan and Strasbourg rub
Page 385 and 386:
not only Germany, but also the Neth
Page 387 and 388:
However, given their thematic struc
Page 389 and 390:
For all their resonance, though, it
Page 391 and 392:
disposition could subscribe to it,
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and beyond? 1213 What is the measur
Page 395 and 396:
CONCLUSION The front matter of this
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expositions of the sacrament—pres
Page 399 and 400:
uniquely ordained for such proclama
Page 401 and 402:
Institutio christianae religionis,
Page 403 and 404:
Hazlett, W. Ian P. "Calvin's Latin
Page 405 and 406:
-----. "Confession on the Eucharist
Page 407 and 408:
-----. De Trinitate, translated by
Page 409 and 410:
Battles, Ford Lewis. "The Sources o
Page 411 and 412:
-----. Revelation, Redemption, and
Page 413 and 414:
Farge, Benjamin W. Orthodoxy and Re
Page 415 and 416:
Guggisberg, Hans R. Basel in the Si
Page 417 and 418:
Koopmans, J. Het oudkerkelijk dogma
Page 419 and 420:
Macy, Gary. The Theologies of the E
Page 421 and 422:
Neuser, Wilhelm H., and Brian G. Ar
Page 423 and 424:
Partee, Charles. "Farel's Influence
Page 425 and 426:
------. "Philip Melanchthon." In Re
Page 427 and 428:
van Stam, Frans Pieter. "Das Verhä
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