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

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power of the Holy Spirit" in his pastoral and polemical expositions on the Lord's Supper, he simply does not do so in his liturgical one. This fact is striking, even disconcerting in a way. One might suppose that the omission of the Spirit is a simple oversight, attributable not so much to Calvin as to his sources, given that neither Farel nor Bucer mention the Holy Spirit in their forms. In reality, however, Calvin's exhortation on the meaning of the sacrament is distinct enough from theirs to make one puzzle all the more. Calvin's liturgical exposition is theologically rich as it is, but why is his otherwise vital emphasis on the virtus of the Holy Spirit with regard to the communication and reception of Christ left completely aside? In 1545, La Forme de prières et chantz ecclésiastiques was republished in Strasbourg. The liturgy itself is largely unchanged, though a short, pastoral "Essay on the Lord's Supper" is printed along with the form for the celebration of the sacrament. 222 As in the liturgy, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, not even once. God the Father and God the Son are the only two persons of the Trinity appealed to with respect to the "economy" of the Lord's Supper, a fact that is strikingly captured in the ultimate sentence of the treatise: "This [the sacrament's mystery] the heavenly Father grants us through Christ." 223 The refrain that sounds throughout the treatise is that, as it is put in the penultimate sentence of the treatise, "the principal thing about the sacrament's mystery is that we might live in Christ and he in us." This exposition is theologically rich, but again one puzzles as to why, supposing Calvin is its author, his emphasis on 222 Appendix 1: "Calvin's 'Essay on the Lord's Prayer' from The Form of Prayers, 1542 and 1545," trans. M. Beaty and B. W. Farley, in Calvin's Ecclesiastical Advice (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1991), 165-170. CO 6:193-197n1. Though Beatty and Farley seem to suggest that this essay appeared with the liturgy already in 1542, the editors of CO indicate that "Dans l'édition de 1545 cette partie du Formulaire commence par l'instruction suivante." 223 "Calvin's 'Essay on the Lord's Supper," in Calvin's Ecclesiastical Advice, 170; CO 6:197. 76
the vital role of the Holy Spirit with respect to this very "economy" of the mystery is left aside. 224 In the midst of generating these pastoral works, Calvin was also preparing a fresh edition of his Institutio. Released in 1543, this edition contains but two new references to the Holy Spirit relevant to this study. The first has already been explored above, given the explanatory help it provides for that unique passage in the 1541 Petit traicté in which Calvin speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit conjoined with the sacrament. 225 The second is found a little on from the first. Here Calvin elucidates his doctrine of "presence" with an appeal to Augustine. Augustine, as Calvin reads him, "conceives of Christ as present among us in three ways: in majesty, in providence, and in ineffable grace." 226 Interpreting Augustine for his own purpose, Calvin writes: Under grace I include that marvelous communion [communionem] of his body and blood provided we understand that it takes place by the power of the Holy Spirit [modo spiritus sancti virtute fieri intelligamus], not by that feigned inclusion of the body itself under the element, indeed, our Lord testified that he had flesh and bones, which could be felt and seen. 227 Once again Calvin's signature explanation appears: believers' communion with Christ is effected by the virtus of the Holy Spirit; the Spirit figures as the agent of 224 Given this omission, one wonders whether Calvin is in fact the author of this essay. Also, this pattern of speech of "Christ living in us and we in him," which is often repeated in this treatise, is not a "pet phrase" of Calvin's. Furthermore, the author of this treatise formally and forthrightly refers to the sacrament as "the Eucharist," which also is not Calvin's habit. Again, for all these reasons, one might legitimately wonder whether Calvin is the author of this little exposition, or if its author might be, say, his Strasbourg colleague, friend, and superior Martin Bucer. Consider, for instance, the emphasis in Bucer's liturgy on "he might ever live in us" (Thompson, Liturgies, 172-73). This question remains for a future scholarly study, as it lies beyond the scope of this study. 225 Tracts and Treatises 2:174. 226 1543 Institutio, as in Inst. 1559 LCC 4.17.26. CO 1:1009. 227 1543 Institutio, as in Inst. 1559 LCC 4.17.26. CO 1:1009. 77
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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,'
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eality" (rei exhibitionem). 51 That
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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 and 84: minister and catechumen. He publish
Page 85 and 86: exert his energy (virtutem) by his
Page 87: same year Calvin published a liturg
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
Page 135 and 136: What of patristic influence? Lane t
Page 137 and 138: 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
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Once again Calvin's signature expla
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of the Institutio, and the expressi
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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
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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
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truly be for us the communion of Hi
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in true childlike trust, and always
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"Gott sei gelobet" or a psalm, afte
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The prayer of confession immediatel
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Calvin's Genevan and Strasbourg rub
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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
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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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