The Christian Polity of John Calvin [Paperback]

This book explores the relationship between Calvin's thought about civil and ecclesiastical order and his own circumstances and activities.This book explores the relationship between Calvin's thought about civil and ecclesiastical order and his own circumstances and activities.This book explores the relationship between Calvin's thought about civil and ecclesiastical order and his own circumstances and activities.This book explores the relationship between Calvin's thought about civil and ecclesiastical order and his own circumstances and activities. The early chapters argue that in his pre-Genevan writings, including the first edition of the Institution, Calvin's political thinking was entirely conventional; his subsequent thought and conduct were not an implementation of previously formulated ideas. Later chapters examine whether and to what extent Calvin developed a distinctive vision of the Christian polity as part of an overall conception of the Christian life.1. The training of a lawgiver; 2. The Institution: the first version; 3. The first public ministry; 4. Reconstruction; 5. The Institution of 1543; 6. Geneva and Calvin, 1541-64; 7. The civil order of a Christian commonwealth; 8. Political morality in the thought of Calvin; 9. The laws and mores of a Christian commonwealth; 10. Unfinished business: a speculative summary and PostScript.