John Calvin lived in a divided world when past certainties were crumbling. Calvin claimed that his thought was completely based upon scripture, but he was mistaken. At several points in his thought and his ministry, he set his own foundations upon tradition. His efforts to make sense of his culture and its religious life mirror issues that modern Western cultures face, and that have contributed to our present situation. In this book, R. Ward Holder offers new insights into Calvin's successes and failures and suggests pathways for understanding some of the problems of contemporary Western culture such as the deep divergence about living in tradition, the modern capacity to agree on the foundations of thought, and even the roots of our deep political polarization. He traces Calvin's own critical engagement with the tradition that had formed him and analyzes the inherent divisions in modern heritage that affect our ability to agree, not only religiously or politically, but also about truth. An epilogue comparing biblical interpretation with Constitutional interpretation is illustrative of contemporary issues and demonstrates how historical understanding can offer solutions to tensions in modern culture.

Richard Muller, a world-class scholar of the Reformation era, examines the relationship of Calvin's theology to the Reformed tradition, indicating Calvin's place in the tradition as one of several significant second-generation formulators. Muller argues that the Reformed tradition is a diverse and variegated movement not suitably described either as founded solely on the thought of John Calvin or as a reaction to or deviation from Calvin, thereby setting aside the old "Calvin and the Calvinists" approach in favor of a more integral and representative perspective. Muller offers historical corrective and nuance on topics of current interest in Reformed theology, such as limited atonement/universalism, union with Christ, and the order of salvation.

2009 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of Calvin, the Reformed theologian whose legacy has played such an important role in the shaping of modern South Africa. The popular understanding of him as grim moralist, proponent of predestination and a tyrannical God is a caricature, but one that does spring from aspects of Calvin's legacy. In this book, De Gruchy attempts to restate the Reformed tradition as a transforming force, one that opposed slavery and apartheid and that participated in the struggle for liberation and transformation in this country. De Gruchy considers Christian humanism to be an alternative to both Christian fundamentalism and secularism, as "being a Christian is all about being truly human in common with the rest of humanity," and has come to the conclusion that there is much to retrieve and celebrate in the Reformed tradition that is of importance for the ecumenical church and global society in the 21st century. The "evangelical" element in the title refers to the literal meaning of the word - "good news" - which is at the heart of being both Christian and human.

This book presents a new model for analyzing Calvin's biblical interpretation, rescuing him from the quagmire of anachronistic interpretations. Concentrating upon Calvin's description of biblical interpretation, the book suggests new insights for hermeneutics, exegesis in the Reformations, and Calvin's ecclesiology.

This book attempts to understand Calvin in his 16th-century context, with attention to continuities and discontinuities between his thought and that of his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors. Muller pays particular attention to the interplay between theological and philosophical themes common to Calvin and the medieval doctors, and to developments in rhetoric and method associated with humanism.

This book considers John Calvin’s interpretation of the Pauline epistles, discussing his interpretive method and the link between biblical interpretation and correct doctrine. It introduces a division between doctrinal hermeneutics and textual exegetical rules clarifying Calvin’s relationship to the antecedent and subsequent traditions. The book portrays Calvin as a theologian for whom the doctrinal and exegetical tasks cohered, especially in the context of the Church in the Reformations. The first section presents the division between hermeneutical principles and exegetical rules, demonstrating each in Calvin’s commentaries. The second section considers the coherence of Calvin’s theological, exegetical and historical efforts. The text is grounded by the inclusion of many instances of Calvin’s interpretation, and his reflections on the nature of biblical interpretation.

The Columbia Series in Reformed Theology represents a joint commitment on the part of Columbia Theological Seminary and Westminster John Knox Press to provide theological resources from the Reformed tradition for the church today. The Reformed tradition seeks to discern what the living God revealed in Scripture is saying and doing in every new time and situation. This series intends to be a part of that ongoing tradition by examining theological and ethical issues that confront church and society in our particular time and place. Volumes in this series are intended for scholars, professional theologians, and for pastors and lay people who are committed to faith in search of understanding.