AQUINAS AMONG THE PROTESTANTS This major new book provides an introduction to Thomas Aquinas’s influence on Protestantism. The editors, both noted commentators on Aquinas, bring together a group of influential scholars to demonstrate the ways that Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed thinkers have analyzed and used Thomas through the centuries. Later chapters also explore how today’s Protestants might appropriate the work of Aquinas to address a number of contemporary theological and philosophical issues. The authors set the record straight and disavow the widespread impression that Aquinas is an irrelevant figure for the history of Protestant thought. This assumption has dominated not only Protestant historiography but also Roman Catholic accounts of the Reformation and Protestant intellectual life. The book opens the possibility for contemporary reception, engagement, and critique and even intra-Protestant relations and includes: Information on the fruitful appropriation of Aquinas in Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed theologians over the centuries Important essays from leading scholars on the teachings of Aquinas New perspectives on Thomas Aquinas’s position as a towering figure in the history of Christian thought Aquinas Among the Protestants is a ground-breaking and interdenominational work for students and scholars of Thomas Aquinas and theology more generally.

Looking for deeper insights into an age-old debate on the question of the issue of free will in the theology of Calvin and Arminius? You've come to the right place. When the general question, "does man have a free will?" is directed to John Calvin and James Arminius, the received and oft-repeated answer is that Calvin, jealous for the glory of God, opposes free will and that Arminius, being human-centered, advocates for free will, thus robbing God of his glory. This book shows, through a fresh look at the original sources, that the above characterization of the differences between Calvin and Arminius on the nature of the human will is misguided. For, by using the fourfold state of human beings as the lens through which to ask and answer the question, it is shown here that the glory of God constitutes the main reason underlying both Calvin's opposition to, and Arminius's advocacy of, free will. Moreover, though for different reasons and with many nuances, Calvin and Arminius do agree seventy-five percent of the time--in the created, the redeemed, and the glorified state--that human beings possess free will. However, they differ significantly on the location, efficacy, and function of that free will. For Calvin, free will is a gift of grace; for Arminius, it is a gift of grace and nature.

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.

Eugene F. Rogers, Jr., presents a challenge to contemporary Catholic thought and contributes to a paradigm shift in Thomas interpretation with this groundbreaking book: He provides a fresh interpretation of Aquinas on the nature of theology and uncovers and explores theological affinities between Aquinas and Protestant theologian Karl Barth. As an overture to contemporary Protestant thought, he seeks to overcome prejudices about Thomas's commitments to Scripture and the centrality of Jesus Christ, and does so in part by turning to Aquinas's commentary on Romans -- a crucial work never before translated or treated at length in English.

The Oxford Handbook of the Reception of Aquinas provides a comprehensive survey of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant philosophical and theological reception of Thomas Aquinas over the past 750 years.This Handbook will serve as a necessary primer for everyone who wishes to study Aquinas's thought and/or the history of theology and philosophy since Aquinas's day. Part I considers the late-medieval receptions of Aquinas among Catholics and Orthodox. Part II examines sixteenth-century Western receptions of Aquinas (Protestant and Catholic), followed by a chapter on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Orthodox reception. Part III discusses seventeenth-century Protestant and Catholic receptions, and Part IV surveys eighteenth- and nineteenth-century receptions (Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic). Part V focuses on the twentieth century and takes into account the diversity of theological movements in the past century as well as extensive philosophical treatment. The final section unpicks contemporary systematic approaches to Aquinas, covering the main philosophical and theological themes for which he is best known. With chapters written by a wide range of experts in their respective fields, this volume provides a valuable touchstone regarding the developments that have marked the past seven centuries of Christian theology.

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.