John Calvin’s ‘Disputatio de Praedestinatione’ The relevance of a manuscript on his doctrine Providence and Predestination

Authors

  • A De Boer

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17570/ngtt.2009.v50n3.a25

Keywords:

500th Commemoration, Disputatio de Praedestinatione, Double doctrine of predestination, John Calvin, Predestination,

Abstract

In an evaluation of the Calvin year 2009 a journalist noted that in the mass of spoken or written features in the Netherlands on his life, work and influence only lecture/article paid attention to the doctrine on predestination. The one lecture was presented by … yours truly. Object of the following study is the smallest document from Calvin’s hand on the most controversial aspect of his work: a manuscript page, kept in the Genevan archives, and labelled by the editors of the Calvini Opera as Articuli de praedestinatione. This article can be summarized by the statement that this document should henceforth be called: Calvin’s disputatio de praedestinatione.
This research is linked to a recent development in Calvin scholarship by focussing on the thesis, put forth by Wilhelm H. Neuser, that Calvin had in fact two doctrines on predestination, and that thus varying accents in various works can be explained. Is this an effort to ‘save’ Calvin from the odium of a rather harsh doctrine?

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Published

2009-12-31

Issue

Vol. 50 No. 3&4 (2009)

Section

Articles | Artikels

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