John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion

A Biography

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Theology, Christianity
Cover of the book John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion by Bruce Gordon, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce Gordon ISBN: 9781400880508
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: May 17, 2016
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Bruce Gordon
ISBN: 9781400880508
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: May 17, 2016
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a defining book of the Reformation and a pillar of Protestant theology. First published in Latin in 1536 and in Calvin's native French in 1541, the Institutes argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. The book decisively shaped Calvinism as a major religious and intellectual force in Europe and throughout the world. Here, Bruce Gordon provides an essential biography of Calvin's influential and enduring theological masterpiece, tracing the diverse ways it has been read and interpreted from Calvin's time to today.

Gordon explores the origins and character of the Institutes, looking closely at its theological and historical roots, and explaining how it evolved through numerous editions to become a complete summary of Reformation doctrine. He shows how the development of the book reflected the evolving thought of Calvin, who instilled in the work a restlessness that reflected his understanding of the Christian life as a journey to God. Following Calvin's death in 1564, the Institutes continued to be reprinted, reedited, and reworked through the centuries. Gordon describes how it has been used in radically different ways, such as in South Africa, where it was invoked both to defend and attack the horror of apartheid. He examines its vexed relationship with the historical Calvin—a figure both revered and despised—and charts its robust and contentious reception history, taking readers from the Puritans and Voltaire to YouTube, the novels of Marilynne Robinson, and to China and Africa, where the Institutes continues to find new audiences today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a defining book of the Reformation and a pillar of Protestant theology. First published in Latin in 1536 and in Calvin's native French in 1541, the Institutes argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. The book decisively shaped Calvinism as a major religious and intellectual force in Europe and throughout the world. Here, Bruce Gordon provides an essential biography of Calvin's influential and enduring theological masterpiece, tracing the diverse ways it has been read and interpreted from Calvin's time to today.

Gordon explores the origins and character of the Institutes, looking closely at its theological and historical roots, and explaining how it evolved through numerous editions to become a complete summary of Reformation doctrine. He shows how the development of the book reflected the evolving thought of Calvin, who instilled in the work a restlessness that reflected his understanding of the Christian life as a journey to God. Following Calvin's death in 1564, the Institutes continued to be reprinted, reedited, and reworked through the centuries. Gordon describes how it has been used in radically different ways, such as in South Africa, where it was invoked both to defend and attack the horror of apartheid. He examines its vexed relationship with the historical Calvin—a figure both revered and despised—and charts its robust and contentious reception history, taking readers from the Puritans and Voltaire to YouTube, the novels of Marilynne Robinson, and to China and Africa, where the Institutes continues to find new audiences today.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Brahms and His World by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Do Animals Think? by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book A Short History of Celebrity by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Scripting Addiction by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Religious Experience Reconsidered by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book The Body Economic by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Summing It Up by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Mathematical Techniques in Finance by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Siegfried Kracauer by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book When People Come First by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book The Global City by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 5 by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Taken for Granted by Bruce Gordon
Cover of the book Fourier Restriction for Hypersurfaces in Three Dimensions and Newton Polyhedra (AM-194) by Bruce Gordon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy