A Little Book of Christian Questions and Responses

by Theodore Beza, Théodore de Bèze

This long-standing series provides the guild of religion scholars a venue for publishing aimed primarily at colleagues. It includes scholarly monographs, revised dissertations, Festschriften, conference papers, and translations of ancient and medieval documents. Works cover the sub-disciplines of biblical studies, history of Christianity, history of religion, theology, and ethics. Festschriften for Karl Barth, Donald W. Dayton, James Luther Mays, Margaret R. Miles, and Walter Wink are among the seventy-five volumes that have been published.
Contributors include: C. K. Barrett, Francois Bovon, Paul S. Chung, Marie-Helene Davies, Frederick Herzog, Ben F. Meyer, Pamela Ann Moeller, Rudolf Pesch, D. Z. Phillips, Rudolf Schnackenburgm Eduard Schweizer, John Vissers

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1580

About the author

Theodore Beza (Latin: Theodorus Beza; French: Théodore de Bèze or de Besze) was a French Reformed Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Reformation. He was a disciple of John Calvin and lived most of his life in Geneva. Beza succeeded Calvin as a spiritual leader of the Republic of Geneva, which was originally founded by John Calvin himself.

Reviews

[Jordan Coy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calvin's successor, Theodore Beza, wrote a question and answer dialogue for theological subjects mainly centering on the Trinity, Christology, Salvation, and Predestination. This short book's format is similar to a catechism but not as systematic and more of a dialogue of questioning. The closest comparison would be something like Anselm's Cur Deus Homo or his Proslogion. This is a decent work as a reference for Reformation theology on basic doctrine. It is not written for beginners but more for refining the doctrinal answers after someone has learned the basic categories of Christian theology.
Some of the Question and Answers below:

Q9 What do you mean by "essence?"
A9 Essence is that nature common to the three persons.

Q10 What do you mean by "persons?"
A10 Those who subsist in this very nature.

Q21 Yet the Son is God unchangeable. How, then,did He become a man?
A21 Not by the mixing of natures or properties, or by any metamorphosis of God into man, or man into God, is this done, but by the close and personal union of the God Son with the assumed nature of man, so that the Son of God remains one person, truly God and truly man, Jesus Christ.

Q40 What do you mean by "essential properties?
A40 That which, when removed, by necessity causes the thing to be no longer what it was. Thus, for example, the body, with quantity removed, necessarily ceases to be a body.

Q49 Why, then, do you call it the communication of idioms, if there is no real communication of natures and essential properties.
A49 We do not call the communication of properties the personal union itself, or the form of this union, but the proclamation, as the dialectics say, which is on account of the personal union of the two natures, in which an essential property or operation that agrees to one nature is attributed to the person concretely, and not abstractly. Moreover, since this proclamation is true, it is necessary that it be based on truth, nevertheless, in the same way, namely, in respect to the whole person considered concretely.

Q118 But faith is said to have been imputed to Abraham for righteousness, not by this obedience of Christ.
A118 Know this, that those things which are subordinate are not contrary. Faith is said to be imputed for righteousness, since it is the instrument whereby that obedience, by the imputation of which we are made righteous, is apprehended. For which reason also we are said to be justified by faith, inasmuch as it apprehends the obedience of Christ by whose imputation we are declared righteous.

Q154 Therefore, you say that good works are necessary to salvation?
A154 If faith is necessary to salvation, and works necessarily flow out of true faith, (as that which cannot be idle), certainly also it follows, that good works are necessary to salvation, yet not as the cause of salvation (for we are justified, and thus live, by faith alone in Christ), but as something necessarily attached to true faith. Just as Paul says, they are God's children, who are led by the Spirit of God; and John, that he is righteous who works righteousness; and James also, explaining not by what method we are justified, but, from whence true faith and justification are known, proves by the example of Abraham that they are not justified who demonstrate no works of faith. For in this way James is reconciled with Paul, so that it is plain that they are contentious who condemn the necessity of good works as a false doctrine.


Q213 What if a man never senses the testimonies of the Spirit within himself?
A213 Still it must not be established that he is one of the number of the reprobates. For the Lord calls His own at the time that pleases Him. Therefore, such men must be sent away to the Word and sacraments, where they may hear God speaking, calling sinners to Himself. For although they do not participate in the fruit or effects of them for a time, still they must encourage themselves and also be diligently incited by others, to persevere in the hearing of God's voice even against their will, and then at some time to obtain what the Lord defers, not to cast them away, but on the contrary, to sharpen their desire and solicitude.

3/5 An interesting source for Reformation theology that mixes a catechism and dialogue