The Christian Case Against Contraception: Making the Case from Historical, Biblical, Systematic, and Practical Theology & Ethics

by Bryan C. Hodge

Calvin, Commentaries on Genesis, 38:8–10, translated from the Latin, since this section, along with any sentence, dealing with the issue in Calvin’s “complete” commentary series has been purposely deleted by the editor, an act which seems to be performed by the publisher within the twentieth century. Cf. the similar omission of the text of Genesis 38 within the Ancient Christian Commentary series on Genesis 12–50, where the editor clearly did not wish to include any comments by the Fathers on the subject. As we have seen, of course, Epiphanius, Cyril, Jerome, and Augustine would have made great entries. This deliberate omission, where editors feel the need to silence the voice of the Church’s greatest teachers on the subject, or where certain authors downplay or even omit the Church’s condemnations of contraception in the past, is a trend among the modern reference works which ought to disturb any thinking reader. Cf. further the odd translation of the word procreationem, “procreation” in the Augsburg Confession, as “male and female” in The Creeds of Christendom, 3:31. It is not known, however, whether Schaff or the revision of his work is to be assigned the translation here.