To the Reader / Prefatory

[Alex, Moderator]

As a reading group, we will be starting John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. The suggested reading schedule is online. Each month, we will be covering roughly 30 pages and it will take around four years to finish this project. The Institutes is widely recognized to be one of the most important Christian works ever written. Apart from its political importance, it is also pastoral and of benefit to every Christian. I hope that we will be encouraged by reading it.

In an effort to make our readings more accessible to the average reader, we will try to focus on Calvin’s theology, placing less emphasis on his polemics against his opponents and the historical material. For the summary notes, I will be using Anthony N. S. Lane’s A Reader's Guide to Calvin's Institutes (Baker Academic, 2009) as a guide. These summary notes are intended to highlight the big points with some notable highlights from the text in quotations. For the first meeting, we will be covering the introductory sections: “To the Reader” and the “Prefatory.”

BRIEF BACKGROUND

John Calvin was born in 1509. He was likely converted to Protestantism around 1532. By the summer of 1535 (at the age of 26), Calvin finished the first edition of the Institutes. In total, five editions were written in Latin. The final edition was written during the winter of 1558/59 when Calvin was ill with malaria. There are two English translations still available in print of the 1559 edition: one by Henry Beveridge (1845) and the other by Ford Lewis Battles (1960).

The Institutes were written to be a brief and edifying summary of the Christian faith. Calvin structured the 1559 edition of the Institutes into four books: (1) The Knowledge of God the Creator; (2) The Knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ; (3) The Way in Which We Receive the Grace of Christ; and (4) The External Means or Aids by Which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ.

TO THE READER

Beginning in the second edition (1539), Calvin included a new section, the “Letter to the Reader,” and explains that the Institutes should be used as an introductory guide to studying the Scriptures and as a supplement to his commentaries. “For I believe I have so embraced the sum of religion in all its parts, and have arranged it in such an order, that if anyone rightly grasps it, it will not be difficult for him to determine what he ought especially to seek in Scripture… [T]he program of this instruction is clearly mirrored in all my commentaries” (p. 5).

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE PRESENT WORK

We need help in understanding Scripture. “Although Holy Scripture contains a perfect doctrine, to which one can add nothing… yet a person who has not much practice in it has good reason for some guidance and direction” (p. 6). This is the purpose of the Institutes. “[T]he duty of those who have received from God fuller light than others is to help simple folk at this point, and as it were to lend them a hand, in order to guide them and help them to find the sum of what God meant to teach us in his Word” (p. 6).

The Institutes are intended to help us understand the Bible, which is of great importance for every Christian. “Thus, I exhort all those who have reverence for the Lord’s Word, to read it, and to impress it diligently upon their memory, if they wish to have, first, a sum of Christian doctrine, and, secondly, a way to benefit greatly from reading the Old as well as the New Testament” (p. 8).

Calvin’s encourages those of us who are reading the Institutes: “If anyone cannot understand all the contents, he must not therefore despair, but must ever press onward, hoping that one passage will give him a more familiar explanation of another. Above all, I must urge him to have recourse to Scripture in order to weigh the testimonies that I adduce from it” (p. 8).

PREFATORY ADDRESS

1. CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE BOOK WAS FIRST WRITTEN. Originally, the Institutes were intended to be a handbook of doctrine. But, later, Calvin dedicated the Institutes to King Francis I of France as an apology (or defense) for French Protestants who were being persecuted. The persecution was triggered by the incident of the “Placards” which occurred on October 18, 1534 (see Introduction, p. xxxi). Apparently, during the night, a number of placards (notices) were placed on public buildings around Paris and even on the door of the royal bedchamber, criticizing the Roman Catholic Mass. In response, King Francis launched a furious attack on the Protestants, imprisoning many and burning others. Protestants were charged as seditious extremists. Accordingly, in the “Prefatory Address,” Calvin refutes seven charges brought against Protestantism.

2. PLEA FOR THE PERSECUTED EVANGELICALS. A nation should desire to be ruled by God’s Word. “[H]e is deceived who looks for enduring prosperity in his kingdom when it is not ruled by God’s scepter, that is, his Holy Word; for the heavenly oracle that proclaims that ‘where prophecy fails the people are scattered’ [Proverbs 29:18] cannot lie” (p. 12).

The Protestants base their teachings on Scripture whereas the Roman Catholic Church fights to preserve doctrines that have no scriptural basis. Calvin asks the king to “look at our adversaries [the Roman Catholic priesthood]… and consider with me for a moment what zeal motivates them. They readily allow themselves and others to ignore, neglect, and despise the true religion, which has been handed down in the Scriptures, and which ought to have had a recognized place among all men. They think it of no concern what belief anyone holds or does not hold regarding God and Christ, if only he submit his mind… to the judgment of the church. The sight of God’s glory defiled with manifest blasphemies does not much trouble them, provided no one raises a finger against… the authority of Holy Mother Church. Why, therefore, do they fight with such ferocity and bitterness for the Mass, purgatory, pilgrimages, and trifles of that sort… even though they prove nothing of them from God’s Word?” (p. 14).

3. CHARGES OF ANTAGONISTS REFUTED. Here, Calvin identifies the seven charges brought against Protestantism: (1) novelty, (2) uncertainty, (3) lack of miracles, (4) rejection of the early church fathers, (5) rejection of custom, (6) schism, and (7) sedition. He spends the next several sections (i.e., 4 to 7) addressing these one-by-one:

i. Novelty. The teachings of the Reformation are not novel but as old as Scripture itself. “First, by calling it ‘new’ they do great wrong to God, whose Sacred Word does not deserve to be accused of novelty” (p. 15). “That it has lain long unknown and buried is the fault of man’s impiety. Now when it is restored to us by God’s goodness, its claim to antiquity ought to be admitted at least by right of recovery” (p. 16).

ii. Uncertainty. The Roman Catholic Church builds her doctrine apart from Scripture. “The same ignorance leads them to regard [the teachings of the Reformation] as doubtful and uncertain” (p. 16). Calvin points out that there is no uncertainty to the teachings of the Reformation. In fact, Protestants were willing to lay down their lives because they were confident in its teachings. Could the same be said of Roman Catholics? “But however [Roman Catholics] may jest about [the] uncertainty [of the Reformation teachings], if they had to seal their doctrine in their own blood, and at the expense of their own life, one could see how much it would mean to them” (p. 16).

iii. Lack of miracles. “In demanding miracles of us, they act dishonestly. For we are not forging some new gospel, but are retaining that very gospel whose truth all the miracles that Jesus Christ and his disciples ever wrought serve to confirm” (p. 16). In response to Rome’s claim that they have ongoing miracles, Calvin states: “Perhaps this false hue could have been more dazzling if Scripture had not warned us concerning the legitimate purpose and use of miracles” (p. 16). Miracles are intended to be signs and wonders to confirm the gospel. “[M]iracles are wrongly valued that are applied to any other purpose than to glorify the name of the one God [Deuteronomy 13:2 ff.]. And we may also fitly remember that Satan has his miracles, which… are deceitful tricks rather than true powers, are of such sort as to mislead the simple-minded and untutored [cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10]… [T]hose ‘miracles’ which our adversaries point to in their own support are sheer delusions of Satan, for they draw the people away from the true worship of their God to vanity” (pp. 17-18).

iv. Rejection of the early church fathers. The Reformed position is largely supported by the early church fathers, but the same cannot be said of the Roman Catholic position. Although Calvin treats the early church fathers with respect, he acknowledges that they are not infallible and everything they teach must still be tested by Scripture. Calvin accuses the Roman Catholics of neglecting the faithful teachings of the early church fathers and rather clinging to their errors. They “worship only the faults and errors of the fathers. The good things that these fathers have written they either do not notice, or misrepresent or pervert. You might say that their only care is to gather dung amid gold” (p. 18). Calvin provides many examples of how Rome has deviated from the faithful teachings of the early church fathers. It is not necessary to focus on the details, but to simply appreciate the overall force of his argument. Here are just a few examples to illustrate:

“It was a father who termed it a dreadful abomination to see an image either of Christ or of some saint painted in the churches of Christians” (p. 20; from the Epistle of Epiphanius to John of Jerusalem, translated by Jerome). Yet, Rome uses icons in worship.

“Another father counseled that, after having exercised in burial the office of humanity toward the dead, we should let them rest” (p. 20; from Ambrose). Yet, Rome encourages her people to pray to and invoke the intercession of dead saints.

“It was one of the fathers, who testified that in the Eucharist the substance of bread and wine remained and did not cease to be, just as in Christ the Lord the substance and nature of man remained, joined to the divine nature” (p. 20; from Gelasius). Yet, Rome teaches transubstantiation of the elements.

“It was a father who denied that marriage should be forbidden to the ministers of the church, and declared cohabitation with one’s wife to be chastity. And other fathers agreed with his opinion” (p. 22; from Paphnutius the Confessor at the Council of Nicaea). Yet, Rome mandates the clerical celibacy.

“It was a father who contended that the church ought not to set itself above Christ, for he always judges truthfully, but ecclesiastical judges, like other men, are often mistaken” (p. 22; from Augustine). Yet, Rome affirms the Pope’s authority as the vicar of Christ. “[T]hey do not hesitate to declare that the whole authority of Scripture depends entirely upon the judgment of the church” (p. 22).

v. Rejection of custom. The appeal to custom of the church is weak because the majority is not necessarily right. In fact, the majority is often in the wrong. “Even though the whole world may conspire in the same wickedness, [God] has taught us by experience what is the end of those who sin with the multitude. This he did when he destroyed all mankind by the Flood, but kept Noah with his little family; and Noah by his faith, the faith of one man, condemned the whole world [Genesis 7:1; Hebrews 11:7]” (p. 23).

[Alex, Moderator]

vi. Schism. One of the most powerful arguments against the Reformation, especially in its early years, was where the true church was found in the Middle Ages. Surely, before Luther and the other reformers were born, the church must have still existed. In response, Calvin clarifies the nature of the true church and affirms that it has been preserved down through the ages.

“Surely the church of Christ has lived and will live so long as Christ reigns at the right hand of his Father. It is sustained by his hand; defended by his protection; and is kept safe through his power. For he will surely accomplish what he once promised: that he will be present with his own even to the end of the world [Matthew 28:20]… For, of one accord with all believing folk, we worship and adore one God, and Christ the Lord [1 Corinthians 8:6], as he has always been adored by all godly men” (p. 24).

Roman Catholics teach that the true church is always observable and that she is the visible presence of God’s people. The Reformed, “on the contrary, affirm that the church can exist without any visible appearance, and that its appearance is not contained within that outward magnificence which they foolishly admire. Rather, it has quite another mark: namely, the pure preaching of God’s Word and the lawful administration of the sacraments” (pp. 24-25). These are evidences of a true church, not its outward splendor. For more, refer to the Belgic Confession, articles 27 and 29.

vii. Sedition. The Reformation was a confusing time. Aside from the Magisterial Reformation (represented by leaders such as Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli who sought the support of magistrates and ruling authorities), a Radical Reformation also took place (represented by groups like the Anabaptists who were involved in anarchy).

Early on, the Anabaptist movement was characterized by violence and revolt. For instance, Thomas Müntzer, an Anabaptist, incited a major revolt against the German nobility and upper class in the Peasants’ War of 1524–25. Later, there was a violent Anabaptist takeover of the city of Münster in 1534–35. Anabaptists also held to unusual beliefs: some were anti-Trinitarians; others were highly mystical, claiming members received direct supernatural revelations from God; still others promoted polygamy. As such, Anabaptists were considered to be dangerous by both Catholics and mainstream Protestants.

Unfortunately, opponents to the Reformation often had difficulty separating mainstream Protestantism from the Anabaptist movement, and as such, distrusted all Protestants alike—accusing both groups of unlawful rebellion. In defense, Calvin points out that the mainstream Reformation movement was not directed at political upheaval but rather intended to bring the church back under the authority of Scripture. Indeed, “how great is the malice that would ascribe to the very word of God itself the odium either of seditions, which wicked and rebellious men stir up against it, or of sects, which impostors excite, both of them in opposition to its teaching! Yet this is no new example. Elijah was asked if it was not he who was troubling Israel [1 Kings 18:17]. To the Jews, Christ was seditious [Luke 23:5; John 19:7 ff.]. The charge of stirring up the people was laid against the apostles [Acts 24:5 ff.]. What else are they doing who blame us today for all the disturbances, tumults, and contentions that boil up against us?” (p. 28).

8. LET THE KING BEWARE OF ACTING ON FALSE CHARGES. Calvin issues a warning to the opponents of the Reformation: “those who sin out of ignorance, even though they cannot clear themselves of all blame, may still seem somehow excusable; but they who stubbornly reject the truth offered them by God’s goodness have nothing to plead as an excuse” (pp. 23-24). Calvin closes the “Prefatory” address with a final appeal to King Francis I for a fair hearing and for justice. He asks the king, “May you be not at all moved by those vain accusations with which our adversaries are trying to inspire terror in you: that by this new gospel (for so they call it) men strive and seek only after the opportunity for seditions and impunity for all crimes. ‘For our God is not author of division, but of peace’ [1 Corinthians 14:33]” (p. 30).