John Calvin: Thought and Legacy

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

Undergraduate

1. Identify important political, philosophical, social, cultural, and theological features that characterised Calvin’s world.
2. Evaluate Calvin’s contribution to the movements of reform in sixteenth-century Europe, and the social, intellectual, and ecclesial legacies that his ideas have encouraged globally since.
3. Interpret distinctive themes in Calvin’s major writings, particularly The Institutes of the Christian Religion.
4. Level 3: Engage critically and constructively with Calvin’s ideas, appraising their ongoing relevance for theology and church life in contemporary contexts.

Postgraduate

1. Identify important political, philosophical, social, cultural, and theological features that characterised Calvin’s world and articulate the ways they impacted his action and thought.
2. Critically evaluate Calvin’s contribution to the movements of reform in sixteenth-century Europe, and the social, intellectual, and ecclesial legacies that his ideas have encouraged globally ever since.
3. Interpret distinctive themes in Calvin’s major writings, particularly The Institutes of the Christian Religion, and critically appraise how they inform and correspond to each other.
4. Engage critically and constructively with Calvin’s ideas, appraising their ongoing relevance for theology and church life in contemporary contexts.
5. Exhibit independent research skills to engage and advance the questions raised in and by Calvin’s thought and legacy.

Undergraduate

Level 2:

• Annotated bibliography (1,000 words) (25%)
• Document study (1,000 words) (25%)
• Essay (2,000 words) (50%)

Level 3:

• Annotated bibliography (1,000 words) (25%)
• Document study (1,000 words) (25%)
• Essay (2,500 words) (50%)

Postgraduate

• Annotated bibliography (2,000 words) (25%)
• Document study (1,500 words) (15%)
• Essay (4,000 words) (60%)

• Calvin, John. Calvin: Theological Treatises, ed. J. K. S. Reid, Library of Christian Classics. London: SCM Press, 1954.
  • ———. Institutes of the Christian Religion: 1541 French Edition, trans. Elsie Anne McKee. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2009.
• De Gruchy, John W. John Calvin: Christian Humanist and Evangelical Reformer. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2013.
• McKim, Donald K. ed., The Cambridge Companion to John Calvin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
• Parker, Thomas H. L. Calvin: An Introduction to His Thought. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995.
  • ———. John Calvin: A Biography. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.
• Wendel, François. Calvin: The Origins and Development of his Religious Thought, trans. Philip Mairet. London: Collins, 1963.
• Zachman, Randall C. John Calvin as Teacher, Pastor, and Theologian: The Shape of His Writings and Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006.

Set texts recommended for purchase:

• Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, 2 vols., The Library of Christian Classics. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1977.
• (for CH students) Gordon, Bruce. Calvin. New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2009.
• (for CT students) Partee, Charles. The Theology of John Calvin.