John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life
There are many biographies of John Calvin, the theologian—some villifying him and others extolling his virtues—but few that reveal John Calvin, the man.\ Professor and renowned Reformation historian Herman Selderhuis has written this book to bring Calvin near to the reader, showing him as a man who had an impressive impact on the development of the Western world, but who was first of all a believer struggling with God and with the way God governed both the world and his own life.\ Selderhuis...
Search in google:
Professor and renowned Reformation historian Herman Selderhuis has written this book to bring Calvin near to the reader, showing him as a man who had an impressive impact on the development of the Western world, but who was first of all a believer who struggled with God and with the way God governed both the world and his own life. James A. Overbeck - Library Journal In recognition of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth in 1509, Selderhuis (Inst. for Reformation Research, Theological Univ., Apeldoorn, Netherlands) has written a standard biography of the 16th-century French-Swiss Protestant reformer. Although the author claims that his biography differs from others because he depended on correspondence as his chief source, there is little documentation to substantiate this claim. He offers a chronological account of the life of Calvin, showing that Calvin was not on the cutting edge of reform but a second-generation reformer. Selderhuis states that Calvin is most often associated with two serious errors, the doctrine of predestination and the willingness to burn heretics (those who did not agree with him) at the stake, Servetus being the most notable example. Redefining predestination as a doctrine of election doesn't soften the idea that God elects some to be saved and others to be damned. Calvin made few attempts to work with Lutheran reformers or to encourage Anabaptists to join his cause. Hence, the Protestant movement was left badly divided and, in the minds of some contemporaries, hardly better than the Roman Catholic Church: when Calvin returned to Geneva, he ruled both church and state with a tyrannical hand. Recommended for seminary libraries.
Introduction\ 1. Orphan (1509-1533)\ 2. Pilgrim (1533-1536)\ 3. Stranger (1536-1538)\ 4. Refugee (1538-1541)\ 5. Preacher (1541-1546)\ 6. Victim (1546-1549)\ 7. Widow (1549-1551)\ 8. Patient (1551-1554)\ 9. Sailor (1555-1559)\ 10. Soldier (1559-1564)\ Notes Names Index
\ Timothy George"Five hundred years after the birth of John Calvin, the reformer of Geneva continues to loom large as one of the most formative figures in Christian history, and one of the most difficult to know up close and personal. Herman Selderhuis presents here a fresh new biography based on a careful reading of Calvin's letters and other sources. Calvin emerges as neither hero nor villain, but rather as a flawed and forgiven pilgrim who never lost sight of his final destination and inspired many others along the way. A wonderful introduction to a great teacher of the church!"\ \ \ \ \ Donald K. McKim"One would think that with all the biographies of John Calvin through the centuries there would be nothing new to say. Think again! Veteran Calvin scholar Herman Selderhuis has followed Calvin himself in going 'back to the sources' and provides a portrait of Calvin drawn exclusively from Calvin's own writings. The result is a fresh and invigorating look at the human person behind all the caricatures, the faithful servant of Christ who saw his life as being lived in the providence of God—a God whose ways he often did not understand. Find here a fully human Calvin whose commitment to the 'pilgrim life' instructs and inspires us still today."\ \ \ Frank A. James III"This is simply one of the best biographies of Calvin I have seen. Selderhuis has managed admirably to combine keen academic insight with a clear, engaging writing style and many delicious details. For all who are curious about Calvin, Selderhuis's John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life is the place to begin."\ \ \ \ \ Lyle D. Bierma"A delightful new biography of Calvin by one of Europe's leading Reformation scholars. Selderhuis does not simply rehash the events of Calvin's life; he weaves those events into a story of a man on a geographical, theological and spiritual pilgrimage—or more precisely, a story of a man on a pilgrimage."\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalIn recognition of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth in 1509, Selderhuis (Inst. for Reformation Research, Theological Univ., Apeldoorn, Netherlands) has written a standard biography of the 16th-century French-Swiss Protestant reformer. Although the author claims that his biography differs from others because he depended on correspondence as his chief source, there is little documentation to substantiate this claim. He offers a chronological account of the life of Calvin, showing that Calvin was not on the cutting edge of reform but a second-generation reformer. Selderhuis states that Calvin is most often associated with two serious errors, the doctrine of predestination and the willingness to burn heretics (those who did not agree with him) at the stake, Servetus being the most notable example. Redefining predestination as a doctrine of election doesn't soften the idea that God elects some to be saved and others to be damned. Calvin made few attempts to work with Lutheran reformers or to encourage Anabaptists to join his cause. Hence, the Protestant movement was left badly divided and, in the minds of some contemporaries, hardly better than the Roman Catholic Church: when Calvin returned to Geneva, he ruled both church and state with a tyrannical hand. Recommended for seminary libraries.\ —James A. Overbeck\ \ \
