Knowing the triune God : trinity and certitude in the Theology of John Calvin

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:JOHN CALVIN is said to have played a significant role not only in the shaping ofWestern Christianity, but also in the shaping of Western culture. An adequate appreciation of histhought therefore remains of ongoing significance. In the history of Calvin scholarship, variedinterpretations of him have been presented, though in the recent past there has been a growingdisinclination towards presenting a coherent exposition of his thought. In the context of thesedisintegrative proposals, a counter-argument is presented for the viability and desirability of acomprehensive construal of Calvin's thought along historical-theological lines.The argument primarily takes shape by locating Calvin within the sixteenth centuryintellectual milieu, and particularly by means of uncovering the epistemological consciousness ofthe Reformation period in reaction to the Renaissance revival of scepticism. The nature of humanknowledge, particularly of God, was at the forefront of the sixteenth-century intellectual debate.Calvin, reformer and humanist, was particularly sensitive to this climate, as is illustrated by theInstitutia which took the form of a discourse on knowing. However, the theme of knowing Godon the basis of Scriptural revelation alone is prevalent in all his work, as an investigation into hisneglected writings confirms. It also emerges that the kind of knowledge that Calvin advanced wasexperimental in nature and Trinitarian in foundation. Experientia and certitude disclosed thedynamic and proof of knowing God on an economic-Trinitarian and soteriological basis. Thisaspect of Calvin's thought has been overlooked in spite of its relevance to the contemporarypost-Kantian crisis of knowing.Having sketched the epistemological background, Calvin's Trinitarian doctrina is examined.A historical-theological orientation to the doctrine provides the framework for appreciatingCalvin's axiomatic exposition of the Trinity in the history of doctrinal formulation. Calvin'sTrinitarian doctrina is unpacked by means of a historical review in relation to his Trinitariandebates, and by means of its definitive exposition in the 1559 Institutio. Through these, it becomesapparent that he displayed a hitherto mostly unrecognised theological acumen in assimilatingWestern (Augustinian) and Eastern (Cappadocian) aspects of Trinitarian doctrine due to hisexegetical priority. What emerges is a Trinitarian doctrine that affirms God's Triunuy andtranslates into God's Person-al knowability. This thesis is confirmed by a discussion of Calvin'sTrinitarian explication of the Christian life, and is shown to complement the previously highlighted emphasis on knowing. Recovering Calvin's Trinitarian doctrina is therefore of greatconsequence to post-Enlightenment and contemporary theological debates on God and theTrinity.It naturally follows that both Trinity and certitude were woven into the fabric of Calvin'sGod-centred hermeneutics. All of his exegetical labour, from Commentary to Instiuaio to Preaching,was focused on hearing the voice of the Triune God speaking in the Word under the sureguidance of the Holy Spirit. The final presentation of a comprehensive interpretation of Calvin isviewed in the light of the transmission of Reformed theology. Knowing the Triune God has thepower to confirm and rejuvenate Calvin's theological vision amongst those who view him as theirprogenitor.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University