The Calvinist International
In this installment, Contarini continues on the theme of justification before God by imputation, that is, by the merit of Christ apart from any works of our own. The justice or righteousness by which we are justified–by which we are wholly pleasing to God–is that which is gratuitously given to us, in distinction from that which […]
We’ve now referred to “twofold justice” a few times, viz. the justice and charity inherent in us by grace, and the justice of Christ’s perfect merit imputed to us through union with Christ by faith. But, having dealt with the potential ambiguity of the term “justice,” the cardinal comes now to the important question: on […]
Herewith the next installment. (Read that first and then circle back up here.) A couple of important points: Contarini denies that we are justified because of inherent faith, as though “faith” in the proposition were treated as a good work that is equivalent to “righteousness.” Next, he denies that when we say, “We are justified by […]
Cleaning out some paperwork in my office reminded me that, after three years, I should get back to this series and finish it at some point. Lo these many months ago I started a new translation of Cardinal Gasparo Contarini’s treatise De iustificatione, “On Justification.” I was not quite halfway through it when last I paused, […]
It’s been about six months, and it’s time to get back to Gasparo Contarini’s De iustificatione. I will include the previous two installments above the new one for the sake of context. The bit that is new here begins “These Protestants…” and is, in my view, one of the more important passages in the treatise due […]
Contarini continues to discuss conversion and one’s preparation for it. He does not view it as normally instantaneous (though it can be), and states that the one “who is being converted” should act in accordance with what is also the first principle of the law of nature: do good and avoid evil. Such obedience, however, […]
In this installment, Contarini unpacks the promise of God to which faith looks: the promise of forgiveness and of the justification of the ungodly (that is, when sinners are justified, they are justified as those who are themselves ungodly and wicked). The promise comes to those who believe in Christ. How is this possible? Because […]
The next installment of Contarini’s On Justification. Here Contarini attributes justification to God in a tricolon with exactly parallel structure (“God alone remits sins, God gives grace, God justifies the wicked”). He then attempts to elucidate the relationship in conversion between the action of the Holy Spirit and the human will and intellect. The will is […]
Now that Contarini has finished his discussion of the multiple senses of “faith” (fides), he appends a note on the multiple sense of “to justify” even when it is used efficiently–this is a further refinement of what he said earlier when, discussing the multiple sense of “to justify,” he divided the possibilities into “to justify […]
Herewith the next installment of a translation of Gasparo Contarini’s De Iustificatione. He here continues his discussion of the various senses of “faith” (fides). Translation John of Damascus says in his fourth book that “faith” is used in two senses, of which he says the one is assent, but the other he says is hope for […]