The Calvinist International
It’s time to bring our series on the identity and government of the church to a conclusion. You can find the previous installments here: Part 1: The Crisis of Rome and Its Claims of Ultimate Authority Part 2: Church Origins and Officers in the New Testament Part 3: Bishop-Elders and Bishops in the Late First […]
As we move into the third century, the relevant body of Christian literature grows considerably. The episcopalian structure of government has become more universal, and all of the writers of this period reference a singular bishop as holding a place of authority. They also largely repeat Irenaeus’ argument about bishops succeeding from the apostles and […]
Early in his most recent book, The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early Western Christianity, Peter Brown directs the reader’s attention to a remarkable passage from the conclusion of Cyprian’s Exhortation to Martyrdom. In it, he reflects on the immediacy of the beatific vision for the martyr after death–one closes one’s eyes here, […]
Alister McGrath writes in his survey of the history of Protestantism, Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, 90–91: [John Calvin’s] rise to prominence began in September 1536. The city of Lausanne was debating whether to follow Geneva and accept the principles of the Reformation. Farel and Viret traveled to Lausanne, bringing Calvin with them, to take part in the […]