Re-Envisioning Christian Humanism

Two things distinguished the evangelical wing of the Renaissance humanist

movement from the movement in general. The evangelical humanists were

much more concerned with, and much more committed to, the reform of the

church than were the humanists in general. And of all the ancient texts, the

evangelical humanists gave far higher priority to the Bible than did most other

humanists.

Calvin was an admirer of all three founders of the evangelical wing of the

humanist movement, and Lefevre was even a personal acquaintance. Almost

immediately upon becoming acquainted with the work of Erasmus and

Lefevre when studying in Paris, he threw his lot in with the movement. He

became an evangelical humanist, and remained that for the rest of his life. So

let us now turn to Calvin’s brand of evangelical Renaissance humanism.

Calvin gave hismagnum opusthe common, but rather vague, titleInstitutes,

meaning instruction, manual, or summary. In his address to the reader at the

beginning of the 1559 edition he explained as follows his purpose in writing:

It has been my purpose in this labor to prepare and instruct candidates in sacred

theology for the reading of the divine Word, in order that they may be able both

to have easy access to it and to advance in it without stumbling.^8

At the beginning of the French edition of 1560, Calvin makes clear that he

actually has a much broader readership in mind than just candidates in sacred

theology. He says:

I exhort all those who have reverence for the Lord’s word, to read [this present

work], and to impress it diligently upon their memory if they wish to have,first, a

sum of Christian doctrine, and, secondly, a way to benefit greatly from reading

the Old as well as the New Testament.^9

A bit later, Calvin explains somewhat more elaborately the benefit that he

hopes candidates in sacred theology and Christians in general will derive from

reading his work:

Although Holy Scripture contains a perfect doctrine, to which one can add

nothing since in it our Lord has meant to display the infinite treasures of his

wisdom, yet a person who has not much practice in it has good reason for some

guidance and direction, to know what he ought to look for in it, in order not to

wander hither and thither, but to hold to a sure path, that he may always be

pressing toward the end to which the Holy Spirit calls him.^10

In short, the benefit Calvin hopes his readers will receive from reading his

work is that they will be able rightly to interpret Holy Scripture.

(^8) I am using the Ford Lewis Battles’s translation of theInstitutes(Philadelphia, PA: West-
minster Press, 1960). The passage quoted is from‘John Calvin to the Reader’,Institutes4.
(^9) Calvin,‘Subject Matter of the Present Work’,Institutes8.
(^10) Calvin,‘Subject Matter of the Present Work’,Institutes 6 – 7.
The Christian Humanism of John Calvin 81