needs to start with an act of acknowledgement:‘Our mind cannot
apprehend God without rendering some honour to him.’^200
Calvin’s concept of piety is thus related to the medieval tradition of
the feudal relationship to God, which must be initiated by a human
act of acknowledgement; only after this act of honouring is a more
profound knowledge possible. The act of acknowledgement is pre-
ceded by the act of God that enables this heteronomous constitution.
At the same time, the act of rendering honour to God serves the
purpose of acquiring knowledge of God and is not primarily feudal or
medieval. In the opening chapters ofInstitutio, Calvin wants to point
out that all theological knowledge must start with an act of attach-
ment, and then deepernotitiaandcognitiois possible. In this manner,
Calvin’s act of acknowledgement resembles the tradition ofoikeiosis
or the Stoic version ofcommendation, since the person who knows
mustfirst have an affective appropriation of the object to be known.
Piety is the proper appropriation of this kind, connecting Calvin with
Luther’s view of apprehensive faith.
For Calvin, there is a twofold knowledge of God. In Book 1 he
teaches the knowledge of God as Creator; Books 2–4ofInstitutio
move to discuss the knowledge of God as Redeemer. We need to
observe that thefirst knowledge requires piety and is based on
heteronomy. Although Calvin teaches that thefirst knowledge is
‘natural’, he means that it is implanted by God in all humans and is
obscured by sin. However, since God does not abolish this knowledge,
actual godlessness is impossible.^201 In a sense, all people are‘com-
pelled to acknowledge (agnosco) some God’,^202 but this often takes
place without proper piety. The case of compelled recognition never-
theless illuminates Calvin’s idea that all religious knowledge starts
with some kind of affective appropriation.
In sum, the opening chapters of theInstitutioteach that knowledge
of God and self-knowledge are deeply interrelated. To know oneself
truly, one mustfirst come to know God. To do so, one must renounce
one’s own depravity. Most importantly, the framework of pietas,
involving a personal acknowledgement, is needed for theological
knowledge. Both Luther and Calvin emphasize this personal appro-
priation; for Calvin, the conceptual link between appropriation and
agnosco/recognoscois quite explicit. Whilepietasalso expresses the
(^200) Inst.1, 2, 1;Inst-E40. (^201) Inst.1, 3, 3;Inst-E 45 – 6.
(^202) Inst.1, 4, 2;Inst-E49. cognoistre/acknowledge/erkennen.
100 Recognition and Religion