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Johannes Calvijn: Verlicht hervormer of vormgever van een orthodox keurslijf?
History occasionally produces figures whose influence on their own and successive generations is immense. Marx, Freud and Lenin had such an influence, and so, Alister McGrath argues, does John Calvin. This book provides a fresh and lucid exploration of Calvin's life and influence, his theology and his political thought, and his determining of the course of European history. It traces Calvin's remarkable impact on the development of modern Western attitudes to work, wealth, civil rights, capitalism and the natural sciences. Published to wide critical acclaim in hardback and now available in paperback, this ground-breaking study of Calvin will be welcomed by all concerned with an understanding of the shaping of modern western culture.
380 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1990
13 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Alister E. McGrath
453 books501 followersAlister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 24, 2023
Ik vond dit geen gemakkelijk boek om te lezen. Waarschijnlijk omdat ik nog niet veel over Calvijn wist. Ik ben door het lezen van het boek wel interessante zaken te weten gekomen, maar over Calvijn zelf eigenlijk te weinig, vind ik. Het boek gaat veel meer over de omgeving waarin Calvijn leefde (Parijs en Genève) dan over zijn persoon zelf. Er wordt ook wel veel aandacht besteed aan hoe zijn leer zich kon verbreiden en hoe zijn invloed groeide, eerst in Genève, en later in Frankrijk. Ik heb ook een beter inzicht gekregen over het leven en de politiek in de 16de eeuw in deze delen van Europa.
Over het algemeen dus een goed boek, dat mij meestal wel kon boeien, maar dat niet vlot las.
Over het algemeen dus een goed boek, dat mij meestal wel kon boeien, maar dat niet vlot las.
August 4, 2011
This book can be easy to criticize if one evaluates it from the standards of "normal biography." Biographically considered, McGrath tells you little of Calvin's lief. Even thematically it can be seen wanting in some areas. However, as a piece of writing dealing with John Calvin it is good enough. I will try to hit the highlights of the biography and offer my own conclusions at the end.
McGrath begins (or ends, I can't remember) his book with a long excursus on the writing of Calvin's Institutes. This will be important to upper-level Calvin scholars, but only to them. His section on Parisian theology is either irrelevant of highly interesting in a tangential way. He gives a brief overview of certain intellectual themes that will play out in the decades that follow.
McGrath gives a brief overview of the theology of the Institutes. I was pleased to see McGrath place Calvin's covenant theology on the side of continuity between Old and New Testaments (in constrast to some modern Reform scholars who see Calvin as a proto-Klinean).
McGrath's section on Calvin's social themes should be taken with a grain of salt. Calvinism did birth a robust social theory (even if it is largely lost in America today) but one should be very careful about building a case on the flawed work of Max Weber. Calvin probably did not start Capitalism.
I wouldn't make this my first book on Calvin's life. It is more of a thematic approach to aspects of Calvin's ministry.
McGrath begins (or ends, I can't remember) his book with a long excursus on the writing of Calvin's Institutes. This will be important to upper-level Calvin scholars, but only to them. His section on Parisian theology is either irrelevant of highly interesting in a tangential way. He gives a brief overview of certain intellectual themes that will play out in the decades that follow.
McGrath gives a brief overview of the theology of the Institutes. I was pleased to see McGrath place Calvin's covenant theology on the side of continuity between Old and New Testaments (in constrast to some modern Reform scholars who see Calvin as a proto-Klinean).
McGrath's section on Calvin's social themes should be taken with a grain of salt. Calvinism did birth a robust social theory (even if it is largely lost in America today) but one should be very careful about building a case on the flawed work of Max Weber. Calvin probably did not start Capitalism.
I wouldn't make this my first book on Calvin's life. It is more of a thematic approach to aspects of Calvin's ministry.
July 22, 2009
McGrath is fantastically detailed and does an excellent job of attending to both the historical and systematic elements of Calvin. For example, The chapter he does on Geneva is one of the best I have come across even among strict historical accounts. You can tell that McGrath has spent significant time digesting Calvin.
August 22, 2019
This is an odd book. It contains some really excellent, insightful work on Calvin's background, particularly in the university of Paris, some aspects of humanism, and Geneva itself.
It is, however, thoroughly lacking as a biography, and uninspired as a description of Calvin's thought.
The good parts do force revision of some false ideas about Calvin. And McGrath does a solid job of refuting the more tendentious nonsense that surrounds Calvin, from Stephan Sweig and others. There is material for a few good articles here.
The descriptions of Calvin's thought are no better than most of the secondary literature, and have dated badly in places - they still betray a somewhat Barthian reading of Calvin, and an overblown distinction between Calvin and Calvinism.
With so much excellent work having been done in the last couple of decades on how to read Calvin in his own context and culture, that has not weathered well.
In itself, also, the discussion seems to be based on a rather superficial reading of Calvin himself. For instance, the discussion of Calvin's beliefs about the relationship between the old and new testaments seems implausibly negative about the old.
One feels that McGrath is hamstrung by his insistence that the Institutes are Calvin's masterwork, and that all the significant matters of his thought are found there.
That contradicts Calvin's own statements, which quite clearly see the final edition as the centerpiece of a much larger project in which the Institutes provide the reader with an introduction to the key themes of Christian thought so as to enable use of the wider project, the commentaries on the Bible.
These are so rich and large that it is unsurprising a biographer might not wish to see them as important. Nonetheless, McGrath barely mentions them, which is astonishing.
Again, more recent work, which has seen the Institutes and commentaries as one interconnected project, has born a lot of fruit. Selderhuis on Calvin's use of the Psalms is one key example.
Finally, McGrath does not attempt to write a biography in the normal sense. There is no real narrative, let alone personal insight. That might not be a problem, but this book is titled 'A Life'. It is not.
It is therefore useless as an introduction - any reader should read another biography first. Plenty of the discussions of events in Calvin's life are insightful (e.g. Servetus) but McGrath doesn't actually recount the events, merely provide interpretation. The reader new to Calvin will be at sea.
McGrath excuses himself from providing more intimate detail by saying Calvin was very private and left little for the biographer to work with.
That is only true in comparison to oddities like Luther and Augustine, or to modern people who like to write autobiographies. It's true Calvin was a private person, and I'd love him to have been somewhat less so. But here it seems like an excuse.
He left multiple volumes of personal and often highly emotional letters, in addition to all the academic work, and multiple accounts from people who knew him well, like de Beze. Much more use could have been made of all this material.
In short, this there is certainly useful material in this book, particularly on Calvin's background. Those who have read other biographies and a decent selection of Calvin's own writings will find it simulating in places, and dull in others. Not recommended for those new to the subject.
It is, however, thoroughly lacking as a biography, and uninspired as a description of Calvin's thought.
The good parts do force revision of some false ideas about Calvin. And McGrath does a solid job of refuting the more tendentious nonsense that surrounds Calvin, from Stephan Sweig and others. There is material for a few good articles here.
The descriptions of Calvin's thought are no better than most of the secondary literature, and have dated badly in places - they still betray a somewhat Barthian reading of Calvin, and an overblown distinction between Calvin and Calvinism.
With so much excellent work having been done in the last couple of decades on how to read Calvin in his own context and culture, that has not weathered well.
In itself, also, the discussion seems to be based on a rather superficial reading of Calvin himself. For instance, the discussion of Calvin's beliefs about the relationship between the old and new testaments seems implausibly negative about the old.
One feels that McGrath is hamstrung by his insistence that the Institutes are Calvin's masterwork, and that all the significant matters of his thought are found there.
That contradicts Calvin's own statements, which quite clearly see the final edition as the centerpiece of a much larger project in which the Institutes provide the reader with an introduction to the key themes of Christian thought so as to enable use of the wider project, the commentaries on the Bible.
These are so rich and large that it is unsurprising a biographer might not wish to see them as important. Nonetheless, McGrath barely mentions them, which is astonishing.
Again, more recent work, which has seen the Institutes and commentaries as one interconnected project, has born a lot of fruit. Selderhuis on Calvin's use of the Psalms is one key example.
Finally, McGrath does not attempt to write a biography in the normal sense. There is no real narrative, let alone personal insight. That might not be a problem, but this book is titled 'A Life'. It is not.
It is therefore useless as an introduction - any reader should read another biography first. Plenty of the discussions of events in Calvin's life are insightful (e.g. Servetus) but McGrath doesn't actually recount the events, merely provide interpretation. The reader new to Calvin will be at sea.
McGrath excuses himself from providing more intimate detail by saying Calvin was very private and left little for the biographer to work with.
That is only true in comparison to oddities like Luther and Augustine, or to modern people who like to write autobiographies. It's true Calvin was a private person, and I'd love him to have been somewhat less so. But here it seems like an excuse.
He left multiple volumes of personal and often highly emotional letters, in addition to all the academic work, and multiple accounts from people who knew him well, like de Beze. Much more use could have been made of all this material.
In short, this there is certainly useful material in this book, particularly on Calvin's background. Those who have read other biographies and a decent selection of Calvin's own writings will find it simulating in places, and dull in others. Not recommended for those new to the subject.
February 2, 2026
Deze biografie van Alister McGrath heeft mij veel bijgebracht over de bekende protestant uit de zestiende eeuw. Het werk begon wat weerbarstig met de studies van Calvijn en zijn prille ideeën maar eenmaal in Genève leest het boek als een trein en beslaat verschillende interessante onderwerpen. Zijn invloed in Frankrijk, zijn centrale ideeën uitgewerkt in zijn bekendste werk Institutie en de verschillen met bijvoorbeeld het lutheranisme komen aan bod. Het boek bestaat uit twaalf hoofdstukken en het was opvallend - voor een biografie - dat Calvijn reeds stierf aan het begin van het tiende hoofdstuk. De laatste drie hoofdstukken waren voor mij nóg interessanter omdat ze de focus legden op thema's die het leven van één man overstijgen. De opvallende verschillen tussen Calvijn en het calvinisme van zijn opvolgers wordt heel goed uitgelegd zoals bijvoorbeeld verschillende visies naar de natuurwetenschappen toe. Ook de gekende invloed van het calvinisme - bijvoorbeeld de arbeidsethos - op Nederland, Engeland en de VSA worden uit de doeken gedaan. Een prima boek dat na een aarzelend begin evolueert naar een uitgekiende biografie over een man die de westerse cultuur enorme beïnvloed heeft.
March 5, 2025
This book serves more as an intellectual biography than a traditional one. It begins with the historical context into which Calvin was born, then moves on to the early influences on Calvin's thought, his struggles and ideas, and finally, the impact Calvin has had on areas of modern life, such as economics. That said, the work is still incredibly illuminating. It offers a fair and balanced account of the Reformer’s life, crediting him where it's due and pointing out shortcomings rather than trying to cover them up.
February 9, 2020
Overall this was very good.
July 29, 2022
Excelente!
April 30, 2024
A good biography of the great reformer, with perceptive analysis of his impact on Western culture and governance.
August 12, 2016
McGrath's 'biography' of Calvin is an illuminating read, although I am sad to say that I learned much more about such subjects as the 16th century, the effects of Calvinism, and the organization of the French University than I did about Calvin himself. This does not appear to have been McGrath's fault, however, since Calvin was a very private individual who held back his personality whenever possible so as to let the Word of God gain precedence in all he did.
This isn't to say that you don't learn about a number of events in Calvin's life - it's just that you don't learn much about the man himself. You also get to have more than a few myths dispelled for you. Some of these myths are simply the result of ignorance, but other appear to be deliberate attempts to smear his name in an effort to turn back Calvinism. Some myths are wholesale inventions and others are merely 'creative' interpreations of actual events. It is nice to know that Calvin's Geneva was not, contrary to popular opinion, a theocracy. In fact, he possessed little power in the city since the city council opposed him for most of his time there and constantly interfered in his running of the Reformed Church.
There is also an oddity in McGrath's writing. He sometimes calls the RCC the 'Roman Catholic Church' but also the 'catholic church'. This is a strange practice, as I've always seen it written 'Catholic Church' if referring to the RCC and 'catholic church' if one is referring to the universal church. Since McGrath does not appear to be a member of the RCC, it would be beyond odd for him to write this way if he doesn't consider the RCC coterminal with the universal church.
Be that as it may, the book is interesting and filled with facts about the late Renaissance and early Reformation that are worthwhile to possess and is, mostly, a quick read. McGrath also gives us a short summary of the Institutes. I found his explanation of the organization of the Institutes to be very valuable, as I am tempted to see works as being organized along systematic lines. Calvin, however, was heavily influenced by Renaissance humanism and organized the work along pedagogical lines, not systematic ones. A wealth of learning is went into this book and you will not find your time wasted if you read it.
This isn't to say that you don't learn about a number of events in Calvin's life - it's just that you don't learn much about the man himself. You also get to have more than a few myths dispelled for you. Some of these myths are simply the result of ignorance, but other appear to be deliberate attempts to smear his name in an effort to turn back Calvinism. Some myths are wholesale inventions and others are merely 'creative' interpreations of actual events. It is nice to know that Calvin's Geneva was not, contrary to popular opinion, a theocracy. In fact, he possessed little power in the city since the city council opposed him for most of his time there and constantly interfered in his running of the Reformed Church.
There is also an oddity in McGrath's writing. He sometimes calls the RCC the 'Roman Catholic Church' but also the 'catholic church'. This is a strange practice, as I've always seen it written 'Catholic Church' if referring to the RCC and 'catholic church' if one is referring to the universal church. Since McGrath does not appear to be a member of the RCC, it would be beyond odd for him to write this way if he doesn't consider the RCC coterminal with the universal church.
Be that as it may, the book is interesting and filled with facts about the late Renaissance and early Reformation that are worthwhile to possess and is, mostly, a quick read. McGrath also gives us a short summary of the Institutes. I found his explanation of the organization of the Institutes to be very valuable, as I am tempted to see works as being organized along systematic lines. Calvin, however, was heavily influenced by Renaissance humanism and organized the work along pedagogical lines, not systematic ones. A wealth of learning is went into this book and you will not find your time wasted if you read it.
September 5, 2014
If the subtitle of A Life of John Calvin: A Study in the Shaping of Western Culture doesn't give away that Dr. McGrath, an intellectual historian and theologian, intended to write a historical analysis--not a traditional biography--then reading the Preface perhaps dispels any confusion:
This book is not concerned with praising or condemning Calvin or his cultural legacy, but with establishing the nature and extent of that legacy in the first place. It is an attempt to bring out the vitality of this remarkable character, and to trace the genesis and structure of his ideas and their influence on Western culture. p. xiv-xv
Dr. McGrath captured my attention, however, almost immediately:
...it has been at two points only that Christianity has been able to decisively transform human culture and civilisation: during the Middle Ages, through the scholarly synthesis of Thomas Aquinas, and in the early modern period, through Calvinism. p.xii
Reading this book on its own terms removed encumbrances from my ability to appreciate its substance and breadth. Frankly, I found it dazzling.
Dr. McGrath naturally divides this work between John Calvin's biography, the development of John Calvin's ideas, and the impact of those ideas on Western Civilization. I have read several biographies of Calvin, none of which I consider the quintessential biography. The biographical information Dr. McGrath includes in this work contains more detail, to the level of sharing a map of the block in which Calvin attended school in Paris to show its spatial relationship to an alley where refuse and filth were dumped, that I have yet to come across.
It is important to emphasize Dr. McGrath's professional emphasis as an intellectual and theological historian. When he begins tracing the development of John Calvin's ideas and their subsequent impact on civilization, he gets passionate. This line of enquiry might not be for everyone. Certainly, I found it challenging and would never recommend this book as an introduction to Calvin or Calvinism. However, those who are already acquainted with Calvin's biography and thought may find this more in-depth analysis engaging.
This book is not concerned with praising or condemning Calvin or his cultural legacy, but with establishing the nature and extent of that legacy in the first place. It is an attempt to bring out the vitality of this remarkable character, and to trace the genesis and structure of his ideas and their influence on Western culture. p. xiv-xv
Dr. McGrath captured my attention, however, almost immediately:
...it has been at two points only that Christianity has been able to decisively transform human culture and civilisation: during the Middle Ages, through the scholarly synthesis of Thomas Aquinas, and in the early modern period, through Calvinism. p.xii
Reading this book on its own terms removed encumbrances from my ability to appreciate its substance and breadth. Frankly, I found it dazzling.
Dr. McGrath naturally divides this work between John Calvin's biography, the development of John Calvin's ideas, and the impact of those ideas on Western Civilization. I have read several biographies of Calvin, none of which I consider the quintessential biography. The biographical information Dr. McGrath includes in this work contains more detail, to the level of sharing a map of the block in which Calvin attended school in Paris to show its spatial relationship to an alley where refuse and filth were dumped, that I have yet to come across.
It is important to emphasize Dr. McGrath's professional emphasis as an intellectual and theological historian. When he begins tracing the development of John Calvin's ideas and their subsequent impact on civilization, he gets passionate. This line of enquiry might not be for everyone. Certainly, I found it challenging and would never recommend this book as an introduction to Calvin or Calvinism. However, those who are already acquainted with Calvin's biography and thought may find this more in-depth analysis engaging.
Want to read
December 7, 2025On Al Mohler's list of Ten Great Christian Biographies: “Alister McGrath's A Life of John Calvin is the best biography available at present, and it is well crafted for both academic and non-academic readers.”
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
His importance lies primarily, but by no means exclusively, in his being a religious thinker. To describe him as a 'theologian' is proper but misleading, given the modern associations of the term. A theologian is one who is generally seen to be marginalized as an irrelevance by church and academy alike, whose public is limited to a severely restricted circle of fellow theologians, and whose ideas and methods are generally derived from other intellectual disciplines. The originality, power and influence of Calvin's religious ideas forbid us to speak of him merely as a 'theologian' -- though that he certainly was -- in much the same way it is inadequate to refer to Lenin as a mere political theorist. Through his remarkable ability to master languages, media and ideas, his insights into the importance of organization and social structures, and his intuitive grasp of the religious needs and possibilities of his era, Calvin was able to forge an alliance between religious thought and action which made Calvinism a wonder of its age.
January 22, 2009
Not much of a biography, but more of a historical appreciation. McGrath relies on secondary sources to the neglect of primary sources. Calvin comes our looking flat, mean, and boring though brilliant.
July 23, 2009
More like "The beginnings of Calvinism," and pretty dry.
May 10, 2014
Found this book very dry and boring.
April 28, 2015
The book is excellent and I had a difficult time putting it down. I highly recommend this book and its author.
February 9, 2016
Great insight into Calvin's political and cultural impacts. Also debunks a lot of Calvin myths.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews