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Institutes of the Christian Religion Book II

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God the Redeemer is Book 2 in The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. The Institutes are rightfully known as the Magnum Opus of Christian theology. God the Redeemer deals with the subject of redemption through Christ. It shows how God works in the hearts of human beings and refutes the concept of free will.

459 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2020

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About the author

John Calvin

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French-Swiss theologian John Calvin broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1533 and as Protestant set forth his tenets, known today, in Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536).

The religious doctrines of John Calvin emphasize the omnipotence of God, whose grace alone saves the elect.

* Jehan Cauvin
* Iohannes Calvinus (Latin)
* Jean Calvin (French)

Originally trained as a humanist lawyer around 1530, he went on to serve as a principal figure in the Reformation. He developed the system later called Calvinism.

After tensions provoked a violent uprising, Calvin fled to Basel and published the first edition of his seminal work. In that year of 1536, William Farel invited Calvin to help reform in Geneva. The city council resisted the implementation of ideas of Calvin and Farel and expelled both men. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg as the minister of refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and people eventually invited him back to lead. Following return, he introduced new forms of government and liturgy. Following an influx of supportive refugees, new elections to the city council forced out opponents of Calvin. Calvin spent his final years, promoting the Reformation in Geneva and throughout Europe.

Calvin tirelessly wrote polemics and apologia. He also exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition, he wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible as well as treatises and confessional documents and regularly gave sermons throughout the week in Geneva. The Augustinian tradition influenced and led Calvin to expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation.

Calvin's writing and preaching provided the seeds for the branch of Protestantism that bears his name. His views live on chiefly in Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, which have spread throughout the world. Calvin's thought exerted considerable influence over major figures and entire movements, such as Puritanism, and some scholars argue that his ideas contributed to the rise of capitalism, individualism, and representative democracy in the west.

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Tyler Jarboe.
72 reviews
August 18, 2024
Good sections and also terrible ones. The main thrust of his "torture of the intellect" (as Chesterton would refer to Calvinism) is found in the earlier sections, but a valuable discourse later on the decalogue and other subjects.
Profile Image for Noah McMillen.
272 reviews3 followers
August 4, 2021
Rereading this now as a Calvinist is extremely enlightening, though this book is probably what I agreed with most in the Institutes already.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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