This is the first monograph devoted to divine accommodation in the writings of John Calvin. The text offers careful analysis of the topic along several different lines: it analyzes the character of Calvin's thinking on accommodation; it reveals the ways in which accommodation expresses itself in his writings; it probes the question of the penetration of accommodation into Calvin's theology and particularly its implications for his doctrine of God.

InhaltsangabePreface.- Introduction.- 1. Assessing the Progress of Research since 1952.- 2. The Contents of this Study.- Divine Accommodation in the Tradition and Calvin.- 1. Accommodation in Christian Tradition.- 2. Calvin and the Tradition; A Preliminary Sketch of Calvin's Thought on the Motif.- 2.1 Texts Touching on Contact between God and the world.- 2.1.1 Joel 3: 4-5.- 2.1.2 Shewbread.- 2.1.3 Zephaniah 3: 16-17.- 2.2 Angels: Psalm 91: 11, 12 and Psalm 34: 7.- 2.3 Divine Promises: Hosea 2: 19-22.- 2.4 OT case laws: Exodus 21: 7-11.- 2.5 Summary.- Human Captus.- 1. Human Nature in Calvin.- 1.1 Historical Background.- 1.2 Calvin Studies and Calvin.- 1.3 Sin and the 'totus homo'.- 2. Human Captus in Calvin's Thought in relation to Accommodation.- 2.1 Assessing Opinion on this issue.- 2.1.1 Edward Dowey's Contribution.- 2.1.2 E. David Willis' Contribution.- 2.1.3 David Wright's Contribution.- 2.1.4 Summary.- 2.2 Human Capacity: A Survey of its Various Senses.- 2.2.1 General References to Human Capacity.- 2.2.2 The Human Condition.- 2.2.3 The Question of Sin and its Relation to Human Capacity.- 2.2.4 Mental Weakness respecting the Knowledge of God and Spiritual Matters.- 2.2.5 Fear, Grief and Doubt.- 2.2.6 Lack of Restraint, Inappropriate Desires and Imperfection.- 2.2.7 Sluggishness, Willfulness, and Hypocrisy.- 2.2.8 Barbarity.- 2.3 The Various Senses Reviewed.- 3. Analyzing Calvin's Teaching on Human Captus: the Recipients of Accommodation.- 3.1 Human Beings as Creatures.- 3.2 Human Beings as Sinners.- 3.3 Israel as Primitive Nation.- 3.4 Human Beings as either the Wicked or the Godly.- 4. Conclusion.- God's Accommodating Responses to Human Captus.- 1. God's Accommodating according to Calvin.- 1.1 When God instructs.- 1.1.1 God Reveals Himself through his Works.- 1.1.2 God Speaks.- 1.1.3 God Discloses Himself in Christ 64.- 1.1.4 God's Unaccommodated Revelation to his Peoplein Glory.- 1.2 When God Legislates and Commands.- 1.2.1 God's Moral Law.- 1.2.2 God's Old Testament Case Laws.- 1.2.3 God's ad hoc Commands given to Israel.- 1.2.4 God's Rewarding of Obedience.- 1.2.5 The Duration of these forms of Accommodation.- 1.3 When God sanctions Religious Rites and Practices, and receives the Worship of his People.- 1.3.1 God's Accommodating of the practices sanctioned in worship.- 1.3.2 God's Accommodating of the Reception of Worship.- 1.3.3 The End of Accommodated Worship.- 1.4 When God pastors his Flock.- 1.4.1 God cares for, leads, and protects his people.- 1.4.2 God employs angels.- 1.4.3 God rouses, threatens, tests, and chastens.- 1.5 When God comes to Earth.- 1.6 When God Covenants.- 2. Conclusion.- 2.1 Reviewing the Chapter.- 2.2 Assessing findings up to this point.- God's Reasons for Accommodating-Images of God in Calvin's Handling of Accommodation.- 1. An Introduction to Calvin's Statements on God's Reasons for Accommodating.- 1.1 Reference to a Motive.- 1.2 Reference to a Cause.- 1.3 Reference to a Purpose.- 1.4 Reference to a Contingency with which God must Deal.- 2. Earlier Portraits of Calvin's Accommodating God.- 3. Images of Calvin's Accommodating God.- 3.1 Transcendent and incomprehensible; good and loving.- 3.2 Practical and productive.- 3.3 Expedient, pragmatic.- 3.4 Unprincipled, desperate.- 3.5 Anxious, obsessive.- 3.6 Tender, tolerant, enslaved.- 4. Conclusion.- Accommodation and Calvin's Thinking on the Power of God.- 1. Calvin and the potentia absoluta/ordinata Distinction.- 1.1 A Brief History of the Distinction.- 1.2 Calvin and the Distinction.- 1.2.1 Calvin and the Absolute Power of God-Traditional.- 1.2.2 Calvin and the Absolute Power of God-Scotistic.- 1.2.3 On the Joining of these Two Viewpoints.- 1.2.4 Summary.- 2. Accommodation and the Potentia Ordinata in Calvin.- 2.1 The Created Order.- 2.2 The Order of Salvation.- 2.2.1

Preface.- Introduction.- 1. Assessing the Progress of Research since 1952.- 2. The Contents of this Study.- Divine Accommodation in the Tradition and Calvin.- 1. Accommodation in Christian Tradition.- 2. Calvin and the Tradition; A Preliminary Sketch of Calvin¿s Thought on the Motif.- 2.1 Texts Touching on Contact between God and the world.- 2.1.1 Joel 3: 4-5.- 2.1.2 Shewbread.- 2.1.3 Zephaniah 3: 16-17.- 2.2 Angels: Psalm 91: 11, 12 and Psalm 34: 7.- 2.3 Divine Promises: Hosea 2: 19-22.- 2.4 OT case laws: Exodus 21: 7-11.- 2.5 Summary.- Human Captus.- 1. Human Nature in Calvin.- 1.1 Historical Background.- 1.2 Calvin Studies and Calvin.- 1.3 Sin and the a¿¿totus homo¿.- 2. Human Captus in Calvin¿s Thought in relation to Accommodation.- 2.1 Assessing Opinion on this issue.- 2.1.1 Edward Dowey¿s Contribution.- 2.1.2 E. David Willis¿ Contribution.- 2.1.3 David Wright¿s Contribution.- 2.1.4 Summary.- 2.2 Human Capacity: A Survey of its Various Senses.- 2.2.1 General References to Human Capacity.- 2.2.2 The Human Condition.- 2.2.3 The Question of Sin and its Relation to Human Capacity.- 2.2.4 Mental Weakness respecting the Knowledge of God and Spiritual Matters.- 2.2.5 Fear, Grief and Doubt.- 2.2.6 Lack of Restraint, Inappropriate Desires and Imperfection.- 2.2.7 Sluggishness, Willfulness, and Hypocrisy.- 2.2.8 Barbarity.- 2.3 The Various Senses Reviewed.- 3. Analyzing Calvin¿s Teaching on Human Captus: the Recipients of Accommodation.- 3.1 Human Beings as Creatures.- 3.2 Human Beings as Sinners.- 3.3 Israel as Primitive Nation.- 3.4 Human Beings as either the Wicked or the Godly.- 4. Conclusion.- God¿s Accommodating Responses to Human Captus.- 1. God¿s Accommodating according to Calvin.- 1.1 When God instructs.- 1.1.1 God Reveals Himself through his Works.- 1.1.2 God Speaks.- 1.1.3 God Discloses Himself in Christ 64.- 1.1.4 God¿s Unaccommodated Revelation to his People in Glory.- 1.2 When God Legislates and Commands.- 1.2.1 God¿s Moral Law.- 1.2.2 God¿s Old Testament Case Laws.- 1.2.3 God¿s ad hoc Commands given to Israel.- 1.2.4 God¿s Rewarding of Obedience.- 1.2.5 The Duration of these forms of Accommodation.- 1.3 When God sanctions Religious Rites and Practices, and receives the Worship of his People.- 1.3.1 God¿s Accommodating of the practices sanctioned in worship.- 1.3.2 God¿s Accommodating of the Reception of Worship.- 1.3.3 The End of Accommodated Worship.- 1.4 When God pastors his Flock.- 1.4.1 God cares for, leads, and protects his people.- 1.4.2 God employs angels.- 1.4.3 God rouses, threatens, tests, and chastens.- 1.5 When God comes to Earth.- 1.6 When God Covenants.- 2. Conclusion.- 2.1 Reviewing the Chapter.- 2.2 Assessing findings up to this point.- God¿s Reasons for Accommodatinga¿'Images of God in Calvin¿s Handling of Accommodation.- 1. An Introduction to Calvin¿s Statements on God¿s Reasons for Accommodating.- 1.1 Reference to a Motive.- 1.2 Reference to a Cause.- 1.3 Reference to a Purpose.- 1.4 Reference to a Contingency with which God must Deal.- 2. Earlier Portraits of Calvin¿s Accommodating God.- 3. Images of Calvin¿s Accommodating God.- 3.1 Transcendent and incomprehensible; good and loving.- 3.2 Practical and productive.- 3.3 Expedient, pragmatic.- 3.4 Unprincipled, desperate.- 3.5 Anxious, obsessive.- 3.6 Tender, tolerant, enslaved.- 4. Conclusion.- Accommodation and Calvin¿s Thinking on the Power of God.- 1. Calvin and the potentia absoluta/ordinata Distinction.- 1.1 A Brief History of the Distinction.- 1.2 Calvin and the Distinction.- 1.2.1 Calvin and the Absolute Power of Goda¿'Traditional.- 1.2.2 Calvin and the Absolute Power of Goda¿'Scotistic.- 1.2.3 On the Joining of these Two Viewpoints.- 1.2.4 Summary.- 2. Accommodation and the Potentia Ordinata in Calvin.- 2.1 The Created Order.- 2.2 The Order of Salvation.- 2.2.1 Instruments, Angels and Baptism.- 2.2.2 The Law.- 2.2.3 God¿s Providential Care.- 2.2.4 Other loci: the Incarnation and Atonement. ...