In 1561, about 35 years after Tyndale wrote “The Obedience of a Christian Man” another protestant named John Calvin was on the map. John Calvin, who wrote “The Institution of Christian Religion,” was the “principal theologian of the Protestant Reformation” (Calvin 625).
The selected passage (Book 3, Chapter 21) deals with the principle of predestination. The ideology states “God has determined before the foundation of the world whom he will save and whom he will damn, regardless of the merits or defects of these individuals” (625). Calvin puts it into these words:
“… the Scripture clearly showeth, we say that God by eternal and unchangeable counsel hath once appointed whom in time to come he would take to salvation, and on the other side whom he would condemn to destruction” (627).
Calvin brings up that many people are going to want to know more about predestination than he can tell them. Calvin is actually discussing the subject in this section though he tells his readers not to discuss it. This is known as OCCUPATIO. He brings up two things having to do with wanting more knowledge about predestination. First, He says that to “inquire upon predestination [is to] pierce into the secret closets of the wisdom of God” (626). And that “he hath disclosed in his Word: and he hath determined, so far as he foresaw to pertain to us and to be profitable for us” (627). Calvin urges people not to go looking for answers concerning predestination because God has given all the answers people need to know in the Bible. Calvin often ALLUDES to the Bible in his writing. This is probably to prove to his readers that even he gets his answers from God's word.
“For the Scripture is the school of the Holy Ghost, in which as nothing is left out which is both necessary and profitable to be known” (627). This is what Calvin says that pertains to what Christians believe today. Much emphasis was being put on the bible at this time because more people were literate than before and today almost everyone is literate. Calvin’s point about reading the bible is something that many modern churches recommend. This time in English history probably was the first time that commoners were encouraged to think freely about the bible and read it on their own.
Throughout history humans have tried to find a way to answer life’s big questions, find comfort in loss, and find direction in life. Looking at England, Christianity has been prominent since the Middle Ages. As all things do, Christianity went through many changes from the middle ages through the 17th century. It is possible to take a journey back in time, through literature, to capture some of the changes of the Christian religion in Europe.
The Venerable Bede
Julian of Norwich
An Anchoress
William Tyndale
An Allegory of the Reformation
John Calvin
George Herbert
Works Cited
"Bede and Caedmon's Hymn." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. A : Middle Ages. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Alfred David. 8th ed. Vol. A. Boston, MA: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 24-27.
Calvin, John. "John Calvin: The Institution of Christian Religion." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. B : The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Barbara K. Lewalski. 8th ed. Vol. B. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 625-27.
Herbert, George. "The Alter." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. B : The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Barbara K. Lewalski. 8th ed. Vol. B. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 1607.
"Julian of Norwich." Virtual Medieval Church and Its Writings. 2003. University of Saint Thomas “Saint Paul, MN. 30 Oct. 2008.
Norwich, Julian. "Julian of Norwich: A Book of Showings to the Anchoress Julian of Norwich." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. A : Middle Ages. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Alfred David. 8th ed. Vol. A. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 371-82.
"The Sixteenth Century: Topics." William Tyndale, Preface to His 1530 Old Testament Translation. 2003. W.W. Norton and Company. 3 Nov. 2008
Tyndale, William. "William Tyndale: The Obedience of a Christian Man." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. B : The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Barbara K. Lewalski. 8th ed. Vol. B. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 621-22.
Calvin, John. "John Calvin: The Institution of Christian Religion." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. B : The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Barbara K. Lewalski. 8th ed. Vol. B. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 625-27.
Herbert, George. "The Alter." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. B : The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Barbara K. Lewalski. 8th ed. Vol. B. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 1607.
"Julian of Norwich." Virtual Medieval Church and Its Writings. 2003. University of Saint Thomas “Saint Paul, MN. 30 Oct. 2008
"The Sixteenth Century: Topics." William Tyndale, Preface to His 1530 Old Testament Translation. 2003. W.W. Norton and Company. 3 Nov. 2008
Tyndale, William. "William Tyndale: The Obedience of a Christian Man." The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. B : The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams and Barbara K. Lewalski. 8th ed. Vol. B. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2005. 621-22.
The changes of Christian thinking in England formed modern religion today. Catholicism was the only acknowledged religion in England through the 16th century, but during the 16th century some of the largest changes in the Christian religion were going on. There were transformations in religion that were shown through literature. Literature changed from being “a mixture of Christian and pagan beliefs, to pure Christianity.” (Holly Gingrich). Whether a person claimed to be a follower of Christ or not, Christianity helped to mold English culture and change believes between medieval times and the 17th century.