Calvin in context : second edition

The book illuminates Calvins thought by placing it in the context of the theological and exegetical traditions--ancient medieval and contemporary-- that formed it and contributed to its particular texture. Steinmetz addresses a range of issues almost as wide as the Reformation itself including the knowledge of God the problem of iconoclasm the doctrines of justification and predestination and the role of the state and the civil magistrate. Along the way Steinmetz also clarifies the substance of Calvins quarrels with Lutherans Catholics Anabaptists and assorted radicals from Ochino to Sozzini. For the new edition he has added a new Preface and four new chapters based on recent published and unpublished essays. An accessible yet authoritative general introduction to Calvins thought Calvin in Context engages a much wider range of primary sources than the standard introductions. It provides a context for understanding Calvin not from secondary literature about the later middle ages and Renaissance but from the writings of Calvins own contemporaries and the rich sources from which they drew.