Calvin and the Reformed Tradition: On the Work of Christ and the Order of Salvation - Paperback

by Richard A. Muller (Author)

Richard Muller, a world-class scholar of the Reformation era, examines the relationship of Calvin's theology to the Reformed tradition, indicating Calvin's place in the tradition as one of several significant second-generation formulators. Muller argues that the Reformed tradition is a diverse and variegated movement not suitably described either as founded solely on the thought of John Calvin or as a reaction to or deviation from Calvin, thereby setting aside the old "Calvin and the Calvinists" approach in favor of a more integral and representative perspective. Muller offers historical corrective and nuance on topics of current interest in Reformed theology, such as limited atonement/universalism, union with Christ, and the order of salvation.

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This forcefully written and persuasively argued book casts in relief the diversity and complexity of the Reformed tradition in the early modern period. With an astonishing grasp of a broad range of sources, Muller offers a challenging and illuminating examination of the tightly woven relations between theology and history. The analysis is penetrating and the arguments break new ground, all in conversation with generations of scholarship on Reformed thought. Essential reading.
--Bruce Gordon, Yale Divinity School

"Once again, Muller has provided us with a sophisticated and provocative analysis of the Reformed tradition. He teaches us that this tradition stemmed from multiple backgrounds, relied on various predecessors and sources, and must be understood in terms of changing circumstances. This book is indispensable for understanding the development of the theology of the Reformed tradition."
--Susan Schreiner, University of Chicago Divinity School

"Written with Muller's usual candor and suffused with a mastery of the original sources, these essays are a welcome defense of the integrity and independence of the Reformed tradition's sixteenth- and seventeenth-century exponents against those who would distort the historical record or reduce them to a series of footnotes to a Calvin who never existed. Sensitive to historical context and literary genre as well as to the influence of theological traditions and biblical exegesis, these essays are a clinic in responsible historical-theological method."
--John L. Thompson, Fuller Theological Seminary; author of Reading the Bible with the Dead

"Richard Muller has been the key player in the extensive revision of how the theology of Calvin and his contemporaries is understood to relate to that of the later Reformed tradition. Wide-ranging in scope, penetrating in argument, and breathtaking in scholarship, these essays are representative of Muller at his very best."
--Carl R. Trueman, Westminster Theological Seminary

"In this impressive book, Muller gives a clarion call for scholars to awaken from their dogmatic slumbers when approaching the early Reformed tradition and Reformed orthodoxy on the application of Christ's work, union with Christ, and the order of salvation. Full of nuance and fresh historical insight that cuts through muddy thinking, this is an indispensable resource."
--J. Todd Billings, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan

Author Biography

Richard A. Muller (PhD, Duke University) is senior fellow of the Junius Institute for Digital Reformation Research and P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology Emeritus at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of numerous books, including The Unaccommodated Calvin, After Calvin, and Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics. He also serves as the editor for the Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought series.