Morality After Calvin: Theodore Beza's Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics
In Morality After Calvin, Kirk M. Summers examines the development of ethical thought in the Reformed Orthodox tradition immediately following the death of Calvin. Framed around a previously unstudied poetic work of French theologian Theodore Beza, the Cato Censorius Christianus (1591), and read in conjunction with the works and correspondence of Beza and his colleagues, the book reveals the theoretical underpinnings of the disciplinary activity during the period. The poems of the Cato show that the moral fervor of the latter half of the sixteenth century had its genesis in a well-formulated theology that viewed a Christian's sanctification as a process of restoration to an original order created by God. For Beza the Christian life does not end with grace and salvation, but begins there.

The principles of morality, in this theoretical framework, look back to the very moment of creation, when God structured human relationships, established a certain order in nature, and issued commands. The Mosaic Law and Christ himself embody these principles, which include an ethos of listening, sincerity of life, engagement with one's calling, love of neighbor, respect for divine order, and a desire for the purity of the flock.

With insight and dexterity, as well as the use of previously unavailable sources, Summers contributes this significant volume to the study of Beza and his place in the history of the Reformed Orthodoxy.
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Morality After Calvin: Theodore Beza's Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics
In Morality After Calvin, Kirk M. Summers examines the development of ethical thought in the Reformed Orthodox tradition immediately following the death of Calvin. Framed around a previously unstudied poetic work of French theologian Theodore Beza, the Cato Censorius Christianus (1591), and read in conjunction with the works and correspondence of Beza and his colleagues, the book reveals the theoretical underpinnings of the disciplinary activity during the period. The poems of the Cato show that the moral fervor of the latter half of the sixteenth century had its genesis in a well-formulated theology that viewed a Christian's sanctification as a process of restoration to an original order created by God. For Beza the Christian life does not end with grace and salvation, but begins there.

The principles of morality, in this theoretical framework, look back to the very moment of creation, when God structured human relationships, established a certain order in nature, and issued commands. The Mosaic Law and Christ himself embody these principles, which include an ethos of listening, sincerity of life, engagement with one's calling, love of neighbor, respect for divine order, and a desire for the purity of the flock.

With insight and dexterity, as well as the use of previously unavailable sources, Summers contributes this significant volume to the study of Beza and his place in the history of the Reformed Orthodoxy.
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Morality After Calvin: Theodore Beza's Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics

Morality After Calvin: Theodore Beza's Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics

by Kirk M. Summers
Morality After Calvin: Theodore Beza's Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics

Morality After Calvin: Theodore Beza's Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics

by Kirk M. Summers

Hardcover

$185.00 
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Overview

In Morality After Calvin, Kirk M. Summers examines the development of ethical thought in the Reformed Orthodox tradition immediately following the death of Calvin. Framed around a previously unstudied poetic work of French theologian Theodore Beza, the Cato Censorius Christianus (1591), and read in conjunction with the works and correspondence of Beza and his colleagues, the book reveals the theoretical underpinnings of the disciplinary activity during the period. The poems of the Cato show that the moral fervor of the latter half of the sixteenth century had its genesis in a well-formulated theology that viewed a Christian's sanctification as a process of restoration to an original order created by God. For Beza the Christian life does not end with grace and salvation, but begins there.

The principles of morality, in this theoretical framework, look back to the very moment of creation, when God structured human relationships, established a certain order in nature, and issued commands. The Mosaic Law and Christ himself embody these principles, which include an ethos of listening, sincerity of life, engagement with one's calling, love of neighbor, respect for divine order, and a desire for the purity of the flock.

With insight and dexterity, as well as the use of previously unavailable sources, Summers contributes this significant volume to the study of Beza and his place in the history of the Reformed Orthodoxy.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780190280079
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: 10/26/2016
Series: Oxford Studies in Historical Theology
Pages: 434
Product dimensions: 6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Kirk M. Summers is Professor of Classics at the University of Alabama. He received his PhD in Classical Philology from the University of Illinois in 1993.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: Contextualizing Beza's Ethical Thought

Chapter One: Cato, God, and Natural Law
Chapter Two: An Ethos of Listening
Chapter Three: Living Sincerely
Chapter Four: The Execution of One's Calling
Chapter Five: Usury and the "Rhetoric of Mutuality"
Chapter Six: Sanctifying Physical Relationships
Chapter Seven: Outliers
Chapter Eight: A Retrospective View of Life's Journey
Chapter Nine: Conclusion: Beza's Ethical Thought

Bibliography
Abbreviations
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources

Index
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