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VU Research Portal Calvin and the Body Sewell, A.L. 2011 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Sewell, A. L. (2011). Calvin and the Body: An Inquiry into His Anthropology. VU University Press. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 26. Sep. 2021 Acknowledgements Theologians of the twelfth century liked to say that we can see a little further because we sit on the shoulders of giants. I, too, have benefited from the labors of Calvin scholars near and far. Any Calvin scholar today owes a debt of gratitude to those who have gone before. I gratefully acknowledge the hospitality of various libraries and their staff. In my current hometown of Sioux Center, IA, I was able to use the John and Louise Hulst Library at Dordt College. I have made three visits of several weeks each, in , and , to the Meeter Center for Calvin Studies at the Calvin College in Grand Rapids, which is undoubtedly the best place for any Calvin scholar. Not only are the resources outstanding, but the Director, Dr Karin Y. Maag, Curator/Librarian Paul Fields, and Administrator Ryan Noppen all offer friendly and efficient help when needed. For the visit I was the grateful recipient of a Student Research Fellowship. The summer of was spent in the Library of the Theological Univer- sity in Kampen, the Netherlands, where Ms Marjolijn Palma assisted me with cheer- ful efficiency. I am also thankful to the VU University for its willingness to take me on as a distance student. I appreciate the support and encouragement of Professors Dr Wim Janse, Dr Kees van der Kooi, and last but not least, Dr Erik de Boer. Their interest in my research topic and guidance through the course of this endeavor have been a blessing to me. My family and friends have supported me in this endeavor. Here I should mention especially my husband, Dr Keith Sewell, without whose love and constancy I would not have considered doing this doctorate. My friend Dr Roger Henderson has dis- cussed the philosophical matters with me. Dr Simon du Toit suggested research into the four humors, which proved to be very interesting. He also reminded me that the only good Ph.D. is a completed Ph.D. Dr Mary Dengler has given great encouragement. Dr Lorna Van Gilst found time to read some of my chapters and made valu- able suggestions for stylistic improvements. Over the years I have enjoyed the hospitality of dear friends in the Netherlands and the USA. Dirk and Lena de Groot offered me a home away from home in Baam- brugge during my semester at the VU in . In Grand Rapids I was allowed to stay in the apartment of Dr Karin Maag. This last summer I enjoyed the same generous hospitality in the homes of Roderic and Arina Crozier in Kampen, as well as Inge and Roger Henderson in Zwolle. I could not have accomplished what I did without these lovely people. The memory of my parents’ faith and perseverance in the face of obstacles has inspired me to persevere in this endeavor. The grace to persevere has come from my heavenly Father through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit. Alida Leni Sewell Sioux Center, IA. Fall Chapter One Introduction The Origin of This Research Project The present research on Calvin’s view of the body and sexuality initially arose out of a study of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, where the phrase “the prison house of the body” was first found. My first reaction was that Calvin did not use biblical language, but uncritically used a Platonic concept in Christian theology. Subse- quently, many more of these expressions were found throughout Calvin’s writings. Calvin’s expression leads directly to the main question: can Calvin be called a Plato- nist with respect to his view of the body? Before further developing the main research question in some sub-questions and distinguishing some topics for investigation, thus outlining our research, we will first survey some Calvin studies on the body which can help locate the questions that should be pursued in this study. Calvin Studies on the Body Of those Christians writing about the body, only a few have done so with reference to Calvin. The first to do so was Margaret Miles, who limited her inquiry to the Insti- tutes. She sees the organizing principle of Calvin’s theology as “the glory of God.” She analyzes Calvin’s distinctions between soul and spirit, and body and flesh, but is more concerned with “flesh” as the sinful part of humanity. “The body plays no role, for Calvin, either in the corruption of the soul or in its own corruption, but is the helpless victim, along with the soul, of the destructive hegemony of ‘flesh.’” She con- cludes, “The effect of Calvin’s idea of the passivity of the body and the activity of the soul is to relieve the body of responsibility for the sinful agenda of the ‘flesh,’ and to demonstrate the permanent integrity of the body in each of the stages of human experience.” Miles mentions the three stages of the body as “the good creation of . Institutes of the Christian Religion, tr. Ford Lewis Battles, ed. John T. McNeill (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, ), hereafter ICR, .. “…quam ubi soluta est a carnis ergastulo anima, Deum esse perpetuum eius custodem.” (CO :). See the Appendix for a list of of them. Margaret R. Miles, “Theology, Anthropology, and the Human Body in Calvin’s ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion,’” The Harvard Theological Review, : (July ), -. Ibid., . Ibid., . God,” then the “miserable condition as fallen,” and finally “the resurrection of the body.” Her attempt to relate everything to the perceived organizing principle of “the glory of God” makes her discussion seem rather forced. However, the three stages are valid. I have used them myself in chapter . The question with Miles’s view, however, remains: is the body in Calvin’s view only passive or does it play a distinctive role in either sin or holiness? James Goodloe has made a contribution in which he takes issue with Miles’ asser- tion that “the glory of God” is the organizing principle of Calvin’s theology. His conclusion on the meaning of Calvin’s use of “the prison house of the body” is that “it seems to be a common phrase that is not helpful in expressing what Calvin finally says. At best, it is an infelicity. At worst, if taken literally, it indicates inconsistency.” Goodloe clarifies the issues of body, soul, and flesh with more insight than Miles. Except for one reference to a Job sermon, which he obtained from a secondary source, Goodloe also restricted his Calvin references to the Institutes. The question is: how typical is the image of the body as a prison house for Calvin’s anthropological vocabulary? A few authors have written about Calvin’s experience of his own body. In Volume of Émile Doumergue’s Jean Calvin. Les hommes et les choses de son temps, Doumer- gue relates the illnesses that beset Calvin in quite some detail. More recently Charles Cooke wrote on “Calvin’s Illnesses and Their relation to Christian Vocation.” While he does discuss his clinical observations, he says very little about Christian vocation. John Wilkinson’s book The Medical History of the Reformers provides detailed infor- mation about Luther, Calvin, and Knox. His medical commentary has supported and enlarged my understanding of my own research about Calvin’s body. Graeme Murdock’s emphasis is on clothing and the body in Calvin’s thought and in Reformed communities. He writes about Calvin’s opinions and advice on mod- eration and modesty in dress. Calvin aimed to foster high standards of moral discipline. In his opinion, expensive or extravagant garments were obtained at the cost of the blood of the poor, “for where do the more fortunate get their wealth except from . James C. Goodloe IV. “The Body in Calvin’s Theology,” in Calvin Studies V, ed. J.H. Leith, (David- son, NC: Davidson College, ), -. Papers presented at Davidson College, . In endnote he criticizes Miles for inaccuracies of the references. Ibid., . Émile Doumergue. Jean Calvin. Les hommes et les choses de son temps. Vol. (Lausanne: Georges Bridel & Cie, ), -. Charles L. Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.P. “Calvin’s Illnesses and Their Relation to Christian Vocation” in John Calvin & the Church: A Prism of Reform, ed. Timothy George (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, ), -. John Wilkinson, The Medical History of the Reformers (Edinburgh: The Handsel Press Ltd, ). Graeme Murdock, “Calvin, Clothing and the Body,” in Proceedings of the Huguenot Society # (), -. See also his more recent article, “The Elders’ Gaze: Women and Consistorial Discipline in Late Sixteenth-Century France” in John Calvin, Myth and Reality.

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