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Download Thesis This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ The Life of Francis Turretin (1623-87) and His Impact on the Protestant Reformed Tradition Cumming, Nicholas Andrew Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 30. Sep. 2021 1 The Life of Francis Turretin (1623-87) and His Impact on the Protestant Reformed Tradition Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London, by Nicholas A. Cumming 2 Abstract This thesis studies the life, writings, and impact of the Protestant Reformed minister and theologian Francis Turretin (1623-87). Turretin was born, educated, and worked in the influential city of Geneva during a tumultuous period. Of primary concern is Turretin’s publications and ministry within the context of his life, the situation of seventeenth-century Geneva, and the religious turmoil of Early Modern Europe. Analysis of Turretin’s life is scant, with no new research carried out in the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. This study, then, re-contextualises the life and work of Turretin, with the broader goal of filling-in, to a degree, the history of Early Modern Protestantism through new, original research of archival and published materials. The thesis comprises seven chapters that are ordered first, by situating the political and ecclesiastical endeavours of the city of Geneva within its historical and historiographical framework, then by examining the life of Turretin in particular. With the historical context firmly in place, the thesis then moves on to analysis of Turretin’s most influential work, The Institutes of Elenctic Theology (1679-85). What is especially important to this chapter is Turretin’s identification as ‘one amongst the Reformed’ in terms of history and theology. Historically, Turretin understood himself to be in a long line of ‘orthodox’ theologians, from the Reformation and pre-Reformation Church, and he believed that his theology was congruent with the Evangelical movement begun with Jean Calvin (1509-64). By analysing Turretin’s soteriology in light of Calvin’s, not least the theology of predestination, and the theological situation of Early Modern Europe, this thesis argues that Turretin’s ideas did stand alongside established Reformed thought from 3 Calvin’s time to the seventeenth century. Moving on from the Institutes, then, the thesis analyses Turretin’s disputations, sermons, and his work on the Helvetic Formula Consensus (1675). Finally, the body of the thesis concludes with an examination of Turretin’s posthumous impact. Ultimately, this thesis argues that, significantly, Turretin’s work stood in clear continuity with the theology of the Reformed since Calvin. Though this thesis does not seek to make Calvin the only font for theology in the Reformed Tradition, due to the polemical and confessional nature of twentieth-century historiography, it was necessary to re-examine this influential theologian within his historical context without the confines of modern ecclesiastical boundaries. The original contribution to research that this study provides is the examination of Turretin’s life, correspondence, theology, and ministry in the light of Early Modern Christian history and with an eye towards its development in the modern period. 4 Acknowledgments As with any endeavour of this magnitude, it is difficult to enumerate fully the amount of gratitude due. First, I thank the librarians and archivists at the Maughan Library of King’s College London, the Bibliothèque Publique et Universitaire at the University of Geneva, and the Archives d’Etat of Geneva. I am extremely grateful for their work on my behalf, especially in Geneva where my spoken French was wholly inadequate. Special thanks are due to the excellent staff at the British Library. The lion’s share of this thesis was done in the Rare Books and Music Reading Room, where the librarians were more than willing to come to my aid. I am thankful for their hospitality, which was second-to-none. The desire to do this research came, primarily, through my professors at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. In particular, I am thankful to Professor Ron Highfield for helping me love theology and Dr Dyron Daughrity for teaching me to appreciate history. Dr Daughrity, especially spurred on my intellectual endeavours and continues to be a valued ally, for which I am extremely thankful. Dr Susannah Ticciati of King’s College London has been an invaluable help in making this thesis better. Her insight and theological knowledge was intrinsic in making the theological sections clearer and more concise. This thesis, however, would have never seen the light of day without the encouragement, wisdom, and criticism of Dr David Crankshaw of King’s College London. It is no stretch to say that Dr Crankshaw’s keen observations, attention to detail, and immense scholarship made this thesis possible. Though all mistakes are mine alone, 5 I am convinced that anything of worth in this thesis is due to his guidance and intellect. I am very thankful to have had him as my supervisor. I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to present this research in progress at the Euorpean History 1500-1800 Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and at the American Society of Church History 2016 Spring Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The feedback I gained improved my drafts considerably and their encouragement was much needed. King’s College London’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities was very generous in granting me funding for the archival research in Geneva and for travel to the ASCH conference. I am honoured that the College was willing to invest in me and this research. Finally, thanks are due to my family. First, to my parents and in-laws for their support, especially in our move to England. Second, to my daughter, Della, whose life began as the thesis came to its end. Lastly, to my wife, Kristen, who moved from Los Angeles to London to support this undertaking. I, and this thesis, owe a debt to you that can never be repaid. Like Turretin, though, this “little work’s” dedication is to the Church and work of God. Echoing the final words of Turretin’s Institutes, “And to thee, the everlasting King, the only wise God, immortal, invisible, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, adorable Trinity, be honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.” 6 Contents Abbreviations 8 Notes on Conventions 10 Chapter 1: Introduction 12 I. Reformed Theology 14 II. The Humanism/Scholasticism Debate 27 III. The Dissemination of the Reformed Tradition 34 IV. Early Modern Geneva and the Reformed Tradition 40 V. Scholarship on Turretin 55 VI. Methodology 69 VII. Research Question 70 Chapter 2: The State of Geneva during the Seventeenth Century 73 I. Geneva in Seventeenth-Century Europe 74 II. The Churches of Geneva 98 III. Conclusions 117 Chapter 3: A Biography of Francis Turretin 118 I. La Famiglia Turrettini 120 II. Francis Turretin: A Polemical Life 126 i. Early Years 126 ii. Turretin’s Formative Years 129 iii. Ministry in Geneva 141 iv. Turretin at the Academy 155 excursis--Descartes and Cartesianism 156 III. Conclusion 174 Chapter 4: The Institutes of Elenctic Theology 176 I. The Historical Situation 177 i. Late-Medieval Theology 178 ii. The Reformers 184 II. The Purpose of the Institutes 194 III. The Method 201 7 IV. Theology 216 V. Conclusion 231 Chapter 5: Turretin’s Writings 232 I. Disputations 233 II. Sermons 242 III. Turretin’s Influence on the Helvetic Formula Consensus 251 IV. Conclusion 259 Chapter 6: Turretin’s Influence on the Later Reformed Tradition 261 I. Geneva 262 II. Scotland 268 III. United States of America 275 IV. Conclusion 300 Chapter 7: Conclusion 301 I. Summary of Findings 301 II. Suggestions for Further Research 317 Appendix 319 Select Bibliography 322 8 Abbreviations AEG Archives d’État de Genève Amyraut Heresy B. Armstrong, Calvinism and the Amyraut Heresy: Protestant Scholasticism and Humanism in Seventeenth Century France (Madison, WI, 1969). BPL Biblioteca Publica Latina, Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden BPU Biblioteque Publique et Universitaire de Genéve Calvinism A. Pettegree, et al. (eds), Calvinism in Europe, 1540-1620 in Europe (Cambridge, 1994). Companion D. K. McKim (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to John Calvin (New to Calvin York, NY, 2004). EC Rép. Repertoires de État Civil de Genève EO Ordinances Ecclesiastiques de Genève, 1541 Université C. Borgeaud, Histoire de l’Université de Genève (4 vols, Geneva, de Genève 1900). Histoire J. A. Gautier, Histoire de Genève (2 vols, Lyons, 1730). Genève International M.
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