Biblical Interpretation and Covenant Theology in the Form of Church Prayers and the Forme of Prayers: a Comparative Study of the Two Genevan Worship Books

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Biblical Interpretation and Covenant Theology in the Form of Church Prayers and the Forme of Prayers: a Comparative Study of the Two Genevan Worship Books Biblical Interpretation and Covenant Theology in The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers: A Comparative Study of the Two Genevan Worship Books by Joon Won Kim A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Knox College and the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies of the Toronto School of Theology. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology awarded by Knox College and the University of Toronto. © Copyright by Joon Won Kim 2019 Biblical Interpretation and Covenant Theology in The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers: A Comparative Study of the Two Genevan Worship Books Joon Won Kim Master of Theology Knox College and the University of Toronto 2019 Abstract It is well known that John Knox was influenced by John Calvin and it is often suggested that Knox’s worship book contains no significant variations from Calvin’s. When comparing their liturgical works, however, these two worship books have notable differences. Taking a comparative and analytic approach, this thesis shows the differences between two Genevan worship books, Calvin’s The Form of Church Prayers and Knox and his co-authors’ The Forme of Prayers. As well as identifying the changes and evaluating them against two criteria—Knox’s unique style of biblical interpretation and covenant theology—this thesis also argues that the authors of The Forme of Prayers, who were English and Scottish exiles in Geneva, had certain purposes in writing: they sought to recover biblical worship and renew their future nations in a biblical and covenantal way by adopting Knox’s unique understanding of Bible and covenant, which was far more radical than Calvin’s. ii Acknowledgments I am grateful to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Stuart Macdonald who has constantly encouraged me in the accomplishment of this study. While I was taking his two courses, I was deeply attracted by the Scottish Reformation. I also express thanks to Dr. John A. Vissers and Dr. David Neelands for their encouragement and advice over the course of my master’s program. I would like to extend my appreciation to Dr. Jane E. A. Dawson for meeting me while I was in Edinburgh. There has also been immeasurable support from my professors, friends, and colleagues in Korea. To all, many thanks. I would like to thank my beloved mother, parents-in- law, sister, sister-in-law and her husband, for their generous financial and moral support over the years. Special thanks go to Hyemin Lee and Yijoon Kim, my wife and son. Without their support and sincere love, this study would never have been accomplished. iii Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. Introduction: The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers ....................... 5 The Form of Church Prayers ........................................................................................ 6 The Forme of Prayers ................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2. The Interpretation of the Bible and Covenant Theology: Calvin and Knox ............... 18 Interpretation of the Bible: Calvin and Knox .............................................................. 19 Covenant Theology: Calvin and Knox ........................................................................ 28 Chapter 3. Changes in The Forme of Prayers ............................................................................... 35 Changes in the Prayers in “The Sunday Morning Service” ........................................ 36 Changes in "The Form of Marriage" ........................................................................... 42 Changes in "The Visitation of the Sick" ..................................................................... 46 Changes in “The Ministration of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper” ............................ 49 The Added Sections .................................................................................................... 53 Changes in The Forme of Prayers and the Future English and Scottish Nations ....... 56 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 59 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 62 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................ 69 A Table of Comparison Between The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers—The Marriage Service Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 78 A Table of Comparison Between The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers—The Visitation of the Sick and Of Burial iv List of Appendices Appendix A: A Table of Comparison Between The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers—The Marriage Service Appendix B: A Table of Comparison Between The Form of Church Prayers and The Forme of Prayers—The Visitation of the Sick and Of Burial v Introduction In May 1559, John Knox was on a boat headed for the port of Leith, Scotland. The boat was not the French galley in which he had once been a slave, nor the boat he used to flee from England under Queen Mary’s reign and persecution. It was a boat that was a call to war. He had been called upon by the Scottish people to fight against the Catholic regent, Mary of Guise. In his bag there were his theological weapons, including several copies of his co-authored worship book, The Forme of Prayers. Three years after Knox’s return to Scotland this work would become the authorized worship book in Scotland. In the sixteenth century, a number of liturgical texts were published by reformers, including Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, John Calvin, and John Knox. These reformers’ liturgical texts carried not only the authors’ theologies, but also their biblical hermeneutics. When John Calvin suggested people sing the Psalter, for example, he cited several verses from the Bible to substantiate the view that the Psalms are the best songs for glorifying God. To give one another example, Knox denounced the Catholic Mass as an idolatrous form of worship because he thought it was invented by man, and not by the word of God.1 It is possible in this way to identify an author’s theology of worship or their biblical hermeneutic by carefully analyzing their liturgical works. It is also possible to determine theological or hermeneutical differences and similarities from a comparison of two or more liturgical texts. Defining the Issue and Setting the Agenda This thesis is a comparative and analytic study which compares two Genevan reformed liturgical books, La Forme des prières et chantz ecclésiastiques, avec la manière d' administrer les sacremens, et consacrer le mariage, selon la coustume de l'église ancienne (The Form of Church Prayers and Hymns with the Manner of Administering the Sacraments and Consecrating Marriage according to the Custom of the Ancient Church, hereafter, The Form of Church Prayers) by John Calvin, and The Forme of Prayers and Ministration of the Sacraments, &c. 1 John Knox, The Works of John Knox, collected and edited by David Lang (Edinburgh: Thomas and George Stevenson, 1854–64), 3:34. Hereafter this reference will be cited as Works followed by the appropriate volume and page number. 1 2 vsed in the Englishe Congregation at Geneua and approued, by the famous and godly learned man, Iohn Caluyn (The Forme of Prayers and Ministration of the Sacraments, &c. used in the English Congregation at Geneva and approved by the famous and godly learned man, John Calvin, hereafter, The Forme of Prayers) written by the following Scottish and English authors: John Knox, William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, John Foxe, and Thomas Cole. The correlations between the theologies of John Calvin and John Knox have been studied by many scholars, but the significant differences between their two Genevan worship books, in terms of the authors’ different perspectives on worship, the Bible, and the concept of covenant, require further research consideration. The Forme of Prayers, as it is widely known, was modeled on The Form of Church Prayers. As many scholars have argued, both books can be considered reformed liturgical works; however, they cannot be regarded as the same. Although they share a similar structure, themes, and even similar procedures of public worship, The Forme of Prayers was not a simple translation or an imitative adaptation. The theology, the use of the Bible, and the instruction in The Forme of Prayers seem more radically biblical and covenantal than in The Form of Church Prayers. Earlier secondary literature indicates that some parts of The Forme of Prayers are slightly different from The Form of Church Prayers, but does not investigate the reasons for or implications of the differences; instead, previous scholars have generally concentrated on the similarities between the two books. The Liturgical Portions of the Genevan Service Book, written by William D. Maxwell, for example, compares the two Genevan worship books and argues that they are very similar.2 Only recently have several scholars argued that it is necessary to compare Calvin and Knox’s theologies in order to recognize that the two reformers cannot be regarded as the same. For example, while William D.
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