Tweet

@Brill_History

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @SytsmaDavid

David S. Sytsma

@SytsmaDavid

Mar 2

🧵 Protestant teaching on #NaturalLaw appears already in Philip Melanchthon’s Loci communes (1521), & his treatment had a much larger impact.

We can illustrate this impact by recurring use of Greek terms from Stoic philosophy: “common notions” & “preconceptions” (προλήψεις). /1

The 1521 Loci communes marginalia highlights 1) the existence and 2) essence of NL (esse legem naturae / quid lex naturae).

1) “Paul teaches in the second chapter to the Romans, in a remarkably fine and clear enthymeme (enthymemate), that there is in us a law of nature.” /2

2) Melanchthon defines natural law as moral “common principles” and “first conclusions”. They are analogous to common principles in theoretical disciplines, called “common notions” (κοιναὶ ἐννοίαι) or “preconceptions” (προλήψεις). /3

e-rara.ch/bau_1/content/…

Read 18 tweets

David S. Sytsma

@SytsmaDavid

Feb 22

🧵 Some treat Aquinas as if he’s the only important scholastic theologian for Protestants, or think of Protestant scholasticism as a kind of neo-Thomism. But historically Protestants read, and even adopted doctrines from, a variety of medieval and early modern scholastics. /1

After Luis de Molina SJ introduced the concept of God’s “middle knowledge” (scientia media), Protestants took various positions for and against. 17th c. Arminians, following the early appropriation by Arminius, adopted this Molinist doctrine. /2
doi.org/10.1163/978900…

https://twitter.com/SytsmaDavid/status/1491030551288901634

Many 17th c. Lutherans, notably Johann Gerhard, also accepted the concept of middle knowledge and cited Jesuits like Martin Becanus in support. /3

https://twitter.com/SytsmaDavid/status/1491030551288901634

Read 12 tweets

David S. Sytsma

@SytsmaDavid

Feb 19

🧵 The historical Calvin vs. the Calvin of faith

One way to think about diverse reactions to Aquinas and medieval scholasticism in Reformed circles – both past and present – is to recognize at least two main approaches to the authority and interpretation of Calvin. /1

I’ll call these approaches the “historical Calvin” & the “Calvin of faith”.

1) The Calvin of faith: This perspective views Calvin as normative for whatever is identified as the Reformed faith, while interpreting him for the most part in isolation from his 16th c. co-laborers. /2

Scholars w/this view regard Calvin as the best or at least most representative Reformed theologian on all topics, & are less willing to consider weaknesses. Methodologically a book with a title “Calvin & ABC modern theologian on XYZ topic” is likely to fall into this category. /3

Read 12 tweets

David S. Sytsma

@SytsmaDavid

Dec 3, 2021

“The story of Thomas Aquinas and Protestantism has yet to be written, and it is not identical with the story of Thomas and Luther.” – David Steinmetz, Luther in Context (2002)

Since then we’ve learned a bit more of this story. 🧵 w/ examples from 16th c. Reformed tradition: /1

I pass over for the most part the fine studies of John Patrick Donnelly, S.J.: Calvinism and Scholasticism in Vermigli’s Doctrine of Man and Grace (Brill, 1976) and “Calvinist Thomism” (1976). Read them if you haven’t. The following is by way of addition to Donnelly. /2

Worth noting that diverse medieval streams fed into the Reformed tradition. Although there is a strong Thomist influence, even J.P. Donnelly warned: “The specifically Thomist quality of 17th c. Calvinist scholasticism should not be over-emphasized.” (“Calvinist Thomism” 453) /3

Read 31 tweets

Share this page!

David S. Sytsma

People who liked this thread also liked...

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

More from @SytsmaDavid

David S. Sytsma

David S. Sytsma

David S. Sytsma

David S. Sytsma

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Like this author's thread?