Choi, Changjun
(2021)
Herman Bavinck and John Calvin on the doctrines of the trinity and the image of God : a comparison.
Doctoral thesis.
| Item Type: |
Thesis
(Doctoral thesis)
|
| Titel: |
Herman Bavinck and John Calvin on the doctrines of the trinity and the image of God : a comparison |
| Samenvatting (EN): |
A comparative study of Herman Bavinck and John Calvin has received relatively little attention from Reformed scholarship in general and neo-Calvinism scholarship in particular. Bavinck was generally perceived simply as Calvin’s follower, belonging together with Abraham Kuyper in the Dutch neo-Calvinist movement. Viewed in this light, this study aims to compare Bavinck and Calvin, focusing on two selected major theological themes: the doctrines of the Trinity and the image of God. The present study discusses the central question, “what are the similarities and differences between Bavinck and Calvin concerning the doctrines of the Trinity and the image of God?”
Before embarking on a comparative study of Bavinck and Calvin, in chapter two, this study first examines Bavinck’s theological identity as an orthodox Calvinist yet modern theologian by paying attention to the two Bavincks hypothesis and the recent criticisms by Bavinck scholars. In chapter three, this study seeks to articulate Bavinck’s Calvin by examining his assessment of Calvin’s theology and his portrayal of Calvin’s life. To delve deeper into the comparison between Bavinck and Calvin, in chapters four and five, the doctrines of the Trinity and the image of God were addressed in detail. Then, in chapter six, the similarities and dissimilarities between Bavinck and Calvin concerning the doctrines of the Trinity and the image of God are analyzed with a systematic-theological assessment.
In so doing, this study contributes to the understanding of Bavinck’s theological identity and his thoughts on Calvin’s theology and life in general and sheds more light on the knowledge of the triune God and humanity and its similarities and dissimilarities between Calvin and Bavinck in particular. It is the thesis of this study that Bavinck firmly stands in continuity with Calvin’s theology, as a modern orthodox Calvinist throughout his whole life, but Bavinck’s doctrines of the Trinity and the image of God differ from those of Calvin. While Bavinck shares with Calvin a fundamental trinitarian perspective in line with the Reformed tradition, Bavinck’s emphasis upon his organic motif as a necessary aspect of his view regarding the relationship between the immanent and economic Trinity, particularly in relation to a human being as the image of the triune God, reflects and illuminates the distinctiveness of his thought in comparison with Calvin’s theology. |
| Number of Pages: |
0 |
| Theologische Universiteit: |
Theologische Universiteit Apeldoorn |
| Trefwoorden (NL): |
Bavinck, Herman (1854-1921) ; Calvijn, Johannes (1509-1564) ;
Drie-eenheid ; Godsbeeld |
| Trefwoorden (EN): |
Bavinck, Herman (1854-1921) ; Calvijn, Johannes (1509-1564) ; Trinity ; Image of God |
| Date Deposited: |
28 Sep 2021 07:53 |
| Last Modified: |
28 Sep 2021 07:53 |
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