One of the best parts of reading Calvin is reading so much of one of his heroes in the faith: Augustine. Ds Ben has a classics grad student friend who is doing his dissertation on Augustine, and he claims that many, if not most, of Calvin's most quotable moments actually originated with Augustine. Augustine was, in many ways, an early proponent of much of what the Reformers fought to restore to the church, including the theology of predestination. The quotes of Augustine from the Institutes have many times been chronicled here. Jean makes me want to read more of Augustine! Calvin, speaking of Augustine's defense of predestination, puts it this way:
...For we see that the false apostles could not make Paul ashamed by defaming and accusing his true doctrine. They sayu that this whole discussion is dangerous for godly minds-- because it hinders exhortations, because it shakes faith, because it disturbs and terrifies the heart itself-- but this is nonsense! Augustine admits that for these reasons he was frequently charged with preaching predestination too freely, but, as it was easy for him, he overwhelmingly refuted the charge...
~Jean Calvin, Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion (2 Volume Set)III. XXI. 4
Calvin references here a work by Augustine entitled, "The Gift of Perseverance." Have any of you read it, Gentle Readers? Might be a nice follow-up to my reading of Confessions a couple years ago, the interest in it sparked by Calvin as we began out odyssey through the Institutes.. Or maybe I need to tackle City of God. Any suggestions?
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