Calvin's Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament [Paperback]

Ronald Wallace (Author), Ronald S. Wallace (Contributor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579100562
• ISBN-13: 978-1579100568
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #820,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Calvin on the Word and Sacraments, Exposed, February 9, 2007

By 

Mark A. Landers (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Calvin's Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament (Paperback)

This 253 page text is the fruit of Ronald S. Wallace's preparation of two papers for the Scottish Church Theological Society, one on Calvin's doctrine of Scripture and the other on Calvin's doctrine of the Lord's Supper. During the course of his study, Wallace determines that Calvin's doctrine in the area of Scripture and the Sacraments are closely related (indeed they contextualize each other) and subsequently must be understood in light of Calvin's view of Christ's revelation in the Word and by sign. In this, Wallace excels, continually reinforcing these themes with Calvin's own words. I am always dubious of one author's attempt to tell me what another author is saying (somewhat ironic to state in a book review, I grant), yet Wallace is as brilliant as he is faithful in his handling of Calvin.

If you have only read Calvin's Institutes, then there is much to gain from this text. Most quoted material is drawn for Calvin's commentaries, with additional material from Institutes and Calvin's sermons and other materials. This puts a wealth of Calvin's material on the topics of Scripture, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Revelation into the hands of the reader. It is not a critical text, however, but an attempt to clearly and faithfully express Calvin's doctrines. The in-text quotes are in English, but much of the footnotes are in Latin.

The binding is of course paper. It withstood its first reading well, in terms of wear, but the cover is much closer to my kitchen floor linoleum than what a book cover should be, and will permanently take on any bending or folding. The interior text is dense but easily readable.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a wonderful book of calvin's doctrine., April 17, 2000

By 

Na Sun Soo (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calvin's Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament (Paperback)

I'm a student in theological master course of presbyterian seminary(PCTS-in Seoul, Korea). During the study of History of preaching, specifically Calvin' preaching, I'm introduced this book by my professor ChangBok Chung. This book has the abundunt qoutation of calvin's original sources. This point is very good point.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Calvin's theology, April 9, 2011

By 

C. Kou (IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Calvin's Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament (Paperback)

The copyright listed here is for 1997, but this book was really first published in 1957.

It seems to be a largely forgotten work, but it is an important one nevertheless. In it, Wallace very thoroughly outlines John Calvin's doctrine of Word and Sacrament in Calvin's own words. References and quotes to Calvin's works are numerous and well documented, as are the contexts for the quotes.

Apparently, as Wallace says in the Preface, he had intended this to be two separate works--one on Calvin's doctrine of Scripture, and one on his doctrine of Sacraments. However, as he worked on this two-part project, he realized that Calvin's theology on these subjects were so integrally entwined that it would be a great injustice to treat them separately.

The greatest contribution of this work to us today is to call the Reformed Church back to a Calvinistic and high view of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. There is an excellent treatment in here as well of Calvin's theology of "sign," which goes far beyond how we tend to understand the word today.

Best of all, this book was written over 50 years ago, long before the current disputes over sacramental theology in Presbyterian circles heated up. As such, it is completely ignorant of and untouched by the polemics we tend to see in more contemporary writings on the subject.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in knowing what Calvin really taught regarding Scripture, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.