Commentaries on the Book of the Prophet Daniel

1852

Central BX9420 C463 1852

Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society

Calvin’s coolly rational theology was complemented by a passionate concern for social, as well as religious, reformation. On his recall to Geneva in 1541, Calvin presented a proposal (the ‘Ecclesiastical Ordinances’) to the city council aimed at completing the city’s religious and moral transformation. Under these new regulations, attendance at sermons was compulsory; all inhabitants had to renounce the Roman faith on penalty of expulsion from the city; nobody could possess crucifixes or other articles associated with the Roman worship; fasting was prohibited; dancing was frowned upon; and it was forbidden to give non-Biblical names to children. This disciplined public morality reflected both a social concern and a real network of caring for people’s souls. Calvinism – a reformed Protestantism – was born; synonymous with ‘hard work, thrift, and proper moral conduct’. This is a modern edition of Calvin’s commentary on the Prophet Daniel.