John Calvin and the Person of the Theotokos

Protopresbyter Basil A. Georgopoulos
Associate Professor of Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

The person and position of the Virgin Mary constituted one of the most sensitive points of friction and controversy during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

In this connection the Roman Catholic dogmatic theologian Cardinal Gerhard Müller notes that:

“Mariology emerged as a popular field of theological controversy, mainly because within it the different conceptions regarding justification, grace, and anthropology are condensed and made manifest” (Katholische Dogmatik, 2016, p. 476).

The stance of John Calvin toward the person of the Theotokos is organically integrated into his broader theological vision, which is characterized by an absolute adherence to Holy Scripture and a strong concern about every practice or teaching that, in his judgment, might overshadow the unique salvific mediation of Jesus Christ.

Although Calvin rejects every form of honor and invocation, he does not adopt a simplistic view of the Theotokos.

On the contrary, he formulates an interpretation of her person and role which combines recognition of her election and faith with her undeniable inclusion in the common human condition — that is, in the need for redemption.

Prologue in Sermons: September 10

It Is Not True That the Saints Who Lived in the Deserts Did Not Partake of the Holy Mysteries

INSTRUCTION TO THE PARISHIONERS LIVING AMONG SCHISMATICS

September 10

(The Three Holy Women, Discovered on the Mountain, of whom Paul, the Bishop of Monemvasia, Spoke)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev 

A certain traveler came to one of the monasteries in the East. Once, while talking with the abbot and the brethren under the shade of fruitful trees, in the monastery courtyard, he noticed that several birds were breaking off branches with fruit from the trees and flying away. When he asked the abbot why the birds did not eat the fruit on the spot, but flew away with it, he received the answer that this phenomenon had been noticed for more than ten years. Moved as if by a presentiment, the traveler said: "Are there any Saints of God in your mountains to whom these birds carry fruit by God's command?" At that moment, a raven flew in and broke off one of the branches with fruit. The traveler continued: "Let's go, we will watch him." They went and saw that the raven was flying to one of the hills, first sat on it, and then went down into a crevice and, leaving the branch there, flew out from there without it. Those who were watching him approached the crevice and threw a stone into it. Suddenly a voice was heard from there: "If you are Christians, do not kill us." "Who are you?" asked those who had come. "We are women, there are three of us," they answered. "If you wish to see us, throw us three garments, since we are naked, and, going down the mountain, go along the narrow path that leads to us." The monks did as they were told and found three women, one of whom was the mistress and the other two were her slaves. "Who are you and how did you come here?" asked the abbot of the first of them. "I am from Constantinople, the wife of a royal dignitary," she answered. "Having been left a childless widow by my husband, I was forced to sin by a nobleman and, wishing to preserve myself in purity, I decided to leave the world and, entrusting the distribution of my property to the poor, I boarded a ship at night with these two of my slaves, from which we landed at this place where you found us, and now it is the eleventh summer since we have seen a human face." “Where did you get your food here, my lady?” asked the abbot. “The Lord,” she answered, “who fed His people in the desert for forty years, sent us food too. Birds brought us all kinds of fruits, and the Lord always covered and warmed us, so that we were not afraid of the cold in winter, nor the heat of the sun in summer. We lived here as in paradise, constantly glorifying the Holy Trinity." "Would you like to share a meal with us?" "If you wish to do so," answered the holy hermit, "command that a priest come first and perform the Divine Liturgy, so that we may partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ; for since we left Constantinople we have not been granted Holy Communion." The abbot fulfilled her wish, and the priest who came, after performing the Divine Liturgy, gave communion to the holy hermits. And that same day the first of them (the former mistress), after fervent prayer, departed to the Lord. The next day one of her friends followed her, and on the third day the last of them also peacefully passed away in the sleep of death.

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: Homily on Repentance (Bishop Elias Meniates) - Part 2 of 5

 ...continued from part one.

First Section

There was an issue between the Orthodox and heretics in the past as well as now. What is it that justifies and saves man? Is it the grace of God alone or the grace of God and the will of man together?

If we say that in order for man to be justified and saved, his will is sufficient, without the need for the grace of God, then we fall into the heresy of the Pelagians. That the grace of God alone saves man, even without his will, this is the heresy of the Luthero-Calvinists. The former said that if there is a will, grace is not necessary. The others, the latter ones, claim that if there is grace, the will is not necessary.

But the true opinion belongs to the Orthodox. Not only the will of man, nor only the grace of God, but together both the will and grace justify and save man. This is what our holy Church teaches in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, the sacred teachers and the divinely-inspired theologians. That is to say, the freedom of the human will and the help of divine grace are the two wheels that run together to lead us to heaven. These are the two wings with which we can fly to Paradise!

Faith and Works: An Orthodox Philokalic Perspective (4 of 6)

 ... continued from part three.

4. The Negative and Positive Dimension of the Ascetic Struggle

We now continue with the Orthodox position, as it is expressed through the Philokalic experience. Good works or, to express ourselves in the philological idiom, "acts" (praxis) as "work of the commandments" are not meritorious; however, they are certainly not useless or unprofitable. However, the "act" or good works are understood divinely and Christ-centeredly within a charismatic context as manifestations of "faith by grace" (Gregory of Sinai). In fact, Saint Mark appears to recognize a primarily negative function for them, in the sense that every virtue (even the death of the Martyrs!) is understood as a "prison of the purity given to us (meaning in Baptism)" and therefore as a free "abstinence from sin" and certainly not as "an exchange for the Kingdom".

Third Homily on the Sunday of Orthodoxy (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

On the Fate of Heretics

 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on March 25, 1945 - Sunday of Orthodoxy)

On the first Sunday of Great Lent, which is called the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Holy Church celebrates the affirmation and strengthening of the Orthodox faith, victory over the numerous heretics condemned by the Seven Ecumenical Synods.

You know that even in the days of the apostles many false teachers appeared, and their number kept multiplying and multiplying over the centuries. Heretics rebelled, distorting the holy Orthodox faith, introducing their impious changes into the Creed, falsely teaching about the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. And many followed their wickedness, many perished in eternal death.

All this was foretold by the holy apostles. Here is what the Holy Apostle Peter in his second universal epistle says: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (II Pet. 2:1-2). Also, Saint Paul warned the Ephesian Christians: “I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and out of yourselves men will arise who will speak perversely in order to draw disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30).

Homily on the Commemoration of the Dead (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on April 11, 1948 - 4th Sunday of Great Lent)

Much to my chagrin, some of you go to the gatherings of sectarians and there become infected with their false teachings.

Some also became infected with the false teaching that one should not pray for the dead, one should not make offerings for their repose. But you know that every Saturday during Great Lent, the dead are commemorated. Therefore, you must establish yourself in the Orthodox teaching about the commemoration of the dead, you must not believe what you hear from the renegades of the Church.

What does the Holy Church teach? We have authentic and ancient testimonies that the holy apostles already performed commemorations of the dead and prayed for them. There are evidences in the works of the Teachers and Fathers of the Church that have come down to us that already in ancient times, in the very first centuries of Christianity, they prayed for the dead and commemorated them.

Faith and Works: An Orthodox Philokalic Perspective (3 of 6)

 ...continued from part two.

3. Roman Catholic "created grace" and Protestant "sola fide": An Orthodox Philokalic Response

As is known, Roman Catholic theology understands justification as the result of the infusion (infusio) of grace into man as a supernatural state (habitus) or attribute, since the justice of God the Father was "satisfied" through the death of the Savior on the cross (Anselm of Canterbury). Created grace raises (gratia elevans) man to the level that now allows him, as a new creation, to lovingly respond to God's grace by performing good works. The grace of justification (gratia gratum faciens) is thus understood as a created measure that is added to and exists in the believer (gratia inharens) in order to make his will to turn to God with perfectly formed faith, love and hope (fides caritate et spe formata). The works performed in this state of justification are considered meritorious (merita) and are therefore rewarded by God after death with eternal life, which, according to Roman Catholic theology, lies in the beatific vision (visio beatifica) of the divine essence and of the intra-trinitarian projections (in this regard see the most representative modern Roman Catholic Dogmatic: G. L. Müller, Katholische Dogmatik, passim).
 

Faith and Works: An Orthodox Philokalic Perspective (2 of 6)

 ...continued from part one.

2. The Philokalic View Towards "External Justification" (Protestantism) and the Roman Catholic "Meritocracy"

This is how we can understand why the sola fide of Protestants is lacking:
 
Faith does not save as a general idea, emotional state, acceptance of theoretical truths or even existential conviction. I remind you that the central Protestant idea, the justification of the sinner by faith alone (this "article" "stands or falls with the Church" according to Luther!) consists in the fact that God was "satisfied" by the death of His Son, thus the sinner by his faith alone (sola gratia) recognizes externally by grace alone (sola gratia) only Christ (propter Christum or solus Christus). Attention: God recognizes, not justifies the sinner. This means that the believer still remains in sin, but is now counted by God as righteous (the famous phrase "simul justus et peccator"). It is a purely judicial action, so justification is understood as a judicial measure (justitia forensis). Justice is an attribute of Christ and is not an action or attribute existing in the believer (justitia aliena), however it somehow brings about the renewal of the believer. From there on, good works are devoid of any merit (in contrast to Roman Catholic teaching), and are only the fruit and sign of justification. The faith of justification is an absolute gift of God. However, by looking towards Christ, the believer finds the certainty of salvation. Here, in my opinion, the teaching of "merit" is replaced by the "certainty" of salvation. (For details I refer, among others, to one of the most recent relevant studies: H.M. Barth, Die Theologie Martin Luthers, Gütersloh 2017, 272-273).
 

Faith and Works: An Orthodox Philokalic Perspective (1 of 6)

 By Dr. George D. Panagopoulos,
Professor of Dogmatics at the
University Ecclesiastical Academy Of Vella Ioannina

Not a few Orthodox theologians in our days overtly or covertly try to downgrade the Neptic-Hesychastic tradition and to diminish the importance of Monasticism in the life of the ecclesiastical body by "denouncing" Philokalic piety as primarily "prayerful" and ascetic living as an attempt at "individualization by works". In this way, they bring to the fore, consciously or unconsciously, the "oft-repeated" criticism raised by Protestants against monastic asceticism as an "ethic of meritorious works" (cf. G. Florovsky, The Byzantine Ascetic and Spiritual Fathers).