Francis Turretin Research Articles

Luther vs. the Lutherans (and Catholics)

Abstract This article examines the reception and authority of Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon in Francis Turretin’s (1623–1687) Institutio Theologiae Elencticae (1679–1685). Scholarship on the reception of the Reformers in seventeenth-century Calvinism has continued to grow and I argue that Turretin utilized both Luther and Melanchthon in fluid and diverse ways. In particular, Luther and Melanchthon, alongside being authorities against Roman Catholicism, were also used as evidence against the “innovations” of seventeenth-century Lutherans. For Turretin, Luther and Melanchthon were two of God’s prophets sent at the Reformation and Catholics and Lutherans needed to return to “pure” Reformed doctrine as illustrated by Luther and Melanchthon. Though these two were not the only sources of authority for Turretin, they were substantial witnesses against Lutheran and Catholic innovations in the post-Reformation period. Ultimately for Turretin, Luther and Melanchthon were more Reformed than they were Lutheran.

God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics and the Task of Christian Theology. By Steven J. Duby

Stephen Duby offers an ambitious, dense, extraordinarily well-researched, and carefully argued case for a reconsideration of the way in which God’s own self ought to be studied and understood. Duby is Associate Professor of Theology at Phoenix Seminary. In each of five substantial chapters, he considers the biblical witness, patristic authors, medieval and Reformed theologians, and the contributions of modern and late modern scholars. Those he calls the ‘Reformed orthodox’ of the seventeenth century receive particular attention. This latter set of authors is perhaps less well known to many readers, and for this reason alone Duby’s study is especially worthwhile. Of special note is his retrieval of Francis Turretin (1623–87), whose important contributions to Reformed theology are often overlooked or forgotten. At the same time, Duby exemplifies a thoughtful Protestant harvesting of pre-Reformation sources, from Augustine to Aquinas and many more, in a way that demonstrates how a vitally ecumenical approach is deeply enriching to any student of doctrine.

Francis Turretin (1623–87) and the Reformed Tradition. Nicholas A. Cumming. St. Andrews Studies in Reformation History. Leiden: Brill, 2020. xii + 224 pp. €121.

Francis Turretin (1623–87) and the Reformed Tradition. Nicholas A. Cumming. St. Andrews Studies in Reformation History. Leiden: Brill, 2020. xii + 224 pp. €121.

Francis Turretin’s Thomistic Theology of Natural Law

Abstract In contrast to much contemporary Reformed and broader evangelical theology, Francis Turretin, the great Genevan theologian of High Orthodoxy, considers natural law in favorable terms, notably under Topic 11 of his Institutes of Elenctic Theology. This essay offers an exposition of Turretin’s account of natural law and compares it to that of Thomas Aquinas. It is shown that there is substantial agreement between Turretin and Aquinas on the notion and content of natural law, despite their different approaches to the subject. This conclusion supports ongoing efforts to reevaluate and reappropriate natural law and Thomism in Reformed theology.

Retrieving a Mature Reformed Doctrine of Original Sin: A Conversation with Some Recent Proposals

AbstractA ‘broadly Augustinian’ doctrine of original sin continues to receive support in contemporary Catholic and Protestant theological discourse as the best account of human experience and biblical teaching. Notwithstanding this, substantial challenges arise in connection with this doctrine which Catholics and Protestants have classically sought to address in their own ways. With a contemporary Protestant audience in mind, I attempt to rehabilitate the theological viability of the oft‐criticized mature Reformed doctrine of original sin which entails the immediate imputation of Adamic guilt. In dialogue with some recent dogmatic contributions, I draw upon eloquent advocates of the Reformed doctrine, such as Petrus van Mastricht and Francis Turretin, to argue that the notion of immediate imputation continues to provide a coherent and biblically defensible explanation for the just imposition of inherited corruption. Faring somewhat better than other proposals, it deserves reconsideration in contemporary reconstructions of the doctrine, especially in those which might self‐consciously seek to identify with the Protestant confessional tradition.

‘Sin is Rightly Called the Punishment of Sin’: Francis Turretin’s Reformed Doctrine of Sin

ABSTRACTThis article contextualizes Francis Turretin’s (1623–87) doctrine of sin, and in particular his understanding of sin as a punishment for sin. Specifically, it elaborates on the theological context into which Turretin speaks. Through analyzing Turretin’s historical situation, it progresses to the content of Turretin’s theology in light of his theological and political opponents. Utilizing Turretin’s Institutes of Elenctic Theology (1679–1685), St Augustine’s Contra Julianum, and John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, amongst others, this article evaluates Turretin’s view of the doctrine of sin and its relation to medieval and early-modern European theology. Ultimately, it argues that Turretin’s view of sin as a punishment of sin is born from his understanding of God’s holiness being demonstrated through his ‘vindicatory justice’ and Turretin’s self-understanding as an ‘orthodox’ theologian in the grand tradition of Western theology extending back to the Church Fathers.

Neither Libertarian nor Compatibilist

Abstract The present essay addresses Paul Helm’s most recent attempt to assimilate the thought of such Reformed scholastics as Francis Turretin to the ‘compatibilism’ of Jonathan Edwards. Helm has misunderstood a series of important scholastic distinctions concerning the relationship of intellect and will in the older faculty psychology, and the relationship of foundational or, as I identified it, ‘root’ indifference in the will to its multiple potencies. He has, accordingly, failed to register how Reformed orthodox understandings of free choice outlined in recent scholarship affirm both a simultaneity or synchronicity of potencies or capacities of the will and a diachronicity of actual effects and events. The Reformed orthodox writers certainly thought that human freedom was not incompatible with the divine determination of all things—their resolution of the issue does not, however, coincide with modern compatibilism.

‘We keep our eyes fixed upon Christ’: an anti-speculative doctrine of final resurrection in Bullinger and Turretin

AbstractThe doctrine of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time has often been the subject of speculation in the history of theology, seen especially in the influence of Augustine. The Reformers, seeking to avoid speculation here as elsewhere, turned to meditation on the risen Christ. This article expounds two Reformed accounts, those of Heinrich Bullinger (1504–75) and Francis Turretin (1623–87), which follow an anti-speculative rule formulated by Calvin: ‘we keep our eyes fixed upon Christ’. This rule, it is seen, also presses them to deny the Lutheran doctrine of the ubiquity of Christ's humanity.

Receiving No Perfection from Another: Francis Turretin on Divine Simplicity

AbstractThis essay focuses on the articulation of the doctrine of divine simplicity found in the work of Francis Turretin. Appropriating and developing catholic theology proper, Turretin’s account provides a suitable window into the early Reformed reception of divine simplicity. The essay sets out Turretin’s account of divine simplicity by first locating it within his understanding of the task of theology proper. Understanding his approach to theology proper will involve considering his estimation of the object and genus of theology. Next, given that the doctrine of divine simplicity involves a number of philosophical terms and arguments, we will consider his understanding of the relationship between theology and philosophy, including the “ministerial” role of reason in formulating Christian doctrine. The argument will then move on to examine directly his description of divine simplicity as a divine attribute or “property.” This will involve examining Turretin’s discussion of matters like the nature of composition, the positive reasons for upholding divine simplicity, and the bearing of divine simplicity on our view of the divine attributes. The final section will note some ways in which Turretin applies and clarifies the doctrine of God’s simplicity through his engagement with other doctrinal loci, including the Trinity, the divine decree, creation, and the incarnation.

Bénédict Pictet

Recent research on Genevan theologian Benedict Pictet (1655–1724) concludes that he is a “transitional” theologian between the high Reformed orthodoxy of his uncle, Francis Turretin, and the “enlightened orthodoxy” of his cousin (and son of Francis) Jean-Alphonse Turretin. This essay shows that Pictet is remarkably consistent with Francis on the issues of the relationship of faith and reason and natural theology, and thereby calls into question Pictet’s place in the typical narrative of Reformed orthodoxy’s small steps towards rationalism.

A Study on the Doctrine of Predestination of Francis Turretin

A Study on the Doctrine of Predestination of Francis Turretin

Would Christ Have Become Incarnate Had Adam Not Fallen?

In this paper I examine the notion of Christ as Mediator apart from sin in the reformed scholastic theologian, Jerome Zanchi (1516–1590). Calvin developed a rich notion of Christ as Mediator but left an ambiguous heritage to his followers—it led some later interpreters to think of it as imply that the incarnation would have happened apart from sin. In the first part, I lay out some background and positions and in the second I deal with what I argue is a misunderstanding of Zanchi’s use of Christ as Mediator (that it implies incarnation apart from sin). In the third part I will further explore Zanchi’s notion of Christ as Mediator and make comparisons with Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and Francis Turretin.

Reformed Thought on Freedom: Some Further Thoughts

AbstractReformed Thought on Freedom introduces philosophical apparatus that was routinely employed by Reformed Orthodox theologians for discussing the metaphysics of human action. This article first offers critical reflection on the claims made for this apparatus as providing evidence for a commitment to the freedom of indifference. Then, taking the book’s treatment of Francis Turretin’s anthropology as an example, it is argued that the claim that his view of human freedom relies on the notion of synchronic contingency is not made out. There is a failure to distinguish between indifference as an intrinsic feature of the will, and the freedom of indifference.

Christ and the Covenant: Francis Turretin's Federal Theology as a Defense of the Doctrine of Grace

Christ and the Covenant: Francis Turretin's Federal Theology as a Defense of the Doctrine of Grace

Rediscovering the Natural Law in Reformed Theological Ethics. By STEPHEN J. GRABILL.

Stephen J. Grabill's book is in essence a high-level historical argument for the rediscovery and rehabilitation of natural law, and the related doctrinal concepts of natural revelation and natural theology, in Reformed dogmatics. Through examining a range of major writers in the period of Reformed confessional orthodoxy—Calvin, Vermigli, Althusius, Zanchi, and Francis Turretin—he argues that ‘the Reformed tradition affirmed that it was possible for people's intellect to know the good even if, without divine assistance, it was impossible for their will to be liberated from the bondage of sin to act on it’. Grabill describes his work as giving the historical rationale for integrating a contemporary doctrine of natural law into Reformed ethics and anthropology, while he notes that a systematic treatment of these issues will need to await a subsequent volume. Grabill's account is impressively learned yet remarkably accessible, with potted introductions to the various theologians for those largely unfamiliar with them, and ancillary chapters that help provide the overarching context. There is a chapter on the development of the natural law tradition in the high Middle Ages, which provides a brief but useful overview of the nominalist/realist divide over natural law. The roots of Protestant scholasticism are consistently related to the Thomist/Scotist realist tradition throughout the book. Another chapter examines the huge significance of the Barth–Brunner debate on natural law, and how a number of more recent Reformed writers have been influenced by Barth's ‘overreaction’ to the rationalism of the modern natural law tradition. In his conclusion Grabill neatly ties the whole together by looking at the rise of enlightenment rationalism in the field of natural law, including a discussion of figures in the Reformed tradition such as Jean-Alphonse Turretin.

Theistic metaphysics and biblical exegesis: Francis Turretin on the concept of God

In this article I argue that the integration of biblical exegesis and metaphysical argumentation in Turretin's doctrine of God is due to his views in epistemology and semantics. Anyone reading Turretin's Locus de Deo will recognize that it is not limited to scriptural exegesis and exploration of biblical concepts. The biblical orientation is, of course, prominent, but in addition he combines it with logic and metaphysics. I argue that by adhering to an instrumental view of reason, and an analogical or partially univocal theory of theistic reference, he is able to construct a concept of God which draws first and foremost on the Christian canon and in addition on logic and metaphysics.

Scholasticism Protestant and Catholic: Francis Turretin on the Object and Principles of Theology

During the past two decades scholars have become more appreciatively aware of the medieval scholastic roots of Protestantism and have begun to gain some appreciation, albeit halting, of the scholastic form of Protestantism which dominated the Protestant universities in the seventeenth century. This awareness implies, in the first place, a development beyond the thesis advanced by Lortz and Bouyer that Protestantism was the effect of the decadent nominalist theology of the later Middle Ages. Scholars like Oberman, Hägglund, and Steinmetz have acknowledged much of the continuity but have emphasized the positive character of late medieval thought.