The purpose of this dissertation is to construct a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Reformation by comparing Scholastic (Nominalistic) views of God and covenant with those of Calvinistic theology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Both traditions are seen to emphasize the freedom of a divine will which subsumes the work of Christ under its acceptance or intent, imputes righteousness to a sinner who has not been made righteous, and, what is of most concern to our study, rewards a subject ex pacto (from ...
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The purpose of this dissertation is to construct a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Reformation by comparing Scholastic (Nominalistic) views of God and covenant with those of Calvinistic theology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Both traditions are seen to emphasize the freedom of a divine will which subsumes the work of Christ under its acceptance or intent, imputes righteousness to a sinner who has not been made righteous, and, what is of most concern to our study, rewards a subject ex pacto (from covenant) beyond what would be otherwise due through strict justice. Beside this principal concern over the relationship between Scholastic and Calvinistic doctrines of covenant, a secondary blessing is procured as a history of the covenant during the period in question, even regardless of its specific connection to the problem at hand.
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