Identity of Geneva: The Christian Commonwealth, 1564-1864, The

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dec 2000 by Hancock-Stefan, George

The Identity of Geneva: The Christian Commonwealth, 1564-1864. Edited by John B. Roney and Martin I. Klauber. Westport: Greenwood, 1998, xiv 228 pp.

The foreword of this book is written by Robert M. Kingdon, acknowledged by many to be among the most articulate professors of the Swiss Reformation. The contributors to this book are historians and theologians whose dissertations were guided by Professor Kingdon or who in their work have been greatly influenced by him.

Within this book's chronological framework from the death of Calvin in 1564 to the formation of the Red Cross in 1864, a rich diversity of topics is represented. John B. Roney's introduction is followed by twelve articles: "The Origins of the Image of Geneva," by Francis Higman; "Calvin, Beza, and the Exegetical History of Romans 13:1-7," by Richard A. Muller; "The Order of Divine Decrees at the Genevan Academy: From Bezan Supralapsarianism to Turretinian Infralapsarianism," by Joel R. Beeke; "The Dissolution of Francis Turretin's Vision of Theologies; Geneva at the End of the Seventeenth Century," by Timothy R. Phillips; "A Case of Hidden Identity: Antoine Court, Benedict Pictet, and Geneva's Aid to France's Desert Churches (17151724)," by Otto H. Selles; "Reformed Piety and Suicide in Geneva," by Jeffrey R. Watt; "The Eclipse of Reformed Scholasticism in Eighteenth-Century Geneva: Natural Theology from Jean-Alphonse Turretin to Jacob Vernet," by Martin I. Klauber; "Going Soft: Genevan Decadence in the Eighteenth Century," by Linda Kirk; "Social Welfare and the Transformation of Polity in Geneva," by Jeannine E. Olson; "Notre Bienheurese Reformation: The Meaning of the Reformation in Nineteenth-Century Geneva," by John B. Roney; "Loss of Genevan Identity and Counter-Reformation in the Nineteenth Century," by Gabriel Mutzenberg; and "Education and Modernity in Reconstruction Geneva," by William Edgar.

Because the systematic study of the Genevan Christian commonwealth during these three hundred years is still new to English readers, the editors are to be commended for providing a thorough introduction in this range of articles. Some deal with known theological topics, while the majority use sources unknown until the present time. One is awed here not only by the freshness of ideas and interpretations, but also by the vast documentation that the Swiss churches and governmental agencies possess. The majority of the articles are theological: not a theology that is restricted to the pulpit and the classroom, but one that interacts with national and international politics, the social welfare of the city, and the psychological behavior of citizenship.

The three articles I have chosen for further comment are representative of the overall quality of the book. Joel R. Beeke is to be commended for his lucid style and meticulous analysis of a very difficult topic, "The Order of the Divine Decrees at the Genevan Academy: From Bezan Supralapsarianism to Turretinian Infralapsarianism." His two goals are: (1) to answer the accusations of present-day academia by revealing the Christological emphases of Bezan and Turretinian predestinarianism; and (2) to shed some light on the movement from Beza's supralapsarianism to Turretin's infralapsarianism in terms of theology and Church history (p. 57). His stated goals are superbly achieved with precision and accuracy. One understands that Beza's preaching of the "double decree" was for the assurance of the elect (p. 60), and that within this theological context Francis Turretin's decision for infralapsarianism was regarded orthodox. However, Francis Turretin did not envision that his son Jean-Alphonse would abandon not only infralapsarianism as being too strict, but orthodox Calvinism altogether.

Jeffrey Watt, in his article "Reformed Piety and Suicide in Geneva, 1550-1800," demonstrates the inaccuracy of Durkheim's observation that suicides were more common in Protestant countries than in Catholic countries; in fact, the opposite is true. The Genevans of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries took their Calvinism seriously, and their suicide rates were extremely low. It was only in the eighteenth century, when Genevans abandoned their orthodox Calvinism and accepted the ideas of the Enlightenment, that suicide rates skyrocketed in times of prosperity and poverty.

Martin L. Klauber, in his article "The Eclipse of Reformed Scholasticism in Eighteenth Century Geneva: Natural Theology from Jean-Alphonse Turretin to Jacob Vernet," shows that Turretin and Vernet wanted to make their theology more acceptable to their contemporaries. They reduced their reliance on the Bible and emptied it of all its miraculous content in favor of Enlightenment assumptions. The intention to communicate clearly and persuasively may have been a noble one, but the results were disastrous for the Genevan Academy and for Calvinism.

This book is fascinating, the articles are well written, but it is too technical to call it an easy book to read. However, the persevering reader will be greatly rewarded. It should be read by those who are interested in Reformation studies, be it the seasoned scholar or a Ph.D. student looking for a dissertation topic. The highs and the lows of the Genevan Academy and the city of Geneva, as they sought to continue to be an international center, will provide valuable information for all who are in educational institutions and who see themselves as exerting a global influence. The pressures and the propaganda used by the Catholic Church until it became the predominant denomination in the city of Geneva could prove useful for those involved in the CatholicEvangelical dialogues. The behavioral changes and attitudes of the Genevans in the three centuries studied will challenge those who have a narrow evangelistic pulpit ministry without any involvement in the welfare of their communities.