Theological Term of the Week: Extra-Calvinisticum

extra-Calvinisticum
“The belief of the Reformed church, in agreement with the Catholic tradition, that the Son exists beyond the bounds of the human nature assumed into union in the incarnation. The term was coined by the Lutherans, who claimed that the assumed humanity received divine attributes, including omnipresence, by virtue of the hypostatic union. .”1 

• From Systematic Theology by Robert Letham: 

  [T]he Reformed maintained that the person of the Logos is not confined to the union established with the assumed humanity. As God, he transcends the bounds of the incarnate union. Conversely, Lutheranism, with its idea of the transference of divine attributes to the humanity, strenuously held that since the humanity partakes of omnipresence, the Son is never beyond its bounds. In calling the Reformed formulation the extra-Calvinisticum, or “the Calvinistic beyond,” Lutherans contended that is was a departure from orthodox Christology.

  However, Luther and the Lutherans were the innovators.  … At least as early as Athanasius, this idea was commonplace. 

• From Calvin’s Institues of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 13, Section 5:

  [A]lthough the boundless essence of the Word was united with human nature into one person, we have no idea of any enclosing. The Son of God descended miraculously from heaven, yet without abandoning heaven; was pleased to be conceived miraculously in the Virgin’s womb, to live on the earth, and hang upon the cross, and yet always filled the world as from the beginning.

Learn more:

1. Theopedia: Extra calvinisticum
2. Kevin DeYoung: Theological Primer: The Extra Calvinisticum
3. For the Church: The Extra Calvinisticum

Related terms: 

• christology
• communicatio idiomatum
• deity of Christ
• humanity of Christ
• hypostatic union

Filed under Person, Work, and Teaching of Christ

1From Systematic Theology by Robert Letham.

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Sunday's Hymn: I Will Sing of My Redeemer

I will sing of my Redeemer
And his wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross he suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Refrain

Sing, O sing of my Redeemer!
With his blood he purchased me;
On the cross he sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In his boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory he giveth
Over sin and death and hell.

I will sing of my Redeemer
And his heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life has brought me,
Son of God, with him to be.

—Phi­lip P. Bliss

 Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• Not All the Blood of Beasts at The Happy Wonderer
• Totally Dependent on Christ, and Happy to Be So at The Outspoken Tulip 
• My Chains Fell Off at Tried With Fire
• Lord’s Day 2, 2020 at The Thirsty Theologian

Selected Reading, January 11, 2020

A bit of recommended listening and reading.

God

The Revealed and Hidden Will of God
Another good listen (or read) from the SimplyPut podcast. 

Is the Trinity in Genesis 1?
The answer is yes. But it’s a hidden presence.

Biography 

B. B. Warfield — Not a Solitary Theologian
Many people think B. B. Warfield was “a solitary man leading an uneventful life,” but that’s not exactly accurate.

Theology 

Luther’s Doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers: The Importance for Today
“The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers meant that all who have faith in Christ and are baptised are designated priests and share in Christ’s royal priesthood. This meant that every believer has equal access to the Father through Jesus. The corollary is that every believer has the responsibility to act as a priest to other believers, to minister to them, particularly through proclaiming Scripture to them. nothing more exciting than a good punctuation story.”