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.

---

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.

Theological Term of the Week: Communicatio Idiomatum

communicatio idiomatum
“The concept that, in the hypostatic union, wherein Christ took a human nature into personal union, attributes of both natures are predicable of the person of Christ. From this, reference can be made to Christ acting in one nature in terms relating to the other (e.g., ‘they crucified the Lord of glory’).”1 Also called communion of properties or communication of attributes.

• From the Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter 11: 

  IMPARTATION OF PROPERTIES. We piously and reverently accept and use the impartation of properties which is derived from Scripture and which has been used by all antiquity in explaining and reconciling apparently contradictory passages.

• From the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8, Section 7:

  Christ, in the work of mediation, acts according to both natures, by each nature doing that which is proper to itself; yet, by reason of the unity of the person, that which is proper to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person denominated by the other nature.

• From Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology: 

  A communicatio idiomatum, or communication of properties. This means that the properties of both, the human and the divine natures, are now the properties of the person, and are therefore ascribed to the person. The person can be said to be almighty, omniscient, omnipresent, and so on, but can also be called a man of sorrows, of limited knowledge and power, and subject to human want and miseries. We must be careful not to understand the term to mean that anything peculiar to the divine nature was communicated to the human nature, or vice versa; or that there is an interpenetration of the two natures, as a result of which the divine is humanized, and the human is deified (Rome). The deity cannot share in human weaknesses; neither can man participate in any of the essential perfections of the Godhead.

Learn more:

1. Ligonier Ministries: A Communication of Attributes
2. Sam Storms: Classical View of the Two Natures of Christ
3. Green Baggins: The Communication of Attributes

Related terms:

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

Filed under Person, Work, and Teaching of Christ

1From Systematic Theology by Robert Letham.

---

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.

Theological Term of the Week: Theological Triage

theological triage
The process of determining which doctrinal disagreements are most important so that priority can be given to defending the disputed truths most essential to the Christian faith.

• From scripture: 

  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 3-4 ESV)

  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6–9 ESV)

• From Al Mohler, who, as far as I can determine, invented the phrase “theological triage”: 

  Today’s Christian faces the daunting task of strategizing which Christian doctrines and theological issues are to be given highest priority in terms of our contemporary context. This applies both to the public defense of Christianity in face of the secular challenge and the internal responsibility of dealing with doctrinal disagreements. Neither is an easy task, but theological seriousness and maturity demand that we consider doctrinal issues in terms of their relative importance. God’s truth is to be defended at every point and in every detail, but responsible Christians must determine which issues deserve first-rank attention in a time of theological crisis.

Learn more:

1. Al Mohler: Theological Triage
2. Mike Riccardi: Bad Doctrine vs. Heresy: An Exercise in Theological Triage

Related terms: 

• adiaphora
• heresy

Filed under Defective Theology

---

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.