A Life of John Calvin - (Study in the Shaping of Western Culture) by Alister E McGrath (Paperback)

About the Book

One of the best sources for understanding the impact of John Calvin, McGrath's work updates The History and Character of Calvinism by John T. McNeill with a fascinating biography that also explores Calvin's cultural importance.

Book Synopsis

The first biography of John Calvin since 1975 and the only life of the great reformer to analyse his impact on subsequent generations of theologians, politicians, economists and philosophers. This biography is theologically unbiased and is written as much for historians and general readers as for those interested in Calvin the Church reformer.

From the Back Cover

History occasionally produces figures whose influence on their own and successive generations is immense. Marx, Freud and Lenin had such an influence, and so, Alister McGrath argues, does John Calvin. This book provides a fresh and lucid exploration of Calvin's life and influence, his theology and his political thought, and his determining of the course of European history. It traces Calvin's remarkable impact on the development of modern Western attitudes to work, wealth, civil rights, capitalism and the natural sciences.

Published to wide critical acclaim in hardback and now available in paperback, this ground-breaking study of Calvin will be welcomed by all concerned with an understanding of the shaping of modern western culture.

Review Quotes

"A most welcome study filling a real need for a scholarly biography that is historically sensitive and theologically well-informed." Religious Studies Review

"Not since Wendel's Calvin has one volume given as much breadth and depth to the life and thought of Calvin as this one... A splendid resource for both novices and Calvin scholars. McGrath's work will endure as a balanced, sensitive, historical-theological treatment." Sixteenth Century Journal

"A full range of Calvin students and scholars will be grateful for this book. Wide in scope, detailed in coverage, yet clear in focus, McGrath's work will find a secure niche for many years to come." Christianity Today

"A Skillful combination of biography, theology and history. A number of maps, charts and (monochrome) reproductions of paintings and other art works enhance the attractiveness of this handsome volume, which should serve students as a useful and readable introduction to John Calvin's life and times." Critical Review

"An absorbing study. It cannot be stated too strongly that Beyond Borders deserves high praise. Better than any other book known to the author." The Expository Times

"The best study of Calvin in English." Teaching History

About the Author

Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. He is one of the worlds leading Protestant theologians and the author of numerous popular theology textbooks, including Christian Theology (Third Edition, 2001), The Christian Theology Reader, (Second Edition, 2001), Christian Spirituality (1999), Science and Religion (1998), Historical Theology (1998), and An Introduction to Christianity (1997), all available from Blackwell Publishing. He is also editor of The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism (2003).