§ 111. Calvin's commentauies. 525
est exegete of the sixteenth century." i Archdeacon Farrar literally echoes this judgment.^ Diestel, the best historian of Old Testament exegesis, calls him " the creator of genuine exegesis." ^ Few exegetical works outlive their generation ; those of Calvin are not likely to be superseded any more than Chrysostom's Homilies for patristic eloquence, or Bengel's G-nomon for pregnant and stimulating hints, or ]\fatthe\v Henry's Exposition for devotional purposes and epigrammatic suggestions to preachers.*
Calvin began his series of Commentaries at Strassburg with the Epistle to the Romans, on which his system of theology is chiefly built. In the dedication to his friend and HcbrcAv teacher Grynieus, at Basel (Oct. 18, 1539), he already la^-s down his views of the best method of interpretation, namely, comprehensive brevity, transparent clearness, and strict adherence to the spirit and letter of the author. He gradually
1 " Ohne alle Fraqe der grosste Exeijet des (^aec/iszehnteii) Jahrlmnderta." Geschichte der hell. Schriften des Neiten Test. p. 618 (6th ed. 1887).
2 " The greatest exegete and theologian of the Reformation was undoubtedly Calvin." HIstori/ of Interpretation, London, 1886, p. 342. Farrar quotes from Keble a manuscript note of Hooker, who says tliat " tiie sense of Scripture which Calvin alloweth " was held (in tiie Anglican Cliurch) to be of more force tlian if " ten thousand Augustiiis, Jeromes, Chrysostonis, Cyprians were brought fortii."
3 "Der Sc/iop/er der dchten Exegese." Diestel adds: "Johannes Calvin ragt ebensowohl durch den Cm/ctng seiner exegetlschen Arbelten ivie durch eine seltene Genialltat in der Auslegung hervor ; unilbertroffen In scinem Jahrhundert , bleten seine Exegesen fiir alle folgenden Zelten noch bis heute einen relchen Staff der Schriflkenntniss dar." Geschichte des Alien Testaments In der chrlstl. KIrche, Jena, 1869, p. 267. Dr. A. Merx of Heidelberg, another master in biblical philology, fully agrees: "Calvin ist der grosste Exeget seiner Zelt . . . der Schopfer der iichten Exegese" (on Joel, p. 428), and he ascribes to him, besides the necessary learning, including Hebrew, the sagacity of understanding and explaining tlie whole from the parts, and the parts from the whole.
* G. Wohlenberg, a Lutheran divine, begins a notice of the new edition of Calvin's Commentaries on the New Test, (in Lutliardt's "Theol. Lit.-blatt," Oct. 0, 1891) with this remark: "Calvin's Commentare zum N. T. ge/uiren zu den nie veraltenden Werken. Und so gut ule Bengel's ' Gnomon' immer wieder gedruckt und gelesen icerden tcird, so lange es eIne gesunde und fromme Schr(/lerkliirung glebt, so werden uuck Calvin's Commentare nie vergessen werden."
626 THE REFORMATION IN FRENCH SWITZERLAND.
expounded the most important books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the Prophets, and all the books of the New Testament, with the exception of the Apocalypse, which he wisely left alone. Some of his expositions, as the Commentary on the Minor Prophets, were published from notes of his free, extempore lectures and sermons. His last literary work was a Commentary on Joshua, which he began in great bodily infirmity and finished shortly before his death and entrance inio the promised land.
It was his delight to expound the Word of God from the chair and from the pulpit. Hence his theology is biblical rather than scholastic. The Commentaries on the Psalms and the Epistles of Paul are regarded as his best. He was in profound sympathy with David and Paul, and read in their history his own spiritual biography. He calls the Psalms (in the Preface) " an anatomy of all the parts of the soul ; for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or, rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life the griefs, the sorrows, the fears, the doubts, the hopes, the cares, the perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated." He adds that his own trials and conflicts helped him much to a clearer understanding of these divine compositions.
He combined in a very rare degree all the essential qualifications of an exegete — grammatical knowledge, spiritual insight, acute perception, sound judgment, and practical tact. He thoroughly sympathized with the spirit of the Bible; he put himself into the situation of the writers, and reproduced and adapted their thoughts for the benefit of his age.
Tholuck mentions as the most prominent qualities of Calvin's commentaries these four: doctrinal impartiality, exegetical tact, various learning, and deep Christian piety. Winer praises his " truly wonderful sagacity in per-