This research paper by Arthur Rankin, submitted for ST610 – Trinitarian Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte (November 29, 2018), examines whether John Calvin’s Trinitarian theology represents a break from or continuity with the Nicene tradition. Rankin argues that Calvin’s doctrine of the Trinity—particularly his use of terms like autotheos (God of Himself) and his emphasis on the Son’s aseity—reflects deep continuity with classical orthodoxy rather than deviation from it.
The paper begins by tracing the “Caroli Affair” of 1537, when Pierre Caroli accused Calvin of Arianism for refusing to sign the Athanasian Creed. Rankin shows that Calvin’s refusal was not a rejection of Nicene theology but a protest against making creeds binding on conscience apart from Scripture. Calvin’s later writings explicitly affirm the Nicene and Athanasian formulations, revealing that his hesitation was methodological, not doctrinal.
Rankin then explores Calvin’s nuanced use of Trinitarian terminology in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin sought to ground theological language in Scripture, maintaining terms like “substance” and “person” only insofar as they served biblical clarity. His doctrine of the Son’s autotheos—self-existence—emerges as a corrective to Arian and subordinationist tendencies, affirming the Son’s full divinity while preserving Trinitarian distinction.
Addressing Calvin’s view of the eternal generation of the Son, Rankin demonstrates that while Calvin refined the terminology by emphasizing “generation in respect of person,” he remained faithful to Nicene intent. His formulations, far from innovation, reflect careful exegesis and a commitment to Athanasian theology.
Rankin concludes that Calvin’s Trinitarian theology is thoroughly Nicene in substance and intent. His goal was not to innovate but to defend the faith of the early church against both medieval speculation and heretical misinterpretation. Calvin’s system, Rankin argues, demonstrates that Reformed theology is best understood as “Reformed Catholicism”—rooted in Scripture, continuous with tradition, and confident in the historic faith of the church.
Course and semester: ST610 Trinitarian Theology — Fall 2018
