Rev. Jason P. Van Vliet has been awarded the degree Doctor of Theology, following the successful defence of his dissertation, Children of God: the Imago Dei in John Calvin and His Context. The defence took place on October 29, 2009, at the Theological University of the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken of the Netherlands, in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.
The starting point for the dissertation is John Calvin's keen interest in what the Scriptures teach about the nature and faculties of human beings, as well as their role and responsibility under God’s authority. For Calvin, the proper way to understand human beings is to begin by considering them as they were originally created, that is, made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). How successful, though, was Calvin in articulating a clear and consistent understanding of the imago Dei? This question cannot be answered without giving due consideration to the historical context in which Calvin laboured. After all, the reformers were not the only ones who were reconsidering the nature and the dignity of human beings in the sixteenth century. The Renaissance humanists were also pondering this matter. In addition to this broad context of humanism, there were also other contexts within which Calvin developed his anthropology, for instance, his interaction with Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger, as well as his polemics with Andreas Osiander and Michael Servetus.
The dissertation examines Calvins´s explanation of the imago Dei within the times and ecclesiastical circumstances in which he lived. Dr. Van Vliet aims at giving a satisfactory answer to the question of whether Calvins´s teaching on the imago Dei can be considered one of the stronger or weaker points of his reformatory work.
The dissertation is published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht in the Reformed Historical Theology series.
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