Word and Spirit in Francis Turretin and Jean Claude

Abstract

This dissertation examines the doctrine of the Word and the Spirit in the theology of two important Reformed pastors and theologians of the seventeenth century Francis Turretin (1623–1687) and Jean Claude (1619–1687), who ministered respectively in Geneva and France. For the Reformed churches of Geneva and France, this period was a period of growth through which it affirmed and developed the teaching received from John Calvin (1509–1564) and the Synod of Dort (1619) against the theology of the Roman Catholic Church and of various groups issued from the Protestant Reformation. This dissertation demonstrates that, based on the teaching of Scripture, Turretin and Claude believed in the inseparability of the Word and the Spirit in the application of all aspects of salvation. It argues that their understanding of this doctrine proves a continuity with the teaching of Calvin, that the Holy Spirit essentially works with the revealed Word of God contained in the Scriptures to bring the elect to salvation and lead them in Christian living.