The Function of Calvin s principle of sola scriptura
in his view on the Early Church
Scriptie Kerkgeschiedenis
door J.H. Kim
Theologische Universiteit Kampen
Broederweg 15
Foreword
About two years ago, thanks to an article of Professor Dr. F. van der Pol ( GEREFORMEERD BELIJDEN, VITAAL GENOEG VRAGEN ROND DE BELIJDENIS )I was able to choose the course of my study here in ThUK. The necessity of the balanced attitude toward the tradition and the need of the actualization of the reformed tradition for us today are from then on one of the most important concerns of my study. In order to get such a balanced view upon our reformed tradition, I started to study about the relation between the Church Fathers and the Reformation. For Reformation was understood as a significant historical example of the actualization of the tradition. The Reformers tried to actualize the tradition of the Church Fathers in their own historical period, and they did it by means7 of the Word of God, the Bible. Among the Reformers, I want especially to study Calvin s principle of his actualization because he efforts of actualization was evaluated as a masterly work to bind the Reformation with the historical Christianity from the times of the Apostles. That is why I studied Calvin s principle of sola scriptura in relation with his historical view on the Church History, although there are many other studies on Calvin. This can be a meaningful basis of my further studies on the very theme: the actualization of the tradition, I hope.