Synopsis
Calvin's systematic theology that also shaped Reformed political thought on authority, law, resistance, and the relation of church and magistrate.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Public domainCivil government is ordained by God to uphold order and justice, yet rulers remain under God's law and cannot command what God forbids.
It grounds political authority in divine order while planting seeds of principled limits and resistance to ungodly rule.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Spinoza, Theological-Political Treatise.
Reading note
Vast; for political theory focus on the closing sections on civil government and obedience.
Best paired with
Spinoza, Theological-Political Treatise