Calvin's 1559 Institutes is one of the most important works of theology that emerged at a pivotal time in Europe's history. As a movement, Calvinism has often been linked to the emerging features of modernity, especially to capitalism, rationalism, disenchantment, and the formation of the modern sovereign state. In this book, Michelle Sanchez argues that a closer reading of the 1559 Institutes recalls some of the tensions that marked Calvinism's emergence among refugees, and ultimately opens new ways to understand the more complex ethical and political legacy of Calvinism. In conversation with theorists of practice and signification, she advocates for reading the Institutes as a pedagogical text that places the reader in the world as the domain in which to actively pursue the 'knowledge of God and ourselves' through participatory uses of divine revelation. Through this lens, she reconceives Calvin's understanding of sovereignty and how it works in relation to the embodied reader. Sanchez also critically examines Calvin's teaching on providence and the incarnation in conversation with theorists of political theology and modernity who emphasize the importance of those very doctrines.

‘This brilliant book defies facile summary.’

Mark S. LeTourneau Source: Anglican and Episcopal History

‘… Sanchez homes in on Calvin’s doctrines of providence and incarnation, offering a fresh reading of the Genevan Reformer’s magnum opus as a pedagogical work that affirms embodiment and orients believers to engage the concrete worldly problems of society and politics.’

J. Scott Jackson Source: International Journal of Systematic Theology

‘Calvin scholars and readers interested in how Reformation sources might interact with contemporary political theology will find Sanchez’ book to be important and vital reading.’

Aaron Klink Source: Religious Studies Review