Calvin on the Sabbath

I've been meaning to write a post on Calvin's view of the Sabbath, which is much misrepresented. The reality is that (dare I say it!) he himself misleads us in his writings on the 4th Commandment in his 1536 Institutes, which continued into the 1559 edition.

The problem is that Calvin's view is quite complex and is really a product of his struggle with trying to accommodate his interpretation of Colossians 2:16,17 that the Weekly Sabbath is abrogated in Christ (which he defines as the ceremonial part) with his belief in the perpetual obligation of a day of rest and worship that occurs once-a-week based on Genesis 2:2,3. (Indeed, in several areas he seems to contradict and even condemn himself quite severely!) Again, it is further complicated by his use of the term "Sabbatarian" and what he means by a "Jewish Sabbath".

Such an article could take a great deal of time, so I point you to this article as a starting point in your study. It is close to giving a good analysis of Calvin's view, and I hope will prompt you to read his Commentary on Genesis and his Sermons on Deuteronomy in this regard.

On a related note, Chris Coldwell has written a useful article on the story of Calvin bowling on the Lord's Day. By the way, his writings can be read on-line here. I also think that reading Turretin on the Sabbath allows you to get into the Genevan mind a bit more and understand Calvin. I have found that Richard Gaffin has written a book on the subject.

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