116 - Elders and the Plural Ministry: The Role of Exegetical History in Illuminating John Calvin's, Theology

Elders and the Plural Ministry: The Role of Exegetical History in Illuminating John Calvin's, Theology
By Elsie Anne McKee
Geneva, Librairie Droz, 1988. 237 pp.

Elsie McKee, Professor of Church History at Andover-Newton Theological Seminary, has given us an illuminating and technically precise study of the exegetical basis of classical Reformed polity. This book, which complements her earlier doctoral dissertation (John Calvin on the Diaconate and Liturgical Almsgiving, Droz, 1984), traces the history of specific texts on which Calvin based his systematic presentation of the office of the elder (Part I) and the plural ministry (Part II). Specific attention is given to Romans 12:8, I Corinthians 12:28, I Timothy 5:17, and Ephesians 4:11. By comparing Calvin's treatment of these texts with the patristic medieval tradition, early Reformation usage, and later Reformed exegesis, McKee is able to shed considerable light on Calvin's indebtedness to (as well as freedom from) received exegetical traditions and also his shaping influence on subsequent commentators. Among other things, McKee's study reveals close parallels between Calvin's "church political" application of these texts and those of his great contemporary, Martin Bucer. At the same time, the emergence of a distinct Calvinist polity--over against the Zurich reformers-is seen in the insistence on the eldership as a unique ecclesiastical office specifically related to the ministry of discipline. This book is a splendid addition to the history of biblical interpretation as well as a major study of John Calvin and the origins of church polity in the Reformed tradition.

Timothy George
The Divinity School of Samford University
Birmingham, Ala.