Ever since Calvin wrote his Institutes of the Christian Religion,
admonishing the reader that "it would not be difficult for him to
determine what he ought especially to seek in Scriptures, and to what
end he ought to relate its contents," scholars have endeavoured to
identify a doctrine or theme at the heart of his theology. In his
landmark book The Concept of Equity in Calvin's Ethics, Guenther Haas
concludes that the concept of equity is the theme of central importance
in Calvin's social ethic, in a similar way that union with Christ lies
at the heart of his theology.
Haas provides, in Part One, a brief survey of the development of the
concept of equity from Aristotle to the scholastics, and as it was used
by Calvin's contemporaries. Haas also examines the influences on
Calvin's thinking before and after his conversion to Protestantism, with
special attention paid to those influences that employed the concept of
equity.
In the heart of this study, Part Two, "Equity in Calvin's Ethics," Haas
presents a thorough exposition and analysis of the extensive role the
concept of equity plays in Calvin's ethics, demonstrating that Calvin's
approach to ethics is not restricted to meditation of Scripture text.
This book will force a re-examination of approaches to Calvin studies
that have not appreciated the historical context and background of
Calvin's thought. The Concept of Equity in Calvin's Ethics establishes
that the Protestant tradition in Christian ethics, founded by Calvin,
has a distinctive and vital contribution to make to Christian ethics, as
well as to the broader discussion of social ethics as they are practised
today.
