I’m pretty surprised that P&R published a novel about John Calvin, seems a little weird since Calvin very rarely wrote about himself (unlike Luther who wrote about himself a lot) but it is timely given the fact that it’s Calvin’s birthday this month. It’s told from the perspective of an enemy who hates Calvin (which may bet around the problem of trying to invent a voice for Calvin):
Enter the brilliance and decadence of renaissance France in this fast-paced biographical novel on John Calvin. Told from the perspective of a rival whose envy escalates to violent intrigue and shameless betrayal, JEAN CAUVIN is a tale of how God uses the humility and unflinching faithfulness of Calvin to break down the barrenness and bitterness of a chief of sinners–all accomplished by grace alone.
History novels can be an interesting way to learn about a subject. I enjoyed “<a href="The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (P.S.)
posted July 8, 2009 at 2:08 pm
You probably read the Trueman bit at BHT from Reformation 21; I’ll include it here, as they did at BHT, i.e., minus Trueman’s jab at relics:
“The idea of a commemorative volume [on Calvin] sounds dangerously close to proof positive of the theory that Reformed Christianity, with its culture of megaconferences and its cult of megaspeakers, is just another niche market in the consumerist world in which we all now live.”
But I actually think P&R has more respectability than all that!
Oh, and I broke down and bought the ESV w/ Apocrypha through your WTS Books link. In anticipation of your “comeback” …
posted July 9, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Nothing weird about this historical novel about Calvin being written/released. Much biographical info is known of Calvin through his own writings or those of others. Plus, the turbulent times he lived in and helped to shape are perfect material from which a talented author can successfully draw from. Calvin is intensely interesting.