Calvin's Theology of the Psalms (review)

In his book Calvin's Theology of the Psalms, Herman J. Selderhuis argues that "the point of departure and the unifying interest" of Calvin's theology is no one else but God (14). Selderhuis affirms that Calvin's commentary on the Psalms demonstrates the centrality of God for Calvin's theology. Following current trends in Calvin scholarship, Selderhuis moves away from Calvin's Institutes in order to focus his attention on Calvin's exegetical work. Selderhuis's exposition of Calvin's commentary on the Psalms is generously sufficient to demonstrate that indeed the theme of the cognitio Dei et hominis is at the heart of Calvin's exegesis of the Psalter. Selderhuis develops this insight by taking into consideration the relevance of Calvin's biography. He rightly perceives the intimately personal character of the greater part of the psalms, and asserts the significance of Calvin's biography for an accurate interpretation of Calvin's reading of the Psalter. Selderhuis not only addresses the biographical question in a separate section —chapter 1, "Calvin and the Psalms" —but he also interlaces throughout his exposition indications of how Calvin's own fears and anxieties, as well as his stoic steadfastness, inform his own exegetical work.

Beyond the first chapter the work is organized thematically. Selderhuis views Calvin's commentary on the Psalter as one of his mature works, alongside the Institutes. Keeping in mind the distinction that the French exegete and theologian observed between commentary and loci, Selderhuis organizes his exposition of Calvin's commentary in terms of themes under the doctrine of God. Paradoxically, this approach proves to be both fruitful and counterintuitive. The exposition seamlessly flows from image of God to image of God, as Selderhuis employs each image to illustrate one aspect of Calvin's doctrine of God as it is distilled from his commentary on the Psalter. Accordingly, the following nine chapters bear subtitles such as "God the Triune," "God the Creator," "God the Caring," "God the Speaking," "God the King," "God the Judge," etc. In this way Selderhuis assiduously proceeds to explore Calvin's doctrine of God as embedded in his commentary on the Psalms. This procedure allows Selderhuis to formulate a critical presentation of Calvin's doctrine of God, raising at times important questions regarding significant lacunae in Calvin's thought as fragmentally expressed in his commentary on the Psalms. For instance, at the end of chapter 5, "God the Speaking," Selderhuis points out how Calvin by framing the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament in terms of "less" versus "more" might have made "the meaning of the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ something merely relative" (134).

Selderhuis's methodology, however, runs against expectations. Selderhuis rightly recognizes, as it has been the norm among scholars for some time now, the value of Calvin's exegetical works. Nevertheless, the thematic organization of his exposition makes one wonder if Calvin's distinction between commentary and loci is lost. Indeed, the locus de Deo takes over Selderhuis's exposition to the point that the formal qualities of the commentary often fade into the background; his own exposition acquires in this way a certain metaphrastic quality. In the introduction to her book, What Pure Eyes Could See (1999), Barbara Pitkin reflects upon the relation between Calvin's Institutes and his exegetical works. Pitkin observes that Calvin's thought "cannot be abstracted from one without consideration of the other." Moreover, she also demonstrates that the best way to do this is by "preserving the integrity of each." The question that I am here raising is whether the thematic rearrangement of Calvin's exegetical work does preserve the integrity of the sources. Selderhuis's book is, in this sense, definitely written from the perspective of systematic theology and not from the perspective of the history of biblical exegesis.

The abovementioned limitation is compounded by several other decisions that Selderhuis frankly...