Throughout the history of Christianity, the relationship of philosophy and theology has been fraught with conflict and tension, but it is a conflict that no faithful Christian can ignore. At every period of church history, leading scholars and teachers of Scripture have also sought to compare and reconcile the Word of God with what can be learned from the study of nature and human reason. The Protestant Reformation was no exception, and this dual pursuit of philosophy and theology was particularly exemplified by the great Italian Reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli. A leading representative both of Renaissance humanism, with its return to the classical sources, and of an emergent Protestant scholasticism, with its careful use of philosophical tools to clarify Christian doctrine and ethics, Vermigli constantly attended to the relationship of philosophy and theology throughout his teaching and writing. This volume brings together, in a carefully-edited modern translation, extensive excerpts from Vermigli’s biblical commentaries that illustrate his use of philosophical tools and his tackling of philosophical problems in the biblical text. These include classic problems such as the relation of soul and body, the role of divine providence, and the nature of our knowledge of God, as well as more particular questions, such as the nature and meaning of dreams. Together, these selections illustrate that our modern dichotomy between biblical and philosophical studies was thoroughly unknown to the Protestant Reformers, and offer a window into the thought of one of the leading intellects of the sixteenth century. Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562) was born in Florence and educated in Padua before rising through the ranks of the Augustinian order in Italy. A secret convert to Protestantism in the 1530s, he eventually fled north to Germany in 1542, before holding a series of influential posts at Strasbourg, Oxford, and Zurich. He ranks alongside John Calvin and Heinrich Bullinger as among the chief architects of the Reformed Protestant tradition. Joseph C. McClelland (1925-2016) was a Presbyterian minister and the McConnell Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University. He devoted decades of his life to the study of Peter Martyr Vermigli and was among the founding editors of the Peter Martyr Library. The Peter Martyr Library, begun in 1994 by the Peter Martyr Vermigli Society, is a scholarly project to make availability to a modern audience, in critical edition translations from the Latin, the key writings of Italian reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli. Published by Truman State University Press until 2017, the Peter Martyr Library is now overseen and published by The Davenant Institute, now for the first time in paperback.

Philosophical Works: On the Relation of Philosophy to Theology (Sixteenth Century Essays & Studies)

Politics & Social Sciences

Vermigli, Peter Martyr

Philosophy

Davenant Institute, The

In this last work of Vermigli’s distinguished career as a theologian, he uses a dialogue to discuss the disagreement among Christians about the Eucharist and Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper. 
Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562) is considered to be one of the most important Italian reformers of the early modern period. Martyr is the subject of renewed interest for historical and theological scholars. The Peter Martyr Library, a series of critical English translations of the chief works of Peter Martyr Vermigli, allows his own words in context to speak for themselves.

Dialogue on the Two Natures in Christ

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Predestination and justification are two of the most distinctive and familiar doctrines associated with the Protestant Reformation. Martyr, an influential Protestant theologian and biblical exegete of the sixteenth century, engages advocates and detractors alike in his most extensive discussions of these controversial theological topics, drawn from his monumental commentary on the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. The great value of these two treatises is that they provide a vital if unheralded Protestant perspective on what were two of the most controverted doctrines of the Reformation era -- not only between Roman Catholics and Protestants, but also among the Reformed, Lutheran, and Anabaptists as well.

Predestination and Justification: Two Theological Loci (Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies)

James, Frank A.J.L

The Davenant Institute

Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499-1562) was a scriptural exegete, but also an Aristotelian philosopher. His voluminous commentaries on Old and New Testament books are complemented by this volume, the only one of its kind in his corpus. It provides a window into the complex world of early modern European philosophical translation and commentary, as well as the theology and ethics of the Reformed camp.

Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, 9)

McLelland, Joseph C.

Campi, Emidio

Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499-1562) was a forgotten giant of the Protestant Reformation. With a legacy that spanned from Naples to Zurich to Oxford, Vermigli left behind him voluminous biblical commentaries and treatises, and a band of faithful disciples who collected his writings into the massive theological compendium, the Loci Communes. “On Original Sin” represents the first installment of a new project to translate the Loci into English for the first time since 1583, Presented here in a clear, readable, and learned translation, Vermigli's searching discussion of original sin reveals the biblical and patristic foundations of this controversial doctrine, and its centrality to Protestant orthodoxy. Along the way, Vermigli offers a scathing critique of the semi-Pelagian Catholic theologian Albert Pighius and defends the Augustinian understanding of sin and grace, in a treatise marked by exegetical skill, historical erudition, and philosophical sophistication.“Vermigli’s Commonplaces became one of the most influential of all Reformed systematic theologies, especially in the English-speaking world. Kirk Summers has translated the selection of these commonplaces pertaining to the pivotal Christian teaching concerning Original Sin and rendered them into lucid, legible, modern English. For any scholar or aspiring theologian attuned to the Reformed tradition this volume should be obligatory reading.” —W.J. Torrance Kirby, McGill University, author of The Zurich Connection and Tudor Political Theology “Peter Martyr Vermigli is undoubtedly one of the most significant Reformed theologians of the sixteenth century and his Common Places is the crown jewel of his collected works. The rendering of this work into contemporary English is a great service to the understanding of Reformation thought and will be enriching for scholars and pastors alike. Vermigli’s theological training and acumen are on full display here and the results are rightly esteemed as a masterwork of Reformed theology.”—Jordan J. Ballor, The Acton Institute, Junius Institute, author of Covenant, Causality, and Law: A Study in the Theology of Wolfgang Musculus“With this precise but grandly readable translation, Reformation scholars owe a debt of gratitude to the editors and translator for this initial volume in this new series on Peter Martyr Vermigli’s Commonplaces. Kirk Summers has faithfully and eloquently rendered Vermigli who is here at his subtle and forceful best; and has thus opened to a wider audience the Reformer’s thought on some of the questions most central to the disputes of the sixteenth century.”—Gary Jenkins, Eastern University; author of Calvin’s Tormentor’s: Understanding the Conflicts that Shaped the Reformer

On Original Sin

The Davenant Press

Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499-1562) was a forgotten giant of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Florence, Italy, and rising quickly to leadership within the Augustinian Order in Italy, Vermigli discovered the gospel of justification and embarked on a reforming career that would take him to Naples, Lucca, Zurich, Strasbourg, Oxford, and finally back to Strasbourg and Zurich again, as he worked shoulder-to-shoulder with other leading Protestant Reformers Heinrich Bullinger, Martin Bucer, and Thomas Cranmer. He left behind him voluminous biblical commentaries and treatises, and a band of faithful disciples who collected his writings into the massive theological compendium, the Loci Communes.\nAppearing now in English for the first time since 1583, "On Free Will and the Law" represents Part II, Ch. 2 and 3 of the Loci Communes of Peter Martyr Vermigli. Presented here in a clear, readable, and learned translation, we first have Vermigli's deft treatment of the thorny issue of free will. Demonstrating clearly his peerless erudition and subtle mind, Vermigli simultaneously upholds the the fallen will's enslavement to sin and freedom to act. Likewise, Vermigli's considerably more brief exposition of the catholic doctrine of the Law alongside his criticisms of Manichean and Pelagian errors is a helpful summary of Protestant teaching on this issue. With the Scriptures as his final authority, the Church Fathers as his guides, and philosophy as his handmaid, Vermigli produced Loci that withstand the rigors of time and remain a helpful guide to Protestants everywhere.

On Free Will and the Law: Vol. 2 of a New Translation of the Loci Communes (1576) (Vermigli's Common Places (1576))

Davenant Press, The

Presented here in a clear, readable, and learned translation, we first have Vermiglis treatment of the topic of providence, accompanied by related questions on Gods control over both the Fall and temptation to sin. With his characteristic rigor, Vermigli provides a masterful Reformed articulation of the relationship between necessity, contingency, and Gods sovereignty. With the Scriptures as his final authority, the Church Fathers as his guides, and philosophy as his handmaid, Vermigli produced Loci that withstand the rigors of time and remain a helpful guide to Protestants everywhere.

On Providence and the Cause of Sin (Loci Communes)

HOW DOES A GRACIOUS GOD SAVE STUBBORN SINNERS?
We cannot answer this question without delving into two of the most challenging and hard-fought doctrines in Christian theology: predestination and justification. Both doctrines played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation, provoking conflicts not merely between the Reformers and Rome but also within the ranks of each. As a deeply Augustinian theologian, trained in one of the leading Catholic universities before converting to Protestant teaching, few men in the sixteenth century were so well-equipped to address these difficult subjects as Peter Martyr Vermigli.
His treatments of these great doctrines, developed as part of a series of lectures on the Book of Romans as Regius Professor of Theology at Oxford from 1550 to 1552, became classic statements of early Reformed theology, exerting great influence on the development of the Reformed tradition in England and throughout Europe. In them, he blends his knowledge of the Augustinian tradition and the doctrinal precision of medieval scholastic theology with the intense study of the Scriptures characteristic of Reformation humanism. Convinced that the work of salvation is wholly the work of a sovereign, irresistible, and gracious God, Vermigli defends the implications of this conviction against both ancient heresies and recent Catholic opposition. Vermigli's work has long been admired for both its erudition and precision, both of which are on display here in his discussion of these sometimes difficult and obscure doctrines.ABOUT THE EDITOR &amp; TRANSLATORFrank A. James III is the President of Biblical Theological Seminary, a position he previously held at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL, before which he taught there as Professor of Historical Theology. He has been one of the leaders of the modern renaissance of Peter Martyr Vermigli studies. In 1993 he completed a D.Phil at the University of Oxford on Vermigli's doctrine of predestination and published Peter Martyr Vermigli and Predestination: The Augustinian Inheritance of an Italian Reformer in 1998. In 1996 he became a general editor of the Peter Martyr Library and served for many years as president of the Peter Martyr Vermigli Society.

Predestination and Justification: Two Theological Loci

Among the most polemical of Martyr’s works, the texts presented here are part of the turbulent period in England during the times of Edward VI and Archbishop Cranmer. Along with his account of the Disputation, Martyr published a Treatise that provides systematic treatment of the arguments, biblical and patristic in source, with transubstantiation the target. There is a wealth of information about the state of the realm, the choice of patristic authorities, the nature of Martyr’s objections to the traditional doctrine, and his proposed alternative.Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562) is considered to be one of the most important Italian reformers of the early modern period. Martyr is the subject of renewed interest for historical and theological scholars. The Peter Martyr Library, a series of critical English translations of the chief works of Peter Martyr Vermigli, allows his own words in context to speak for themselves.

The Oxford Treatise and Disputation On the Eucharist

The Eternal Godhead

Monergism Books LLC

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