In This Issue Volume 63 Number 2 April 2009 The 500th Anniversary of John Calvin’s Birth 115 GUEST EDITORIAL 117 ORACLES, VISIONS, AND ORAL TRADITION: CALVIN ON THE FOUNDATION OF SCRIPTURE • RANDALL ZACHMAN John Calvin claims that the foundation of Scripture is the oracles and visions revealed to the patriarchs, transmitted through countless generations by an oral tradition that faithfully preserved these oracles. The oral tradition of the patriarchs also contains practices not found in written Scripture that are applicable to the church of Calvin’s day. 130 CALVIN AND PRAYING FOR “ALL PEOPLE WHO DWELL ON EARTH” • ELSIE MCKEE John Calvin’s teaching that Christians should pray “for all people who live on earth” is based on his interpretation of 1 Tim 2:1–2 and related to the Lord’s Prayer. It is also illustrated clearly in his daily practice of leading public worship. 142 CALVIN AS BIBLICAL INTERPRETER AMONG THE ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS • DAVID C. STEINMETZ God providentially guided the ancient classical authors into the perception of truths and the unmasking of errors. Even the errors they never caught are instructive. For Calvin, the only proper response to this rich intellectual heritage for a devout Christian people called to love God with their minds as well as with their hearts must always remain profound gratitude. 154 FROM ERASMUS TO CALVIN: EXPLORING THE ROOTS OF REFORMED HERMENEUTICS • JAMES BRASHLER Calvin’s debt to the church reformers who preceded him both inside and outside the reform movements of the sixteenth century has not been sufficiently understood or appreciated. The humanistic methods of interpreting and teaching classical texts—including Scripture—as developed by Erasmus of Rotterdam decisively shaped Calvin’s biblical hermeneutic. Major Book Reviews BETWEEN TEXT & SERMON 168 Genesis 9:8–17 180 – John Y. H. Yieh – W. Sibley Towner 172 Psalm 114 184 – Richard D. Nelson 176 James 1:17–27 – Tom Whartenby Matthew 1–7: A Commentary by Ulrich Luz Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus by Klyne Snodgrass – Arland J. Hultgren 188 Mark by R. Alan Culpepper – Emerson B. Powery 192 Acts by J. Bradley Chance – Matthew L. Skinner 196 Short Book Reviews and Notes O F F I C E S TA F F DEBRA REAGAN Managing Editor WILLA JACOB Subscription Manager NAROLA AO MCFAYDEN Editorial Fellow & Office Assistant INDEXED BY Academic Abstractions Arts & Humanities Citation Index Arts & Humanities Search ATLA Religion Database Book Review Index Current Contents/Arts and Humanities Guide to Social Science and Religion in Periodical Literature Humanities Index Index of Articles on Jewish Studies Index to Book Reviews in Religion International Bibliography of Book Reviews of Scholarly Literature on the Humanities and Social Sciences International Bibliography of Periodical Literature on the Humanities and Social Sciences Internationale Zeitschriftenschau für Bibelwissenschaft und Grenzgebiete New Testament Abstracts Old Testament Abstracts Theologische Literaturzeitung PUBLISHER Union Theological Seminary–Presbyterian School of Christian Education 3401 Brook Road Richmond, Virginia 23227 EDITORIAL OFFICE SUBSCRIPTIONS TOLL-FREE (U.S.) WEBSITE E-MAIL ADVERTISING PRINTING OFFICE Copyright 2009, by Union Theological Seminary– Presbyterian School of Christian Education. All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. (804) 278-4296 (804) 278-4297 (800) 229-2990 ext. 297 www.interpretation.org