This Is My Body: The Presence of Christ in Reformation Thought - Paperback

by Thomas J. Davis (Author)

There are many general surveys of the Reformation available, and they all typically devote some space to how theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin understood the Lord's Supper and Christ's presence in the bread and wine. However, they usually do not provide a great deal of detail about the development of the Reformers' thoughts or the finer elements of their respective opinions.

This volume by Thomas Davis fills these gaps with a more narrowly focused study. He devotes several chapters to Luther and to Calvin, examining their use of language and their understanding of the presence of Christ, both in the Lord's Supper and in the broader sense of his presence in the church.

Back Jacket

Thomas J. Davis continues to demonstrate why he is one of the leading interpreters of Calvin's theology of the Eucharist working today. Davis does a wonderful job of setting Calvin's understanding of the Supper in the context of Luther's teaching on the subject. By so doing, he opens a promising avenue of ecumenical understanding. Davis is especially to be commended for focusing our attention on the centrality of the life-giving flesh of Christ in Calvin's understanding of salvation. This is a clear and accessible collection of essays that should be of interest to a wide audience.--Randall C. Zachman, University of Notre Dame

"The topic of this book has often been dealt with and yet Davis comes with new insights and a balanced position to convey the sacramental issue of the sixteenth century in a very accessible style. Dr. Davis has with this book done a great service to both the scholarly world and the church."--Herman J. Selderhuis, Institute for Reformation Research, Apeldoorn

"This Is My Body offers fresh insight into the eucharistic theology of the sixteenth century. Its essays highlight the centrality of Christ's presence for the reformers while exploring their different understandings of that presence. Professor Davis approaches Calvin's understanding of the Lord's Supper from a variety of angles, paying careful attention to the Genevan reformer's language. He draws on Calvin's sermons, commentaries, and treatises, as well as on successive editions of the Institutes, to illustrate aspects of Calvin's thought that have often been overlooked. Church historians, theologians, and pastors will all find something of value in this book."--Amy Nelson Burnett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

"Ever since Luther wrote 'This is my body' on the table at Marburg, theologians and historians of theology have been trying to trace the various levels of signification in the deceptively simple affirmation that Christ is present in the Eucharist. Thomas Davis's new work offers some of the most insightful and imaginative ways into the set of problems while never pretending to 'solve' the paradoxes inherent in this central Christian affirmation."--R. Ward Holder, Saint Anselm College

Author Biography

Thomas J. Davis (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. He is the author of six books, including "The Clearest Promises of God: The Development of Calvin's Eucharistic Teaching," and has produced dozens of scholarly articles and presentations.