A small book printed long ago is making a big impact at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.
The college’s H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies recently purchased a copy of Congrégation sur l’élection éternelle de Dieu. The book was printed in Geneva in 1562 by Vincent Bres. Only five libraries in Europe are known to own it, and until now no U.S. libraries owned a copy.
The tiny book measures just 3" x 4¾" (7.6 x 12 cm). That’s slightly bigger than a deck of cards. But the content of the book’s 118 pages is invaluable to scholars interested in the mind of theologian John Calvin.
The work, written in French, presents Calvin’s teaching on election, particularly on the issue of universal salvation versus particular election. (Calvin came down on the side of particular election.)
The Meeter Center, which houses rare items, books, articles, literature, and bibliographies, is acclaimed worldwide as one of the most extensive and user-friendly of all Calvin and Calvinism collections.
This summer the center will host a National Endowment for the Humanities summer institute for college and university professors called “Teaching the Reformation in a Pluralist Age.”
For more on the Meeter Center’s rare books see http://www.calvin.edu/meeter/collections/rarebooks.htm.
—Calvin College news
Kitabu kidogo kilichochapishwa muda mrefu uliopita kinafanya athari kubwa katika Chuo cha Calvin, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kituo cha H. Henry Meeter cha Chuo cha Mafunzo ya Calvin hivi karibuni kilinunua nakala ya Congrégation sur l'élection éternelle de Dieu. Kitabu hicho kilichapishwa huko Geneva mwaka wa 1562 na Vincent Bres. Ni maktaba tano tu za Ulaya zinazojulikana kuwa na kitabu hicho, na hadi sasa hakuna maktaba yoyote ya Marekani iliyokuwa na nakala ya kitabu hicho. Kitabu hicho kidogo kina ukubwa wa sentimita 7.6 x 12. Hiyo ni kubwa kidogo kuliko deck ya kadi. Kitabu hicho kina kurasa 118 na kinaweza kuwa na matokeo mazuri kwa wasomi wanaopendezwa na mawazo ya John Calvin. Kazi hiyo, iliyoandikwa katika Kifaransa, inaonyesha mafundisho ya Calvin juu ya uchaguzi, hasa juu ya suala la wokovu wa ulimwengu wote dhidi ya uchaguzi wa pekee. (Calvin alikuja chini upande wa uchaguzi maalum.) Kituo cha Meeter, ambacho kina vitu visivyo vya kawaida, vitabu, makala, fasihi, na orodha za vitabu, kinasifiwa ulimwenguni pote kuwa mojawapo ya makusanyo makubwa zaidi na ya urahisi zaidi ya Calvin na Calvinism. Katika mwaka huu, Kituo cha National Endowment kwa Humanities itakuwa mwenyeji wa chuo cha majira ya joto kwa ajili ya chuo kikuu na chuo kikuu maprofesa aitwaye 'Kufundisha Marekebisho katika umri Pluralist'. kwa zaidi juu ya Meeter Center's vitabu nadra angalia http: www.calvin.edu.meeter.com.au. <unk>Calvin Chuo habari