Calvin, the Academy of Geneva and 150 years of theology at Stellenbosch : historical-theological contributions to the conversation on theological education

Abstract

The concurrent celebrations of the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth, the 450th anniversary of the opening of the Genevan Academy and 150 years of theology at Stellenbosch invite reflection on theological education. With this in mind, this article revisits some aspects of the founding and early years of the Genevan Academy. It will be shown how, in the first instance, the architects of the Genevan Academy did not view theology as isolated from other sources of wisdom; secondly, that the commitment to train ministers for the Reformed churches formed part of a larger vision to transform society; and thirdly, that the Genevan Academy was not immune to tensions inherent in early modern Reformed higher education. Against the backdrop of these three brief observations, and in view of the reception of Calvin and Calvinism at Stellenbosch, the rest of the article offers some remarks on the challenges facing theological education in contexts such as the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch. The article suggests that some notes on “the Reformed habit of mind” (Gerrish) may be valuable in navigating the possible tensions between confessional identity and ecumenism, between academic and ecclesiastical theology.