‘The accommodating act par excellence?’: an inquiry into the incarnation and Calvin's understanding of accommodation

Abstract

Scholars discussing divine accommodation in the theology of John Calvin often assert that the incarnation is its supreme example – accommodation par excellence. But is this so? This article briefly examines Calvin's thinking on the purposes for which God accommodates and the character of these accommodating activities, to the end of showing that this position is untenable. In so doing, it suggests that contemporary views on accommodation in Calvin are not sophisticated enough and do not accurately reflect the complexity of the reformer's thinking on the subject.