Journal index

This short study, drawing on a small part of Calvin’s vast written corpus, seeks to show how the reformer used the concepts of eternal life and death. Tackling with uncertainties on the fringes of eschatology, Calvin shows how difficult it is to grasp the meaning of these two concepts, even when the theologian stands on firm biblical theological grounds. The commentaries of Calvin on the Book of Psalms and the Gospel of John, as well as his letters give a sense of the changes that man, the creation of God, must undergo in order to be able to find relief from the severe ordeal of facing death and to be helped by the hope of eternal life. It is God’s grace that lifts man up from the state of death so that his unstable life may find stability.

This paper discusses the lamentation genre of the Old Testament literature. Lamentation is connected to mourning, and can be found in the historical, prophetic and wisdom literature of the Old Testament. The genre is closely associated with the history of biblical Israel. Research concluded that the two dirges of David are unlikely to follow ancient qînâ-compositions. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the qînâ-texts in prophetic literature would not derive from early Israelite sources. However, positive evidence in this regard remains inconclusive due to our lack of access to those ancient sources mentioned in biblical literature.