ENCYCLOPEDIA

OF

THE REFORMED FAITH

Donald K. McKim, Editor

David F. Wright, Consulting Editor

Westminster/John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

Saint Andrew Press

Edinburgh

© 1992 Westminster/John Knox Press

First published in 1992 by

Westminster/John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.

First published in the UK by

Saint Andrew Press

121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster/John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396.

Scripture quotations from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyrighted 1946, 1952, © 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

First edition

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Encyclopedia of the Reformed faith / Donald K. McKim, editor — 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-664-21882-2

1. Reformed Church—Encyclopedias. 2. Presbyterian Church—Encyclopedias. I. McKim, Donald K.

BX9406.E56 1992

284’.2’03—dc20

91-375-40

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0-7152-0660-5

PREFACE

The Reformed faith is the faith of Christian people. It is a living, vital stream of faith providing a basis for the lives of millions throughout the world. This faith has a historical tradition, contemporary expressions, and prospects of continuing to grow and develop by God’s grace in the years ahead.

The following encyclopedia pays particular attention to the historical development of the Reformed faith and its current-day expressions. It considers, events, persons, and theological issues that have special importance for the Reformed tradition. It is an encyclopedia of the Reformed faith to voice the conviction that history has meaning, that persons make contributions, and that theological doctrines and questions have critical impacts on human existence. This means that there is an essential connection among the past, present, and future elements of the faith. The aliveness of the faith is witnessed to by the events and persons who have shaped it as well as by the dynamic expressions of Reformed theology that have emerged.

This Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith speaks too of the persuasion that the faith can be articulated and that at points its distinctiveness from other streams of Christian tradition can be perceived. Theologians varied in perspectives and orientations have claimed the name “Reformed.” They have developed theological expressions portraying their understandings of Christian faith and God’s revelation in Jesus Christ known through Holy Scripture. The plurality of these expressions—both ...