because, for Calvin, the Bible was more than a revelation about God—that is, a book of theology—it was also God’s revelation of himself in order that we may come to know and serve him. Calvin’s influence on the emerging leaders of the Reformation was enormous. For one thing, his ability to show that the basis for everything he taught was in Scripture gave him immediate credibility with all who had the same high regard for the Bible’s authority. Furthermore, because of its careful and systematic development,