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Calvin and the Reformed Tradition: On the Work of Christ and the Order of Salvation . By Richard A. Muller. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2012. 288 pp. $39.99 paper.

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)Calvin and the Reformed Tradition: On the Work of Christ and the Order of Salvation . By Richard A. Muller. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic , 2012. 288 pp. $39.99 paper.Book Reviews and NotesIn Calvin and the Reformed Tradition , Richard Muller builds on and reinforces his argument in previous publications that the Reformed tradition was a complex, diverse, and variegated movement which did not develop solely in relationship to the thought of John Calvin. The specific contribution of this volume is its focus on the development of four doctrines particularly associated with Reformed soteriology: the extent of the atonement, the order of salvation, union with Christ, and assurance of salvation. While he more frequently and substantially refutes the "Calvin against the Calvinists" master narrative, Muller also establishes that the notion of a uniform Reformed tradition in continuity with Calvin is equally flawed. In clarifying what has been dubbed the "Muller thesis," he emphasizes that the ongoing "reappraisal" of the Reformed tradition argues that any continuity between the reformers and the Reformed was accompanied by change and development which resulted in breadth and diversity. Therefore, there cannot be "a single all-embracing thesis" (34).The first two chapters of this work establish the current state of the conversations and the methodological approach throughout each essay. Here Muller contends for the use of the term "Reformed" rather than "Calvinist" in order to avoid the incorrect view that Reformed thought should be compared to Calvin alone. He also points out inevitable problems in the use of the term "Calvinist" that result either in Calvin being the only Calvinist or in a specific anachronistic reduction of Reformed thought (such as TULIP or predestination). These chapters reiterate that the Reformed tradition was diverse from its beginning, that it drew from numerous prior voices, and that it developed in different ways based on different contexts, debates, and dialogues.The meat of the book is found in the six chapters where Muller utilizes his comparative methodology to make detailed analysis and argumentation on doctrines related to the extent of the atonement (chapters 3, 4, and 5) and the application of the atonement (chapters 6, 7, and 8). In each chapter he identifies the continuity, change, and development on these topics as they were articulated by Calvin, some of Calvin's predecessors and contemporaries, and some later Reformed theologians. To bring clarity to each topic, Muller sets each discussion in its historical context; provides a framework to consider the actual issues relevant to the specific doctrine; and specifies the language that Calvin used in comparison to the language which developed later (for example, "limited atonement," "hypothetical universalism," "practical syllogism", and TULIP). He utilizes a variety of primary sources, including various editions of the Institutes , other theological works, sermons (including an "as yet unrecovered sermon" on Ezekiel 18:23), and commentaries by Calvin, as well as these types of works, catechisms, confessions, and correspondence by numerous other theologians, such as Vermigli, Laski, Viret, Bullinger, Beza, Hyperius, Ursinus, Zanchi, Du Moulin, Davenant, Olevianus, Perkins, and many others. He pays special attention to the type of literature in which views were expressed to highlight that the choice of topics, level of detail, kinds of arguments, and order of topics differed in works intended for popular or academic audiences. At the end of each chapter, Muller offers a conclusion that summarizes his investigation and analysis. …