According to John Calvin, “Augustine is so entirely within me that if I wanted to compose a confession of my faith, I might do so out of his works with all fullness and satisfaction to myself.” [3] “This explains why John Calvin referenced Augustine every four pages in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. For this reason, Calvin would consider himself an Augustinian rather than a Calvinist. […] Should they be classified as an Augustinian-Calvinist rather than a Christian Calvinist?” [4] Therefore, Calvinism in particular is occasionally referred to as Augustinianism, agrees Cary. [5]
The acronym TULIP, which stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints, sums up the five basic beliefs of Calvinism. Following Calvin’s passing, these were outlined at the Second Synod of Dort in 1618–1619 in opposition to the Five Articles of Remonstrance, which upheld Jacobus Arminius’ doctrine. These five Calvinist tenets are still held by contemporary Reformed theology[6] as a concise statement of the soteriological beliefs that Calvin upheld and attributed to Augustine.
Where did the name TULIP originate?
Note that the AP European History test was revised for the 2015–2016 school year before this article was published. Explore the course framework here to see what is still in the Course and Exam Description.
Background:
As was previously established, the reformation movement of the 15th and 16th centuries gave rise to Calvinism. With his infamous “95 theses, which were essentially criticisms of the Catholic Church, Martin Luther set the ball rolling. This motivated numerous other theologians to reconsider the church’s corruption and hunt for religious alternatives. In a sense, Protestantism was born in this situation.
John Calvin, a well-known theologian, joined the movement as well. Luther and other Protestants and Calvin had a lot of similar beliefs, yet they also held some significant disagreements. The acronym “Tulip” became associated with his views. Although he did not explicitly state that these were his beliefs, Calvin did indeed come up with the acronym. The phrase was actually created by his adherents to describe their viewpoints.