This thesis examines John Calvin's concept of the Kingdom of God. There are four basic terms for this concept: regnum Dei, regnum Christi, regnum caelorum and regnum caeleste. All of these terms are more or less interchangeable. With the Christian church Calvin recognizes that one aspect of the Kingdom of God is its transcendent, heavenly, eternal dimension. This is the unique meaning of regnum caeleste. Yet most of Calvin's discourse on the Kingdom refers to the presence of God's Kingdom or rule on earth. The term regnum can mean either kingdom or reign. Regnum Dei therefore refers to God's reign or his Kingdom, or in many cases both aspects together. There are two dimensions to his reign: the general rule over the world and the special redemptive rule through his Word and Spirit. In the broader sense, the regnum Dei is basically equivalent to God's providence. The special, redemptive dimension of God's reign is the Kingdom of Christ or the regnum Christi. The regnum Christi is the rule of Christ from the time of his ascension up to the time of the Last Judgement, at which time Christ will hand back the reign to the Father. The product of Christ's reign is the church, which is Christ's Kingdom. Calvin uses the concept of the regnum Christi to interpret some important prophetic passages in the Old Testament. Many Old Testament prophecies are seen by Calvin to point forward to the New Testament age when Christ will rule. There is also an individual dimension to the Kingdom of God in Calvin's theology. The Kingdom of God is often the life of sanctification which is found in the individual believer. But collectively, as we have seen, the Kingdom of God on earth often refers to the church. Although Calvin urges princes and rulers to submit to the rule of Christ, it is perhaps inconsistent when he does not include 'lq Christian political institutions in his concept of the Kingdom of God. Thus in respect to the city of Geneva, over which he exerted so much influence, Calvin sees the church in that city as a part of Christ's Kingdom, but the city as a whole is not considered to be Christ's Kingdom.

The main purpose of this study is to show that any disconnect between the doctrines of revelation and redemption is unwarranted. Divine communicative action is to enable personal knowledge of God, and this has not only epistemological but also soteriological implications. A survey of Calvin‘s understanding concerning the activity of speech, both human and divine, is undertaken first. The role of Scripture in conveying divine speech is discussed and Calvin‘s concept of accommodation is reviewed. As communication can only function in particular contexts, it is argued that an appropriate context for divine-human communication is provided in the doctrine of the imago Dei. The main contemporary views are considered and a recent major statement of the functional view is summarised and an initial critique offered. Further objections are then raised to the primacy (or exclusivity) of the consensus view. Also the imago is located in the wider framework of biblical theology and Calvin‘s concept of the imago is also examined. The identity of the covenant-making God is considered and this is done with particular reference to the experience and testimony of Israel. The significance of the notions ‗experience‘ and ‗testimony‘ are examined especially in their relation to knowledge. The Exodus texts concerning the ―revelation of the divine name‖ are then analysed, which opens up questions about the identity of YHWH, his action and the links with his speech. Some contemporary thinking on the Epistle to the Hebrews is surveyed and this leads to the conclusion that to ignore the speech of YHWH is to render both his identity and action opaque at the very least. In the context of God‘s ―design plan‖, human beings are made for relationship with him and divine communicative action is necessary to effect that relationship – bringing both revelation and redemption together.