Chapter Lavoro, vocazione, condivisione: itinerari nel calvinismo

Abstract

This chapter focuses on John Calvin as well as Johannes Althusius. First of all the chapter will analyse how, in Calvin’s theology, work is not any longer conceived as the punishment for Original Sin. On the contrary, work is politically relevant: exercising one’s vocation is a way to construct social bonds based upon solidarity and responsibility, as well as a way to structure one’s self. In the same perspective, Althusius’ Politica Methodice Digesta will also be taken into consideration, focusing upon the role of collegia in constructing the social fabric of the Consociatio Symbiotica. The theme of leisure, virtually absent in Althusius’ Politica, is instead quite relevant in Calvin. The chapter will show how the Reformer considered leisure almost as a duty: a time of silence where God’s vice could be heard.