Syc, that was St. Michael, the Archangel, who banished Satan from Heaven. St. Matthew was one of the apostles, and writer of one of the books of the New Testament. I'm not sure if he ever met Satan.
You're right about Calvin's theological writings on
Predestination and Free Will, which
John Calvin considered reconcilable.
Quote:
When the will of a natural man is said to be subject to the power of the devil, so as to be directed by it, the meaning is, not that it resists and is compelled to a reluctant submission, as masters compel slaves to an unwilling performance of their commands; but that, being fascinated by the fallacies of Satan, it necessarily submits itself to all his directions. For those whom the Lord does not favor with the government of His Spirit, He abandons in righteous judgment to the influence of Satan. . . .
When we attribute foreknowledge to God, we mean that all things have ever been, and perpetually remain, before His eyes, so that to His knowledge nothing is future or past, but all things are present: and present in such a manner that He does not merely conceive of them from ideas formed in His mind, as things remembered by us appear present to our minds, but really beholds and sees them as if actually placed before Him. And this foreknowledge extends to the whole world and to all the creatures. Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which He hath determined in Himself what He would have to become of every individual of mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny; but eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others.
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I think Predesdination and Free Will is what henry fitch is trying to reconcile. These are not so much denominational differences, as theological doctrines, or as dhamsaic would say, made-up stories to rationalize pre-existing beliefs.
