Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1536 Edition

By Jean Calvin, John Calvin, John Allen, et al.

Book Overview

John Calvin was just twenty-seven years old when the first edition of his Institutes was published in Basel in 1536. Building on the work of Erasmus and Luther, Calvin wrote with brilliance and passion of the many ways the church and its theology had been "deformed," and he presented a case for restoring the church and theology to its pristine purity. Calvin's "little book" -- as he affectionately called it -- grew in size through the rest of his life; eventually, this early, shorter version evolved into what is now known as the Institutes, the 1559 edition, which Calvin considered the authoritative form of his thought for posterity.

Noted Calvin scholar Ford Lewis Battles translated the 1536 Institutes in 1975, after completing his masterful translation of the 1559 Institutes. This revised edition of Battles' translation is now being published in recognition of the four- hundred-fiftieth anniversary of the original publication of the 1536 Institutes.

Intended both for readers who wish to gain a better understanding of this earliest expression of Calvin's theology and for scholars who may wish to pursue further research, this edition contains extensive notes and references. The book's four appendices include a new translation of Calvin's Preface to Oliv tan's Bible (1535); the five indices include an index of biblical references and a comparative table of the 1536 and 1559 Institutes. The numerous citations in the endnotes from the writings of Calvin's predecessors and contemporaries illuminate the significance of the text in its historical context.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802841678
• ISBN13: 9780802841674
• Release Date: August 1995
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 456 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Misleading advertising

The copy I bought was shown as a single volume book, but I was sent volume 2/2 of a very old copy of this book. It was disappointing because this print is so old I can’t buy a matching volume 1, and it’s not very helpful if it’s only the second half :/

Shepherd's Guide to Calvin

Shepherd's Notes on Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a condensed summary of John Calvin's two volume work. For a layman who may not have the time nor the inclination to purchase and enjoy the theolocical logic of John Calvin and his musings on the depths of Almighty God's magnificent designs for mankind this is a "godsend" if you will excuse the pun. One doctrine that comes across loud and clear is the total depravity of man which in relief shows the awesome character and love God has for his creatures. Ron Houser

Readable, understandable -- almost devotional

There's so much here, it's difficult to write a review of it. Perhaps my main recommendation of this book is that it presents such a clear, organized outline of the "basics" of the Christian faith. Regardless of one's position on the man or his theology, one cannot escape the fact that this man's faith was obviously vital to him, and he passionately describes his beliefs in these volumes.Reading Calvin's Institutes was, for me, quite valuable in finally being able to separate John Calvin and his theology from later "Calvinism" that followed, including some of its excesses. I found John Calvin's Institutes to be a balanced, easily understood outline of biblical Christianity. My final commendation would address the organization of the work. The fact that Calvin has provided the reader with a clear outline and direction in his writing, and addressed each point of his outline in concise, manageable units makes the reading of this immense work much more approachable; the brief readings on each topic, with the saturation of biblical references throughout, makes the reading of the Institutes almost a devotional experience.