A colossal milestone of Christian thought---at an irresistible price! Hendrickson offers a one-volume hardcover edition of one of Western Christianity's foundational works. Newly re-typeset for clarity, this volume translated by Henry Beveridge offers a more affordable edition of one of the last millennium's must-have works. This book will appeal to libraries, seminarians, pastors, and laypeople. Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin is an introduction to the Bible and a vindication of Reformation principles by one of the Reformation's finest scholars.At the age of twenty-six, Calvin published several revisions of his Institutes of the Christian Religion , a seminal work in Christian theology that altered the course of Western history and that is still read by theological students today. It was published in Latin in 1536 and in his native French in 1541, with the definitive editions appearing in 1559 (Latin) and in 1560 (French). The book was written as an introductory textbook on the Protestant faith for those with some learning already and covered a broad range of theological topics from the doctrines of church and sacraments to justification by faith alone. It vigorously attacked the teachings of those Calvin considered unorthodox, particularly Roman Catholicism, to which Calvin says he had been strongly devoted before his conversion to Protestantism. The over-arching theme of the book - and Calvin's greatest theological legacy - is the idea of God's total sovereignty, particularly in salvation and election.
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
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
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.
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