Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book First

by John Calvin, Henry Beveridge (Translator), Jonathan Feaster (Preface)

In this new edition, Henry Beveridge’s classic translation of John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion has been thoughtfully updated for the modern reader and combined into a single accessible volume.John Calvin’s magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion, is a seminal work of brilliance of the Protestant Reformation. While it was written as a theological introduction to the Protestant faith, Calvin faithfully argues with great incisiveness for the majesty and total sovereignty of God as revealed in Holy Scripture.It was first published in Latin in 1536 and in the author’s native French in 1541. Henry Beveridge’s translation of the Institutes has been long considered a classic and it preserves the remarkable accessibility of Calvin’s work. The influence of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion on the Church and the western world is unmeasurable as it is still studied by many today.

Genres: Theology

260 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2021

About the author

French-Swiss theologian John Calvin broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1533 and as Protestant set forth his tenets, known today, in Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536).

The religious doctrines of John Calvin emphasize the omnipotence of God, whose grace alone saves the elect.

* Jehan Cauvin
* Iohannes Calvinus (Latin)
* Jean Calvin (French)

Originally trained as a humanist lawyer around 1530, he went on to serve as a principal figure in the Reformation. He developed the system later called Calvinism.

After tensions provoked a violent uprising, Calvin fled to Basel and published the first edition of his seminal work. In that year of 1536, William Farel invited Calvin to help reform in Geneva. The city council resisted the implementation of ideas of Calvin and Farel and expelled both men. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg as the minister of refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and people eventually invited him back to lead. Following return, he introduced new forms of government and liturgy. Following an influx of supportive refugees, new elections to the city council forced out opponents of Calvin. Calvin spent his final years, promoting the Reformation in Geneva and throughout Europe.

Calvin tirelessly wrote polemics and apologia. He also exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition, he wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible as well as treatises and confessional documents and regularly gave sermons throughout the week in Geneva. The Augustinian tradition influenced and led Calvin to expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation.

Calvin's writing and preaching provided the seeds for the branch of Protestantism that bears his name. His views live on chiefly in Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, which have spread throughout the world. Calvin's thought exerted considerable influence over major figures and entire movements, such as Puritanism, and some scholars argue that his ideas contributed to the rise of capitalism, individualism, and representative democracy in the west.

Reviews

[John Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The missing star is because I don’t think this is the most reader friendly translation (plus it being in four installments). Content is solid though.

[Ethan Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I thought it would be like. Calvin is just so Calvin. Reading him is like walking through an arid daisy field. The sections over providence/sovereignty and the Holy Trinity were phenomenal. This also made me realize how behind I am, considering his age in writing this.

Overall, it was a great read, and I hope to finish the rest.

[Stewart Lindstrom]

Of the Knowledge of God, the Creator

"Each of us is cared for, not by one angel merely, but that all with one consent watch for our safety."

"The devil was created by God, and we must remember this malice...is not from creation but from depravation."

"The Lord Himself, by the very order of creation, has demonstrated he created all things for the sake of man."

"God having not only deigned to animate a vessel of clay, but to make it the habilitation of an immortal spirit, Adam might well glory in the liberality of his Maker."

"We have ideas of rectitude, justice, and honesty, ideas which the bodily senses cannot reach. The seat of these ideas must therefore be a spirit."

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Calvin’s Institutes on audiobook. It took somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 hours over two months. Calvin was brilliant. It’s easy to see the influence he has had on theological thought and verbiage. Some theological disagreements aside, this is on the elite list of most important books ever written. He shellacked Catholic dogma.

[Ben Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

(McNeil & Battles edition instead of Beveridge)