If you have not done so already, read Calvin's magnum opus-a theological feast-which, if you take it all in, is guaranteed to make you a Calvinist. This renowned work is one of the classics of the Christian church and the best statement of Reformed theology. It consists of four divisions: I. The knowledge of God the Creator, II. The knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ, III. The mode of obtaining the grace of Christ, and IV. The external means or helps by which God allures us into fellowship with Christ, and keeps us in it.
Four Latin editions were published during Calvin's lifetime with the definitive edition issued in 1559. In English we are privileged to have not one, but four translations. First translated by Thomas Norton (1561), then by John Allen (1813) and again by Henry Beveridge (1845-46). A critical modern edition was given to us by Ford L. Battles (1960). Battles' is the scholarly edition while the Beveridge, the most common, can be obtained inexpensively in one-volume (2008, Hendrickson). The first edition (1536) is also available in a Battles translation (1995), and we even have a English rendering of the 1541 French edition (2009).
Numerous attempts have been made to abridge this work with varying success, but it is best to read it intact. For those needing a reading companion, A Theological Guide to Calvin's Institutes edited by David Hall and Peter Lillback (2008) or Battles' Analysis of the Institutes (1980) may fit the bill. But there is one little gem that will help the newbie. A reprint of an old work by R. C. Reed, The Gospel as Taught by Calvin (2009), gets to the heart of Calvin's theology. You might also peruse Robert Reymond's John Calvin: His Life and Influence (2004), J. H. Merele d'Aubigne, Let Christ be Magnified: Calvin's Teaching for Today (2007), or John Piper's John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God (2008).
A plethora of recent Reformed authors unpack Calvin's message in John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology (2008). Joel Beeke's book Living for God's Glory: an Introduction to Calvinism (2008), provides a comprehensive survey of how the Reformer's thought can influence every area of our lives.
Biographies & Letters
To investigate the man himself, pick one of these biographical studies. Beza's sketch was first and begins volume one of Calvin's Tracts and Treatises. The best short bio is Thea Van Halsema's This Was John Calvin (1959), which is also excellent for younger readers. Specially designed for children is the 63-page offering by Simonetta Carr (2008). For the ladies, we commend the novel Idelette (1963), wife of John, written by Edna Gerstner, wife of John. Three small works merit attention: Jean Cadier's The Man God Mastered (1960), E. Stickelberger's John Calvin (1931), and T. H. L. Parker's Portrait of Calvin (1954). A new study by Robert Godrey, John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor (2009), gives insight into Calvin's life and teaching. A different tack is taken by M. van den Berk, who writes portraits of those near to Calvin in Friends of Calvin (2009).
A new release already receiving resounding acclaim is John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life (2009), written by church history professor Herman Selderhuis. Paul Helm calls it a "blast of fresh air" among Calvin biographies.
Earlier works that reflect varying degrees of appreciation and liberal bias are T. H. L. Parker's standard work, John Calvin: A Biography (1975) and William J. Bouwsma's John Calvin: A Sixteenth-Century Portrait (1988). Among the older works in the German Reformed tradition is a translation of Paul Henry's two volumes, Life and Times of Calvin (1849). If you read French, Emile Doumergue's monu-mental seven-volume John Calvin, The Man and His Times (1899-1927) will probably never be surpassed.
We can get up close and personal with our reformer if we take the time to study his letters, such as the small paperback, The Letters of John Calvin (1980, Banner of Truth). Advisor of princes and nobles, counselor of pastors and theologians, comforter of distressed believers, Calvin demonstrates his skill as a pastor of pastors, his insight into people, and his zeal for the kingdom of Christ. About 4,000 letters were collected in the Brunswick edition. About 600 of these were published in English (1855-57). Banner of Truth has released a nicely bound set, which includes these, in Tracts and Letters of John Calvin (2009).
Sermons & Commentaries
No one will fully value Calvin if they have not read his expositions of Scripture. Calvin was eminently a preacher of the Word of God. Two studies by T. H. L. Parker on Calvin's Old and New Testament Commentaries (1986) make this abundantly clear. His work on Calvin's Preaching (1992) is complemented by a recent study from the pen of Steven J. Lawson, The Expository Genius of John Calvin (2007). Herman Selderhuis has given us another study, Calvin's Theology of the Psalms (2007), which explores the heart of his God-centeredness.
Many of Calvin's sermons have been reprinted in facsimile form or in updated English. Banner of Truth is to be commended for providing us with his sermons on Ephesians (1973), Second Samuel (1992), Galatians (1996), Songs of the Nativity (2008, Luke 1-2), Acts of the Apostles (2008), facsimiles of Timothy and Titus (1983), Deuteronomy (1987), and Job (1993). A different set of sermons on Job (1952) includes a succinct essay on Calvin's preaching by Harold Dekker. Other collections include Sermons on the Deity of Christ (1950), Isaiah 53 (1956), The Ten Commandments (1980), Micah (2003), and the Beatitudes (2006). We are indebted to the band of Calvin translators for all they've made available to English readers.
Calvin is reckoned "among the best interpreters of Scripture since the Apostles left the earth" (Bishop Hall) and considered the greatest exegete of the Reformation. His commentaries cover the larger part of the Old Testament and the whole of the New Testament (except Revelation). Older English translations of Calvin's com-mentaries kept in print by Baker, were first produced by the Calvin Translation Society (Edinburgh, 1843-1855). In the 1960s Eerdmans linked up with Scottish publisher Oliver and Boyd to release a new version of the New Testament Commentaries, edited by David and Thomas Torrance, devotees of Karl Barth. Under the editorship of Douglas Kelly and others, similar work on Calvin's Old Testament Commentaries was begun in the 1990s. An updated version of selected commentaries on various Old and New Testament books is the part of the Crossway Classic Commentaries, edited by Alister McGrath and J. I. Packer.
Theological & Polemical Treatises
If you are now ready to dig deeper into Calvin and mine the gems of his profound theology, you will want to obtain the seven-volume set mentioned above, Tracts and Letters of John Calvin (2009, Banner of Truth). This set is a perfect addition to your library of Calvin's commentaries. In its pages you will find Reply to Letter by Cardinal Sadoleto (1539); Against Pighius (1543, on free will); An Inventory of Relics (1543, a satire); The Necessity of Reforming the Church (1544); Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote (1547); Treatise on Scandals (1552, on Protestant divisions); Defense of the Faith Concerning the Sacraments in Answer to Joachim Westphal (1555, against radical Lutheranism).
Calvin's catechetical writings may be his own best introduction to his thought. His Instruction in Faith (1537) was translated by Paul T. Fuhr-mann (1949), while Calvin's first Catechism is treated by I. John Hesselink (1997). Another small outline of the Christian faith, written by Calvin when he was 29, is called Truth For All Times (1998). A reliable translation of The Eternal Predestination of God and A Defence of the Secret Providence of God by Henry Cole appeared under the clever title, Calvin's Calvinism (1856, 1987). A lesser known work entitled The Bondage and Liberation of the Will: A Defense of the Orthodox Doctrine of Human Choice against Pighius was written by Calvin in 1543 (1996). Concerning Scandals received a facelift in the 1978 edition by John W. Fraser and Benjamin Farley translated Treatises Against The Anabaprtists And Against The Libertines (1982).
If you have followed us to this point, you will have some idea where to start in taking your first taste of Calvin or, if you are a seasoned Calvin reader, what new offerings to enjoy in this memorial year.
