(Post by Wes Bredenhof)
Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation, Volume 1: 1523-1552. Compiled with introductions by James T. Dennison, Jr., Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008. Hardcover, 820 pages, $50.00 USD.
The first striking thing about this volume is its handsome appearance. Reformation Heritage Books pulled out all the stops to produce a hardcover book that outwardly demands respect and careful attention. I hope that the subsequent volumes will be of the same high quality.
Furthermore, the contents rise to the quality of the appearance. James Dennison, professor of Church History and Biblical Theology at Northwest Theological Seminary (Lynnwood, WA), has compiled 33 confessional documents from the early years of the Calvinistic side of the Protestant Reformation. Some of these confessions are appearing here in English for the first time, while others are being republished after some time in obscurity. Dennison has written helpful introductions for each confession, including information on where to find the documents in their original languages.
From these confessions, it becomes apparent that the period in view (1523-1552) was a time of consensus building amongst Reformed churches in Europe. While there was some broad, general agreement on many important matters, there were still many significant points that had yet to be ironed out. So, for instance, most of the confessions included agree that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two sacraments instituted by Christ. However, the Tetrapolitan Confession of 1530 says that these are the “chief sacraments” and the Large Emden Catechism of 1551 says that it “is permissible to enumerate more” sacraments. Like the first editions of the Belgic Confession, some of the confessions continue to use the apocryphal books as references for various points of Christian doctrine. The Bohemian Confession of 1535 is probably a little too cozy with the virgin Mary for later and contemporary Reformed believers and Juan Diaz’s Sum of the Christian Religion (1546) does not seem to grasp the weight of Ephesians 2:1 when it says that unbelievers should acknowledge themselves as being sick, “as though we were almost dead” (523).
This volume will prove to be indispensable for anyone who has an interest in the development of confessional Reformed theology in the 16th century. The editing is well done, the introductions are helpful, the production quality is high and the selections are both thoughtful and thought provoking. Volume 1 definitely whets one’s appetite for more!
