(Posted by Wes Bredenhof)
Sketch of the Christian’s Catechism, William Ames (trans. Todd M. Rester), Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008. Hardcover, 253 pages, $40.00 USD.
William Ames (1576-1633) was a unique figure in Reformed church history. His name betrays the fact that he was born in England and he spent over half of his life living and working there. However, in 1610 he went across the North Sea to the Netherlands and there he lived out the rest of his days. Ames had been a professor at Cambridge University, but the political and ecclesiastical climate was not favourable for Puritans such as himself. Having served as a chaplain for English military forces at the Hague, as well as pastoring a small congregation, Ames was eventually appointed to be a professor of theology at Franeker, Friesland. His years there were fruitful and resulted in the publication of numerous works, including this book based on the Heidelberg Catechism. Ames was unique because he was a bridge-figure; a bridge between the Reformed faith in England and in the Netherlands.
This volume, originally written in Latin, does justice to this status and his unique place in our history. In Ames’ Sketch of the Christian’s Catechism, we see the catholicity of the faith, for here we have an English Puritan, serving at a Dutch university, working with a German Catechism. If nothing else, this book is a powerful witness to the existence of the sort of international Calvinism that was also manifested at the Synod of Dort, 1618-1619 – where Ames served as chief theological advisor and secretary to the chairman, Johannes Bogerman.
But there is a lot more to be said for this book. For instance, it illustrates two particular pedagogical methods. First, Ames was an ardent Ramist. Petrus Ramus (1515-1572) was a philosopher who wanted to correct some of the overly theoretical emphases in the Reformed theology of his day. Ames followed Ramus in placing more emphasis on the union between creeds and deeds. Like other Puritans, Ames had a holistic view of life and theology and that perspective comes out with clarity in this work.
Second, A Sketch of the Christian’s Catechism is not properly a commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. Readers expecting a commentary will be disappointed. There are essentially two schools when it comes to preaching and teaching the Catechism. The one says that the Catechism is a faithful summary of the Bible, so the Catechism itself can be preached and taught. The other says that only the Bible should be preached and taught. Preaching and teaching the Catechism gives the impression that the Catechism is above Scripture. Ames was of this latter school. Consequently, this volume is divided according to the 52 Lord’s Days of the Catechism, but for each one Ames takes a Scripture text and his exposition is based on that text. Now it should be said that this method is not totally air-tight because Ames does from time to time explicitly mention and work with the Catechism – in fact, where an earlier English translation had excised these references, this edition restores them.
The translation was done by Todd Rester, currently a Ph.D. student at Calvin Seminary and an expert Latinist. The translation is well done and features many helpful notes throughout. An appendix features an interesting study of the original Scripture texts used by Ames. A selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indices round out the volume and enhance its usefulness. It should also be noted that this is Volume 1 in a new series, Classic Reformed Theology. If the other volumes will be of the same high quality, we have much to look forward to!
A Sketch of the Christian’s Catechism was originally written for seminary students and rural pastors. Today, seminary students, pastors and especially historical theologians are likely to be the ones who will have the greatest appreciation for this book. Personally, I have used Ames in preparing my own catechism sermons and have found much of value in his unique perspective. However, others with an acute interest in Reformed theology will likely also enjoy it and be challenged by it. It was said that William Ames’ goal was to “make Dutchmen into Puritans” (xx). He thought the Dutch were too abstract and theoretical in their appropriation of the faith. This book is an excellent illustration of how one Puritan tried to teach the wedding of theological precision with devout piety.
