# Commentaries on the Heidelberg Catechism



## Mayflower (Dec 31, 2005)

Which would you recommend beside G.I. Williamson & Hoekstra on the HC ?


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Dec 31, 2005)

Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism is _par excellence_.


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## R. Scott Clark (Dec 31, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Mayflower_
> Which would you recommend beside G.I. Williamson & Hoekstra on the HC ?



Andrew is correct. 

Read Ursinus' commentary before anything else. After all, he wrote about 60% of the HC and was the authorized expositor of the HC.

See also Caspar Olevian, _Firm Foundation_ (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995) as a very useful guide. CO was the other major author/editor of the HC.

Frankly, after these, most modern commentaries leave me cold. There are a couple of places where GIW (a venerable OPC pastor) simply contradicts the HC. 

When you say Hoekstra, do you mean Hoeksema's Triple Knowledge?

If so, beware his strong animus against certain aspects of classical Reformed theology, namely the well-meant offer, the distinction between divine and human knowledge, and against the covenants of redemption and works, all of which were foundational to Reformed orthodoxy. Hoeksema must be judged a modern, idiosyncratic commentator.

rsc


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## Mayflower (Dec 31, 2005)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism is _par excellence_.



Iam sorry i forget to write him also , i have his commentary which is


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## toddpedlar (Dec 31, 2005)

There's also a very recent work by Bierma, entitled "Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism", published by Baker this year. It includes several articles by various authors on the HC, and also (and this is one of the main things that attracted me to it) English translations of Ursinus's Smaller and Larger Catechisms, which are basically otherwise only available in the Latin. It also comes to mind that there is a book on Olevianus and his covenant views, "German Calvinism in the Confessional Age: The Covenant Theology of Caspar Olevianus", published a few years ago by Baker, that I really found useful.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Dec 31, 2005)

> _Originally posted by toddpedlar_
> There's also a very recent work by Bierma, entitled "Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism", published by Baker this year. It includes several articles by various authors on the HC, and also (and this is one of the main things that attracted me to it) English translations of Ursinus's Smaller and Larger Catechisms, which are basically otherwise only available in the Latin. It also comes to mind that there is a book on Olevianus and his covenant views, "German Calvinism in the Confessional Age: The Covenant Theology of Caspar Olevianus", published a few years ago by Baker, that I really found useful.



See this previous thread concerning Bierma's book, and see Ursinus' Large and Small Catechisms in English here.


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## toddpedlar (Jan 1, 2006)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by toddpedlar_
> ...



Ah, thanks Andrew. I think I had this link before - it's nice because it puts all three side-by-side(-by-side)... 

Todd


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jan 1, 2006)

> _Originally posted by toddpedlar_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> ...



You're welcome, Todd!


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jan 2, 2006)

From Schaff's _Creeds of Christendom_:



> II. Commentaries.
> 
> The commentaries and sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism are exceedingly numerous, especially in the German and Dutch languages. The first and most valuable is from the chief author, Zach. Ursinus: Corpus DoctrinÃ¦ orthodoxÃ¦, or Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, ed. by his pupil, David Pareus, and repeatedly published at Heidelberg and elsewhere"”1591, 1618, etc."”in Latin, German, Dutch, and English. An American edition, on the basis of the English translation of Bishop Dr. H. Parry, was issued by Dr. Williard (President of Heidelberg College, Tiffin, O.), Columbus, O. 1850. Other standard commentaries are by Coccejus (1671), d´Outrein (1719), Lampe (1721), StÃ¤helin (1724), and van Alpen (1800). See a fuller list by Harbaugh in 'Mercersb. Rev.' for 1860, pp. 601"“625, and in Bethune's Lectures.
> 
> ...


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