Commentaries on the Heidelberg Catechism? Help?

[Travis Fentiman]

I am looking to collect commentaries, sermons, etc. on the Heidelberg Catechism, far and wide.

Please link or reference any that you know of below besides Ursinus, Venderkemp, VanderGroe, Hoeksema & Beeke. English or Latin is great; not Dutch or German.

I am not looking for works giving purely historical background to the Catechism, but for expositions of it. Study Guides and Devotionals are ok.

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

 

[Pilgrim72]

Travis, here are some I found.

"The Heidelberg Catechism" by Rev. G. Van Reenen
"The True Faith" by S.G. De Graaf
"Guilt, Grace and Gratitude" by George W Bethune
"The Good News We Almost Forgot" by Kevin DeYoung
"The Heidelberg Catechism" (Study Guide) by G.I. Williamson

 

[Guido's Brother]

Clarence Stam, Living in the Joy of Faith (sermons)
J. Van Bruggen, Annotations to the Heidelberg Catechism (commentary)
G. Wieske, Glorious Gospel of Grace (sermons)
Kevin DeYoung, The Good News We Almost Forgot (commentary)
Fred Klooster, Our Only Comfort (2 vols.) (commentary)
S.G. DeGraaf, The True Faith (sermons)
G.I. Williamson, The Heidelberg Catechism (commentary)
C. Olevianus, A Firm Foundation (commentary of sorts)
Herman Veldkamp, Children of the Lord's Day (commentary)
William Ames, A Sketch of the Christian's Catechism (commentary)
Starr Meade, Comforting Hearts, Teaching Minds (family devotional)

52 Open Windows, R.H. Bremmer (sermons)
Catechism Sermons by Benne Holwerda
Numerous Heidelberg Catechism resources
Over 600 Heidelberg Catechism sermons (in written form) by various preachers

 

[Travis Fentiman]

Thank you guys! Any more that others may know of will be handy.

 

[Guido's Brother]

Not that it has much value, but For what it's worth: Karl Barth, the Heidelberg Catechism for Today (commentary).

 

[Polanus1561]

Kooster and VanDerGroe gave me a lot of mileage (alongside Ursinus of course) theseed.info has sermons on it as well as.

 

[Claes Jacob Heijndericksz]

Please don't forget Bastingius. He wrote his commentary (as far as I know) by order of one of our synods.

Also as a Dutchman I find it weird to see Van der Kemp, but not Justus Vermeer or to see Holwerda, but not Kuypers E voto Dordraceno. Haven't those been translated?

 

[B.L.]

The Heidelberg Catechism (Sermonic Exposition) by G.H. Kersten published by Netherlands Reformed Book and Publishing

 

[Travis Fentiman]

Thanks everyone. I think I have been able to collect nearly every easily available commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, so far as I know, which is over 40 of them. I will share it on a separate thread on the PB shortly.

 

[Guido's Brother]

Please don't forget Bastingius. He wrote his commentary (as far as I know) by order of one of our synods.

Also as a Dutchman I find it weird to see Van der Kemp, but not Justus Vermeer or to see Holwerda, but not Kuypers E voto Dordraceno. Haven't those been translated?

I've never heard of Justus Vermeer. I have Kuyper (in Dutch) sitting on the shelf next to me, but I don't think it's been translated.

 

[bookslover]

Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude: A Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism by R. Scott Clark; 2 volumes (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press/Logos, forthcoming)

If I had to guess, I'd say that "forthcoming" means next year.

 

[yeutter]

A few off my bookshelf that have not been mentioned.

Four decades ago I found Study Helps on the Heidelberg Catechism by Norman L Jones very helpful. Norman L. Jones was a leading pastor in the Eureka Classis of the Reformed Church. I believe it has been in print in recent years,

I also found An Aid to the Heidelberg Catechism by Rev. Otto Thelemann, translated into English from the Deutsch by Rev. M. Peters helpful. It may be long out of print, but was reprinted in my lifetime.

The 400th Anniversary Edition 1563-1963 The Heidelberg Catechism with Commentary was published United Church Press. This work is a translation by Allen O Miller in collaboration with Mrs. Marie B. Koons of Le Catéchisme de Heidelberg. Un commentaire pour notre temps by Andé Péry. My father said that it reflected the understanding of the Heidelberg held by Oscar Cullmann more than it did that of Barth.

The Christian Entirely the Property of Christ, in Life and Death; Exhibited in Fifty-three Sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism by Johannes VanderKemp translated from Dutch by John M. Harlingen Reformation Heritage Books 1997
Henry J. Kuiper, then editor of The Banner, edited a series of Sermons on the Heidelberg that were published by Zondervan in 1956. The quality of these sermons ranges from very good, to thoughtful, to schmultzy. Titles in this series are
Vol 1 Sermons on Sin and Grace. Lord's Day 1-7 1936
Vo 2 Sermons on the Apostles' Creed. Lord's Day 8-24 1937
Vol 3 Sermons on the Baptism and The Lord's Supper. Lord's Day 25-31 1938
Vol 4 Sermons on the Commandments. Lord's Day 32-44 1951
Vol 5 Sermons on the Lord's Prayer. Lord's Day 45-52 1956

Sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism from the Board of Publications of the Christian Reformed Church in 1970 is a collection of variable quality reading sermons replete with suggested hymns from the Psalter Hymnal.

Question: Has Kohlbrügge's Kleiner Katechismus, oder kurzgefasste Form der Lehre nach dem Heidelberger Katechismus been translated into English? If so, when was it last in print?

 

[yeutter]

Not that it has much value, but For what it's worth: Karl Barth, the Heidelberg Catechism for Today (commentary).

What Wes Bredenhof said, not of much value, but for what it is worth, concerning Barth's Heidelberg also applies to the 400th Anniversary Edition 1563-1963 The Heidelberg Catechism with Commentary that was published by United Church Press.

 

[Travis Fentiman]

Thanks everyone! I added the relevant volumes to the webpage linked on the other PB thread.

 

[py3ak]

Four decades ago I found Study Helps on the Heidelberg Catechism by Norman L Jones very helpful. Norman L. Jones was a leading pastor in the Eureka Classis of the Reformed Church. I believe it has been in print in recent years,

Yes, the RCUS has made sure this stays available:

Study Helps on the Heidelberg Catechism: Jones, Rev. Norman L.: 9781466349100: Amazon.com: Books

Study Helps on the Heidelberg Catechism [Jones, Rev. Norman L.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Study Helps on the Heidelberg Catechism

smile.amazon.com

A Spanish translation is forthcoming.

The only work by Kohlbrugge that I have been able to find in English is some sermons on 1 Peter with a preface by Gardiner Spring.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

Another great work - I don't think it has been mentioned - is VanderGroe's "The Christian's only comfort in life and death". VanderGroe was an esteemed leader in the Dutch Second Reformation and this book has a helpful chapter on this movement. This work is a full commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism including a number of extra chapters on the law of God. Prior to the exposition of the ten commandments there are six chapters on the law of God.

PS. Sorry I just realised VanderGroe was mentioned in the OP. It is a great work though.

 

[student]

I've never heard of Justus Vermeer. I

He was early 1700s, in Rotterdam, I believe. He was never an ordained minister, but served as an elder/exhorter. In his sermons on the Heidelberg, the heart-searching applications are very worthwhile. I'd love to see it made available in English.