Commentaries on the Heidelberg Catechism

[Mayflower]

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

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism is par excellence.

 

[R. Scott Clark]

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

 

[Mayflower]

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

 

[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.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

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.

 

[toddpedlar]

Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot

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.

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

Todd

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by toddpedlar

Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot

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.

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

Todd

You're welcome, Todd!

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

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 Doctrinæ orthodoxæ, 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), Stähelin (1724), and van Alpen (1800). See a fuller list by Harbaugh in 'Mercersb. Rev.' for 1860, pp. 601"“625, and in Bethune's Lectures.

Of more recent works we name"”

Karl Sudhoff: Theologisches Handbuch zur Auslesung des Heidelberger Catechismus. Francf. a M. 1862.

Geo. W. Bethune (D.D., and minister of the Ref. Dutch Ch., N.Y.; d. 1862): Expository Lectures on the Heidelb. Catech. N. York, 1864, 2 vols., with an alphabet. list of works by Van Nest at close of Vol. II.

Hermann Dalton (Ger. Ref. minister at St. Petersb.): Immanuel. Der Heidelberger Katechismus als Bekenntniss- und Erbauungsbuch der evangel. Kirche erklärt und an´s Herz gelegt. Wiesbaden, 1870 (pp. 539).

III. Historical Works on the Catechism.

H. Alting (Prof. of Theology at Heidelberg and Gröningen, d. 1644): Historia Ecclesiæ Patatinæ. Frankf. a. M. 1701.

B. G. Struve: Pfälzische Kirchenhistorie. Frankf. 1721, Ch. V. sqq.

D. L. Wundt: Grundriss der pfälzischen Kirchengeschichte bis zum Jahr 1742. Heidelb. 1798.

Jaques Lenfant: L´innocence du Catéchisme de Heidelberg. Heidelb. 1688 (1723).

J. Chr. Köcher: Katechetische Geschichte der Reformirten Kirche, sonderlich der Schicksale des Heidelberger Katechismi. Jena, 1766, pp. 237"“444.

G. J. Planck: Geschichte der protestantischen Theologie von Luther´s Tode, etc. Vol. II. Part II. pp. 475"“491. (This is Vol. V. of his great work on the Geschichte der Entstehung, etc., unseres protestant. Lehrbegriffs.)

Heinr. Simon van Alpen; Geschichte u. Literatur des Heidelb. Katechismus. Frankf. a. M. 1800. Vol. III. Part II. (The first two volumes and the first part of the third volume of this catechetical work contain explanations and observations on the Catechism, which are, however, semi-rationalistic.)

Joh. Chr. W. Augusti: Versuch einer hist.-kritischen Einleitung in die beiden Haupt-Katechismen (the Luth. and Heidelb.) der evangelischen Kirche. Elberfeld, 1824, pp. 96 sqq.

Rienäcker: Article on the Heidelb. Catechism in Ersch und Gruber, Allgem. Encyklop. Sect. II. Part IV. pp. 386 sqq.

Ludwig Häusser: Geschichte der Rhein-Pfalz. Heidelb. 1845. Vol. II.

D. Seisen: Geschichte der Reformation zu Heidelberg, von ihren ersten Anfängen bis zur Abfassung des Heidelb. Katechismus. Eine Denkschrift zur dreihundertjährigen Jubelfeier daselbst am 3. Jan. 1846. Heidelb. 1846.

Aug.. Ebrard: Das Dogma vom heil. Abendmahl und seine Geschichte. F. a. M. 1846. Vol. II. pp. 575 sqq.

K. Fr. Vierordt: Geschichte der Reformation im Grossherzogthum Baden. Nach grossentheils handschriftlichen Quellen. Karlsruhe, 1847.

John W. Nevin: History and Genius of the Heidelberg Catechism. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1847. (The best work on the Catechism in English.) Comp. Dr. Nevin's able Introduction to the triglot tercentenary edition of the H. C. New York, 1863, pp. 11"“127.

Karl Sudhoff: C. Olevianus und Z. Ursinus. Leben und ausgewählte Schriften. Elberfeld, 1857.

G. D. J. Schotel: History of the Origin, Introduction, and Fortunes of the Heidelberg Catechism (in Dutch). Amsterdam, 1863.

Several valuable essays on the Heidelberg Catechism, by Plitt, Sack, and Ullmann, in the Studien und Kritiken for 1863, and by Wolters and Trechsel, ibid, for 1867.

Tercentenary Monument. In Commemoration of the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism. Published by the German Reformed Church of the United States of North America, in 531English and German. The German ed. by Dr. Schaff, with an historical introduction. Chambersburg and Philadelphia, Pa. 1863. This work contains about twenty essays, by European and American theologians, on the history and theology of the Heidelberg Catechism.

J. I. DÅ“des (Prof. at Utrecht): De Heidelbergsche Catechismus in zijne eerste Levensjaren 1563"“1567. Historische en Bibliografische Nalezing met 26 Facsimiles. Utrecht, 1867 (pp. 154). Very valuable for the early literary history of the H. C., with fac-similes of the first German, Latin, and Dutch editions.