Heidelberg exposition advice sought

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ccravens

Puritan Board Freshman
Hello,

I am interested in purchasing an exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism, and have narrowed it down to these two:

*The Chritians Only Comfort - VanderGroe
*Triple Knowledge Commentary On Heidelberg Catechism - Hoeksema

I'd love to get opinions and advice about each, and the differences between the two. I can't get both at the moment; VanderGroe would be cheaper. The uses would be mainly for my own study and edification, not for teaching to an audience or preaching (I am not a preacher). A combination of both exposition and devotional in nature would be great. Also, I assume that each would have the actual catechism word-for-word within the volumes. If not, I'm not as interested.

Thanks in advance!
 
Van Der Groe has the wonderful ability to weave in biblical narratives to color the exposition of the catechism.
 
Here is a review of VanderGroe by Dr. Ryan McGraw. He is largely positive but has some helpful criticism. I just purchased a used copy of Hoeksema but have not used it enough to give you any review.
 
In MAJT v24 (2013), J Mark Beach provides an annotated bibliography of Heidelberg Commentaries.

His comment on Hoeksema are that "[he] is at heart a preacher, which becomes evident in these volumes. Readers will discover that these books are often useful, but at various points the distinctive theology characteristic of the Proestant Reformed churches comes to expression.

Regarding Van Der Groe, he comments that "these volumes offer insights that will help pastors write sermons. The Scripture texts that head each chapter provide food for thought as well."

 
Per Jerrod's ping.

I have found Ursinus to be the best starting place for understanding the intention of the catechism. Vanderkemp and Vandergroe are both helpful for warm and rich application and development of themes. Bethune is solid and sticks very closely to the text of the catechism without much development of themes. Kersten can't be consulted without profit. William Ames helpful for getting the big picture in a concise way. Williamson is helpful for bringing it up to date. Beeke is without rival as an example of how to preach the catechism.
 
As someone who preaches regularly through the Catechism, I have a large collection of commentaries.
Wes, have you used 'The Christian's Only Comfort in Life and Death: An Exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism' (VanderGroe) mentioned above? I have it and have intended reading it sometime. If you have used it I would be interested in your thoughts on how it compares with other resources on the Heidelberg Catechism.
 
A few other resources:

This website brings together a host of commentary, articles, and sermons on each Lord's Day: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/

You can find well over 600 sermon manuscripts on the Catechism here: https://theseed.info/index.php

As someone who preaches regularly through the Catechism, I have a large collection of commentaries. My go-to commentary is the two-volume Our Only Comfort by Fred Klooster.

The first website you listed is the one I go to first when doing research on the various Lord's Days.
 
Wes, have you used 'The Christian's Only Comfort in Life and Death: An Exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism' (VanderGroe) mentioned above? I have it and have intended reading it sometime. If you have used it I would be interested in your thoughts on how it compares with other resources on the Heidelberg Catechism.
That's one I don't have, unfortunately. After a while, most of them say much the same thing. I like Klooster because he has a good grasp on the historical context in which the Catechism was originally written.
 
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