Which Should I get?

[NB3K]

Every year around this time I write a book list to add to the Library.

This year is hard because I am stuck between three sets of works

For 649.99 I can get Luther's Works Vol. 1-30 Which would be really nice because I have just about all of Calvin's works except for his tracts & letters and a couple of books. With this I will have both pillars of the Protestant Reformation in my study.

On the other hand

The Early Church Fathers, 38 Vols. for 249.99
The Works of John Owen, 16 Vols. for 277.99

I can either get the Luther set or the ECF & Owen but not both.

What say ye?

 

[GulfCoast Presbyterian]

Just me, I would get ECF and the good Dr. Owen.

 

[SolaScriptura]

I say: Get whichever one you're most likely to actually read.

 

[DMcFadden]

Being a committed disciple of digital books, I use all three sets on my computer. ECF is free in PDF, e-Sword, and theWord formats and comes in many Bible software packages for free.

However, if you wanted an ink and paper version, I would say John Owen all the way. He is arguably the greatest theologian to have ever written in the English language and it would be a wonderful addition to any library.

 

[py3ak]

You are obviously getting more pages per dollar if you do ECF + Owen.
But not enough people read Luther.
Of course, not enough people read the ECF either.
For that matter, probably not enough people read Owen.

So... which set would look better on your shelves?

 

[Notthemama1984]

Have you read all of Calvin from cover to cover?

If not, how about reading what you already have and giving the money to a missionary organization? I am sure that many organizations would be able to take your $500 and help many families around the holidays.

If you need ideas on who to give to, my cousin is a missionary in Panama that is doing some very good church planting work. You could also talk to Perg. I am sure he would have some ideas.

Ultimately it is up to you on what to buy and I am not saying it is sinful to buy any of the things you listed. I would just challenge you to ask yourself, "Is it better to buy all of these books and have them sit on my shelf for years (highly doubtful you could read through all of those volumes in a year), or is it better to invest my money into the Kingdom of God? Which is better these books or the proclamation of the Gospel to the lost?"

 

[NB3K]

Have you read all of Calvin from cover to cover?

If not, how about reading what you already have and giving the money to a missionary organization? I am sure that many organizations would be able to take your $500 and help many families around the holidays.

If you need ideas on who to give to, my cousin is a missionary in Panama that is doing some very good church planting work. You could also talk to Perg. I am sure he would have some ideas.

Ultimately it is up to you on what to buy and I am not saying it is sinful to buy any of the things you listed. I would just challenge you to ask yourself, "Is it better to buy all of these books and have them sit on my shelf for years (highly doubtful you could read through all of those volumes in a year), or is it better to invest my money into the Kingdom of God? Which is better these books or the proclamation of the Gospel to the lost?"

I am in the process of creating a library for the purpose of ministry. Right now I am a "lay-teacher" I get to preach on Wednesday nights. I have been asked to become a Asst. teacher for Sunday morning SS. I was told that this is the next step to becoming a teaching Elder. Not just that, but I lend out my books to the other Elders of the Church. As of right now I have one elder reading Calvin's Sermons on the Beatitudes. These books are not for show. They are tools. Just like a mason would by a trowel to spread mud. I view these books as tools in the spreading of the Gospel.

I can make a donation to a missionary with money.

I feel teaching the Word of God as also a donation to the mission field.

 

[Notthemama1984]

Have you read all of Calvin from cover to cover?

If not, how about reading what you already have and giving the money to a missionary organization? I am sure that many organizations would be able to take your $500 and help many families around the holidays.

If you need ideas on who to give to, my cousin is a missionary in Panama that is doing some very good church planting work. You could also talk to Perg. I am sure he would have some ideas.

Ultimately it is up to you on what to buy and I am not saying it is sinful to buy any of the things you listed. I would just challenge you to ask yourself, "Is it better to buy all of these books and have them sit on my shelf for years (highly doubtful you could read through all of those volumes in a year), or is it better to invest my money into the Kingdom of God? Which is better these books or the proclamation of the Gospel to the lost?"

I am in the process of creating a library for the purpose of ministry. Right now I am a "lay-teacher" I get to preach on Wednesday nights. I have been asked to become a Asst. teacher for Sunday morning SS. I was told that this is the next step to becoming a teaching Elder. Not just that, but I lend out my books to the other Elders of the Church. As of right now I have one elder reading Calvin's Sermons on the Beatitudes. These books are not for show. They are tools. Just like a mason would by a trowel to spread mud. I view these books as tools in the spreading of the Gospel.

I can make a donation to a missionary with money.

I feel teaching the Word of God as also a donation to the mission field.

I didn't think you were buying them for show.

If you think it is the best use of your money to buy the set, then go for it.

 

[NB3K]

If you think it is the best use of your money to buy the set, then go for it.

No what you said convicted me. I should also donate money to those in the mission field. What you said was correct. And it really made me feel guilty. So therefore I need to find the balance between educaton for my preaching minstry and funding missionaries.

 

[moral necessity]

Luther is my vote, but, you have to remember that Volumes 1-30 contains his lectures on Scripture, not his writings (Volumes 31-55). So, you have to keep in mind that his views progressed over the years as he was weaning himself of his Catholic theology. His earlier lectures are laced with his catholicism, and must be read as such by those you loan the material to. Apparently, his works do not fully display his mature view of justification by faith alone until around 1528.

Blessings!

 

[Dearly Bought]

Don't get ECF, at least not at that price. By browsing CBD's clearance sales and other sources over the last few years, I have picked up 24 of the volumes for about $1 to $2 each. Unless you're really concerned about getting a perfectly matched set in terms of appearance, it's worth it to accumulate them over time. Especially since the text is already so easily accessible for free online.

I recommend getting the Owen set in combination with Thomas Manton's Works.

 

[C. M. Sheffield]

I say Luther merely for pragmatic reasons. You're more likely to have $200+/- in the future than you are to have $600. But regardless, get any of them while you can because with the way things are going with digital vs. print, publishers won't long be able to profitably produce these sets. Our only hope for getting them in the future may be from publishers who are willing to produce them at a loss.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I would just challenge you to ask yourself, "Is it better to buy all of these books and have them sit on my shelf for years (highly doubtful you could read through all of those volumes in a year), or is it better to invest my money into the Kingdom of God? Which is better these books or the proclamation of the Gospel to the lost?"

No what you said convicted me. I should also donate money to those in the mission field. What you said was correct. And it really made me feel guilty. So therefore I need to find the balance between educaton for my preaching minstry and funding missionaries.

Jason,
Sometimes an investment in good books is investing in the Kingdom of God. They are used in helping the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Investing monies in missionaries and or the poor isn't always investing in the Kingdom either. I give a lot of books away that help Pastors and aspiring young men to help build the Kingdom. I buy books and use them for reference whether or not I read them all the way is another story. I know I have a library that will benefit the future generations also. Good books are necessary. Jason, Don't be guilted into thinking they necessarily aren't or that sending money to missionaries necessarily is. Pray about it.

 

[Prufrock]

Ben's (SolaScriptura) advice is very good. And, unless there is a specific reason for which you are quite directly set on these particular volumes, at this stage of your learning it might be better to focus on individual volumes by individual authors, instead of large sets which may contain many volumes you won't find as useful as you begin to discover other things.

Regarding volumes of the apostolic and post-apostolic fathers: If your specific purpose in studying and life is to become a student of Patristic studies, then such a purchase could be a good investment; however, if you're simply looking for the Christian literature which will be the most useful in your Christian walk, purchasing 38 volumes of the fathers may not be the best investment. You could, perhaps, selectively read certain patristic authors and works in which you have an interest online, and if you find yourself strongly drawn to or interested in one, then you might seek to purchase works of that author.

Re: Luther, I think much the above applies here, as well. As Ruben says, Luther is most certainly not read enough, and you will find much edification in his works. But, given the nature, structure and form of his works, one has to ask if $650 and 30+ volumes all at once and without specific goals or purposes is the best plan. Maybe it is. I don't know your goals - it might be to be a Luther scholar.

Owen strikes me as the most sensible of the options for a Reformed believer if you are looking to buy a complete set (though you should take note, the 16 volumes is not his complete works - there is also the volume of his Latin works [and that was translated into English a few years ago] which was left out of that set, and also his 7 volume commentary on Hebrews, which is sold as a different set). You'll find little regret in reading almost any of his works, and he presents solid Reformed teaching on a great many topics (though he does, of course, present a few aberrant views).

If you are truly looking for "sets" or complete works by different authors, there are a few other "complete works" sets of Reformed (puritan) authors which are in almost every way equal (or superior!) to Owen. Sets have been published of Thomas Goodwin (the absolute best of "complete works" sets published, in my opinion!), Thomas Manton (as mentioned above), Thomas Brooks, William Bridge, Richard Sibbes, Thomas Boston and (I believe) a set of William Perkins' works is in the works, though I'm not sure on projected date of publication; in addition, though it's not a complete set, Naphtali press has published a good amount of James Durham's works, which is just as worthy as any of the above mentioned sets.

If you're willing to not require "complete sets," I think you may find purchasing individual volumes may serve your interests even better - though I am a big advocate of picking one author who has written a massively wide variety of types of books (exegetical, homiletical, polemical, topical, systematic, catechetical, etc) on a great many subjects and dealing thoroughly with that author for the duration of your life.

Lastly, I'm sure you are aware, but just in case - there are far more works of Jean Calvin out there than you have, simply for the fact that most haven't yet been translated (and many of them not even published in the Latin or French). So even once you have his Institutes, his sermons, his commentaries, his OT lectures, his tracts and treatises, his discourses, his letters, etc., which have been translated, there is still a massive amount of literature waiting to be translated. Look forward to it!

 

[Bookmeister]

I would get Logos Bible Software and the buy the complete 55 volumes of Luther's works for $175.

Btw, if you buy Scholars Silver or above you would get the ECF set.

 

[MLCOPE2]

I recommend getting the Owen set in combination with Thomas Manton's Works.

I'm going to say

 

[CharlieJ]

Ack. Don't do any of them, unless you absolutely hate reading digitally, even on a Kindle.

Frankly, the ECF set is a waste. You can read them all online. Also, the set is quite dated, both in scholarship and translation. The "Fathers of the Church" or "Ancient Christian Writers" series tend to be better. For Augustine, the New City Press translations are fantastic.

I'm pretty sure you can find the other sets much more cheaply digitally.

 

[Notthemama1984]

Investing monies in missionaries and or the poor isn't always investing in the Kingdom either.

I am sure Perg appreciates that comment.