Wednesday, December 03, 2008

The Writings of John Calvin

When I was at ETS I bought a copy of this expanded edition of Wulfert De Greef's book, The Writings of John Calvin: An Introductory Guide, translated from the Dutch by Lyle Bierma.

What pushed me over the edge to buy the book was the nature of a couple of the endorsements on the back. For example, Richard Muller says that this book "stands as a first, best resource for beginning students and established scholars alike."

And John Thompson, Professor of Historical Theology and Reformed Theology at Fuller, says:
This handbook is one of those very few books of which I keep copies both at my office and at home, for it wonderfully concentrates and organizes an abundance of pertinent information. By placing each of Calvin's writings in its historical setting and linking it to his other contemporary writings, controversies, and activities, de Greef encourages students to read Calvin firmly in his sixteenth-century context. I have come to regard The Writings of John Calvin as an essential took--often, the starting place--for any inquiry into the life, writings, and theology of John Calvin.