Reformation Day Commentary Collection (19 vols.)

by John Calvin; Charles Bingham; James N. Anderson; William Pringle

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3 more

Publishers:

Faithlife; Westminster; Lutheran Publication Society; T. Bensley

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1 more

, 1826–2010

Overview

The leading lights of the Reformation were known for their love of the Bible, and left behind many commentaries that sought to unearth the meaning of the text for their readers. Renewed interest in the original languages of the Bible combined with a suspicion of the allegorizing by the Scholastics led the Reformers to promote the historical-critical reading of Scripture. Bringing together commentaries by John Calvin and Martin Luther, this collection contains some of the most beloved commentaries ever written.

Key Features

• Contains key commentaries by Reformation leaders
• Provides historical-critical analysis of the biblical text
• Offers a window into the history of the Reformation

Product Details

• Title: Reformation Day Commentary Collection
• Volumes: 19
• Pages: 9,382
• Resource Type: Commentaries

Henry Cole’s Select Works of Martin Luther (4 vols.)

• Author: Martin Luther
• Translator: Henry Cole
• Publisher: T. Bensley
• Publication Date: 1826
• Volumes: 4
• Pages: 2,285

Martin Luther is one of the great giants of church history. By translating the Bible into the vernacular he enabled the common man to examine the Scriptures. Luther was such a prolific writer that few Christians today have read all of his works. Henry Cole’s Select Works of Martin Luther brings together a selection of some of Luther’s most significant writings. This multi-volume set includes sermons and commentary carefully arranged by translator Henry Cole to make Luther’s work more accessible. This collection serves as an introduction to the writings of one of the Reformation’s most influential leaders. Gain exegetical and theological insights for academic research, personal Bible study, or sermon preparation.

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation and one of the most significant figures in Western history. Over the course of his life, he was a monk, a priest, a professor of biblical literature, a Reformer, a husband, and a father.

Luther is most noted for his 95 Theses (1517), in which he argues that indulgences are not acts of penance which can replace true repentance. In 1520, Pope Leo X and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V demanded that Luther retract all of his writings. Luther refused. He was subsequently excommunicated and declared an outlaw.

Luther has been both praised and vilified for what he preached and wrote. His translation of the Christian Bible into the vernacular greatly influenced the church. His works continue to impact all Christians and animate the movement that bears his name. His works are also represented in Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings and the Luther’s Works collection.

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Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount

• Author: Martin Luther
• Translator: Charles A. Hay
• Publisher: Lutheran Publication Society
• Publication Date: 1892
• Pages: 506

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Martin Luther was never shy about calling out what he believed to be the excesses, heresies, and depravity of his tempestuous era. In these sermons on Matthew 5–7, he interprets Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in light of the theological disputes of his day. Luther’s take on Jesus’ most famous sermon has become one of the most influential approaches in Christian history, emphasizing a strong dichotomy between the Gospel and the Law—a view heavily influenced by his sharp disagreements with the Catholic Church.

Charles A. Hay was a nineteenth-century translator of theological works.

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Calvin: Commentaries

• Author: John Calvin
• Editor: Joseph Haroutunian
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Publication Date: 1958
• Pages: 414

This volume, demonstrating the main elements of Calvin’s doctrine as they appear in his many commentaries on the books of the Old and New Testaments, speaks with singular power to the ordinary reader today. Included are more than two hundred selections under headings ranging from the Bible, knowledge of God, and Jesus Christ to the Christian life, election and predestination, and the church. Introductory selections from Calvin’s own writings also are provided. The editor’s general introduction tells how the commentaries came to be.

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The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude: Preached and Explained

• Author: Martin Luther
• Editor: E.H. Gillett
• Publisher: Anson D.F. Randolph & Company
• Publication Date: 1859
• Pages: 336

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This first English edition of Martin Luther’s lectures on the epistles of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude provides an exegetical examination of the Greek text with theological application. The translator, E.H. Gillett, notes that his translation of Luther is literal but clear and preserves “the clearness of [Luther’s] exposition” and the “stinging force of its rebukes.” Drawing on the Petrine epistles and Jude, the commentary elucidates the distinction between faith and works, while also allowing, states Gillett, “the subjects presented in the text afford full opportunity for discussing the great questions that concern the relative duties of civil and social life.”

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Commentary on the Book of Psalms (5 Vols.)

• Author: John Calvin
• Translator: James Anderson
• Publisher: Calvin Translation Society
• Pages: 2,587

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Calvin’s Commentaries are, in the words of Philip Schaff, one of the few exegetical works that have outlived their generation. Calvin preached and wrote prolifically on the Bible. His commentaries display a rare combination of exegetical insight, pastoral concern, and theological depth which have inspired generations of Christians.

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Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke (3 Vols.)

• Author: John Calvin
• Translator: William Pringle
• Publisher: Calvin Translation Society
• Pages: 1,381

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Calvin’s Commentaries are, in the words of Philip Schaff, one of the few exegetical works that have outlived their generation. Calvin preached and wrote prolifically on the Bible. His commentaries display a rare combination of exegetical insight, pastoral concern, and theological depth which have inspired generations of Christians.

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Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses (4 Vols.)

• Author: John Calvin
• Translator: Charles William Bingham
• Publisher: Calvin Translation Society
• Pages: 1,873

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Calvin’s Commentaries are, in the words of Philip Schaff, one of the few exegetical works that have outlived their generation. Calvin preached and wrote prolifically on the Bible. His commentaries display a rare combination of exegetical insight, pastoral concern, and theological depth which have inspired generations of Christians.

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About the Authors

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation and one of the most significant figures in Western history. Over the course of his life, he was a monk, a priest, a professor of biblical literature, a Reformer, a husband, and a father.

Luther is most noted for his 95 Theses (1517), in which he argues that indulgences are not acts of penance which can replace true repentance. In 1520, Pope Leo X and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V demanded that Luther retract all of his writings. Luther refused. He was subsequently excommunicated and declared an outlaw.

Luther has been both praised and vilified for what he preached and wrote. His translation of the Christian Bible into the vernacular greatly influenced the church. His works continue to impact all Christians and animate the movement that bears his name. His works are also represented in Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings and the Luther’s Works collection.

John Calvin was a theologian, pastor, biblical exegete, and tireless apologist for Reformed Christianity, and ranks among the most important thinkers in church history. His theological works, biblical commentaries, tracts, treatises, sermons, and letters helped establish the Reformation as a legitimate and thriving religious movement throughout Europe. No theologian has been as acclaimed or assailed as much as Calvin. Calvinism has spawned movements and sparked controversy throughout the centuries. Wars have been fought both to defend and destroy it, and its later proponents began political and theological revolutions in Western Europe and America. The breadth and depth of the engagement with his works since they first appeared four centuries ago—and their continuous publication since then—testifies to Calvin’s importance and lasting value for the church today. Thinking Christians from the twenty-first century who ignore Calvin’s writings do so at their own peril.

John Calvin was born on July 10, 1509 in Noyan, in France. He began his work in the church at the age of twelve, intending—at the request of his father—to train for the priesthood. Calvin attended the Collège de la Marche in Paris, before studying law at the University of Orléans in 1526 and continuing his studies at the University of Bourges. In 1532, Calvin’s first published work appeared: a commentary on Seneca's De Clementia.

On year later, he befriended Nicolas Cop, the rector of the Collège Royal in Paris. This friendship resulted in trouble for Calvin when Cop was branded a heretic after calling for reform in the Catholic Church. Cop fled to Basel, and Calvin was forced from Paris. The controversy expanded when, on the evening of October 18, 1534, anonymous attacks against the Mass were posted on public buildings, fueling the violence in the city. Calvin left France for Basel in January. The controversy, and the trouble it caused Calvin, disciplined him in his writing project, and he began working on the first edition of The Institutes of the Christian Religion, which appeared in 1536.

In June, 1536, Calvin returned to Paris as the violence subsided, but was expelled again in August of 1536. He left for Strasbourg, but was forced to Geneva instead, where he stayed at the request of William Farel. He became a reader in the church in 1537. In late 1537, Calvin fled Geneva after a controversy surrounding the Eucharist. He traveled to Basel before accepting a position at the church in Strasbourg. There, Calvin continued working on both the second edition of the Institutes and his Commentary on Romans. At the urging of his friends, Calvin married Idelette de Bure. He returned to Geneva in 1541.

Upon his arrival to Geneva, Calvin began writing prolifically. He continued his revisions to the Institutes, preached weekly, taught the Bible during the week, and delivered lectures on theology. Calvin also continued work on his New Testament commentaries.

His return to Geneva was not without controversy, however. He faced opposition from the libertines, who, in 1552, compromised his authority and nearly succeeded in banishing him from Geneva a second time. His greatest threat, however, came from his theological antagonist, Servetus. The frequent letters between Calvin and Servetus contain elements of their tenuous relationship, which were exacerbated when Servetus visited Geneva against Calvin’s orders, publicly denied the Trinity, and disgraced the church. He was condemned for heresy and executed.

By 1553, Calvin was praised for his work in uniting Geneva and securing the future of the Reformation. The church housed refugees from England—among them John Knox—who brought the Reformed faith to England. Calvin also sent more than 100 Reformed missionaries to France, and frequently corresponded with both political leaders and second generation Reformers throughout Europe. He also founded a school in Geneva, and Theodore Beza became its first rector. Calvin’s influence quickly expanded beyond the vicinity of Geneva.

During the 1550s, Calvin’s health began to decline, prompting him to undertake a final revision and expansion of The Institutes of the Christian Religion. It was published in 1559, and was immediately reprinted and translated throughout Europe. Calvin became ill in early 1564, and preached his last sermon on February 6 of that same year. His health worsened throughout the spring, and he died on May 27. Thousands flocked to view his body, forcing the council in Geneva to bury him in an unmarked grave.