Institutes of the Christian Religion

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Institutio Christianae religionis · Institutes

John Calvin · 1536; definitive edition 1559 · Latin

Cornerstone

Theology & doctrine

Protestant

Reformed

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What it is

Calvin's systematic presentation of Protestant theology. It grew from a six-chapter handbook in 1536 into four books in the final 1559 edition, loosely following the Apostles' Creed: God the Creator, God the Redeemer in Christ, how we receive the grace of Christ, and the church and sacraments.

Why it matters

The most influential systematic theology of the Reformation. It gave the Reformed tradition its doctrinal shape and influenced churches from Geneva to Scotland, the Netherlands, and New England.

Reading it

About 1,500 pages.

Influenced by4

Built on
Apostles' Creed · Anonymous · Old Roman baptismal creed 3rd–4th c.; final form late 6th–early 7th c.
Calvin says the Institutes follows the order of the Apostles' Creed (II.16.18); its four books are traditionally read as the Creed's Father, Son, Spirit, and Church.
Institutes II.16.18
Built on
Homilies · John Chrysostom · c. 386–407
The Institutes quotes Chrysostom's homilies some forty times, including on grace and the merit of works.
Institutes, passim
Responds to
Sentences · Peter Lombard · 1148–1151
The Institutes argues repeatedly against Peter Lombard ('the Master of the Sentences') and the scholastic theology built on his Sentences.
Institutes, passim (e.g. II.2.6, III.4)
Built on
Small Catechism · Martin Luther · 1529
The first edition of Calvin's Institutes (1536) follows the order of Luther's catechisms: the Law, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the sacraments.
Institutes (1536 edition), chapters 1–6

Influenced1

Built on it
Church Dogmatics · Karl Barth · 1932–1967 (unfinished)
The Church Dogmatics engages Calvin throughout, most famously in II/2, where Barth reworks the Institutes' doctrine of predestination around Christ as both the electing God and the elected man.
Church Dogmatics II/2

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