The Institutes of Christian Religion [Abridged] [Paperback]

Tony Lane (Author), John Calvin (Author), Hilary Osborne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1987

The heart of Calvin's teaching, translated in easy-to-understand language, helps pastors, scholars, and laypersons grasp one of the most important works ever written.

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Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic; 2nd edition (March 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801025249
• ISBN-13: 978-0801025242
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Tony Lane!!, August 25, 2001

By 

avid_nz_reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Institutes of Christian Religion (Paperback)

This book is an abridgement of Calvin's much larger "Institutes." Tony Lane has paraphrased sections of Battles' translation into crisper, more idiomatic English so as to make Calvin's writing accessible to the contemporary reader. I first read this book as a 16 year old and I found no difficulty in understanding it! The guiding principle of Lane's abridgement is that Calvin's positive theological statements and arguments are, more or less, left in tact, while the (sometimes vindictive) polemics that Calvin indulged in are removed. I personally like this feature, because it enables one to see more clearly how edifying and pastoral Calvin's theology is. Calvin's extensive polemics, in this respect, can have the influence of making the modern reader lose sight of this. Lane follows the standard referencing system for the "Institutes" used in the Battles' translation. This is extremely useful, because when Lane indicates that he has abridged Calvin in a certain chapter or section, one can then go to the Battles' version to see what he has left out! Lane gives the reader enough of the "Institutes" so that one can grasp the flow of Calvin's arguments and penetrate to the centre of his theology. After reading this, I got the impression that I hadn't read a disjointed series of abstracts but a COHERENT arguement. It's Lane's ability to maintain the structure of Calvin's overall argument that makes this abridgement especially good. This book serves as an excellent entry into Calvin for the general (or busy) reader. It's short enough so that the attention span is not strained. As a text for a seminary or college course on Calvin's theology, it's a book that students could realistically read through in a semester. This book, taken together with the abridgements of many of Calvin's commentaries in the Crossway Classic Commentaries series, would provide an accessible (and relatively comprehensive) grasp of Calvin's theology and exegesis for the interested pastor or layperson.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Translation is Often Overlooked, September 17, 2005

By 

T. B. Vick "T.B.V." - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Institutes of the Christian Religion (Two Volumes in One) (Paperback)

Unfortunately this translation of Calvin's 'Institutes' is often overlooked due to the more popular translation from Battles. However, this is an excellent translation of Calvin's most famous work and given its age (first published in 1845), it is surprisingly modern - due in part to this very edition which has been 'tweaked' into a more modern verbiage.

This 'tweaking' in no way has diminished, however, the wonderful job Beverage did in translating this work. From what I have been told by several Latin scholars and theologians, and having studied Latin myself, Calvin's Latin is not a walk in the park. That being the case, once you read this translation, you can see why Beverage did such a great job.

The one feature I like best about this translation is the fact that it is well footnoted for the researcher and reader. Therefore, this translation is well documented for further research into Calvin's thought. This also helps to clear up difficulties of translation (remember Calvin's Latin is very tough). At certain points in Calvin's work, his thought via a solid translation gets confusing for scholars, this edition has footnotes detailing these difficulties, and that makes for a better read.

Now, about Calvin's 'Institutes' This work is Calvin's Opus and gives the reader the best information regarding Calvin's thoughts on the Church and Church Government, Calvin's hermeneutic, Calvin's theology of God, Calvin's epistemology, Calvin's Soteriology, the benefits of the grace of Christ, his views on the Papacy (of his day), the Roman Catholic Church, the current state of Christendom, and much more. The interesting thing about this work (the Institutes), it is not Calvin's definitive work on the theology of predestination. Calvin actually wrote several other works which deal only with that subject and present a far better assessment of his theology behind predestination (see Calvin's treatise titled "Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God," and Calvin's response to Pighius titled "The Bondage and Liberation of the Will.")

But, for the best overview of Calvin's thought on the Church and theology, the Institutes is the work to read. Beverage's translation is a great work. It is introduced by the reformed theologian John Murray, it has a general index in the back of the work, and reads very much in modern verbiage. I highly recommend this edition.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic theology - Classic literature, September 8, 2004

By 

Douglas VanderMeulen (Fargo, ND) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Institutes of the Christian Religion (Two Volumes in One) (Paperback)

John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a monumental work that stands among the greatest works of Christian theology and Western literature. It ranks with works such as St. Augustine's Confessions and City of God in value, insight and significance. The Institutes have molded the church's understanding of Christian doctrine for generations and has had untold influence in the development of Western thought in both the religious and civil arenas.

Calvin's Institutes represent his life work in teaching theology. They first appeared in 1536 and went through three significant revisions - each expanding and building upon the previous. This particular edition represents the final form and of which Calvin was very pleased.

Originally written to give basic understanding of Christian doctrine, they became one of the earliest systematic theologies of the Reformed tradition. Calvin's stated desire is to give the reader the necessary background to read and accurately handle the great doctrines and promises of the Bible.

Calvin sent a copy to the King Francis I to encourage him to stop persecuting the Christians who were embracing the gospel as taught by the Reformers. His basic argument was that if the king understood what these people believed he would stop killing them as heretics but rather see them as faithful adherents of historical Christianity. Calvin was no lover of novelty and throughout the Institutes copiously sights from the early church fathers and the long history of the Church's understanding of doctrine.

This one-volume work is broken down into four books that loosely follow the outline of the Apostle's Creed. Book 1 concerns knowledge of God. Book 2 is about Jesus Christ as redeemer. Book 3 is about the Holy Spirit's role in applying Christ's redeeming graces. Book 4 is about the church and practice.

This particular edition, translated by Beverage is not as good as the one by Battles and edited by McNeil. While the church is indebted to Beverage for his labor of love in getting many works by Calvin translated into English, his command of both French and Latin were not as strong as Battles. They were originally produced in both Latin and French and Battles' work demonstrates his competency in dealing with both languages. Also, Battles' mastery of Calvin's other writings is reflected in his voluminous footnotes, many of them very helpful to the reader for clarifying, further reading and cross-referencing. In addition, the indexes in the Battles' edition are invaluable not only for searching the Institutes for topics but for gleaming Calvin's understanding of the church fathers. If the cost of the Battles translation is prohibative, then you won't go wrong with this Beverage edition. But for difference between the two editions, the Battles work with worth every extra dollar you pay.

Agree or disagree with Calvin, these are a necessary read for anyone who desires an understanding of the development of Western thought, literature and theology. They are not only great theology; they represent excellent writing and development of an argument. They are also highly pastoral and devotional. They are not like reading a modern systematic theology. Calvin understood doctrine to be more than theory, but something to mold our understanding of God, ourselves and the world in which we live. Carefully working through the Institutes is a journey worth taking!

Soli Deo Gloria!