Join me 2-hours a week for 10-weeks (April 12–June 18) as we make our way through The Theology of the Heidelberg Catechism. Registration ends March 29th. For more details see here.
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) has been called “the church’s book of comfort” (Het troostboek van de kerk). Originally written in German for the preachers, people, and pupils of the Palatinate, it was also translated into Latin to testify throughout European courts and universities of the Palatinate’s unique reformation. In 1597 it was even translated into Greek so that it could be sent to the Patriarch of Constantinople. It’s been translated into everything from Afrikaans to Vietnamese.
In this course, we will study the venerable Heidelberger. We’ll briefly introduce the who, what, when, where, and why of the Catechism but will focus our time and attention on the text. Since we have just 10 weeks to analyze its 129 questions & answers or 52 Lord’s Days (zondag), biblically, theologically, polemically, historically, and practically, we’ll use an often-forgotten division of this material: the Palatinate’s Kirchenordnung (Church Order). In this document the Catechism was required to be read aloud every Sunday in every congregation in just 9 lectiones.
