John Calvin: References & Edit History

The most complete edition of Calvin’s works is Ioannis Calvini Opera quae supersunt omnia, 59 vol. in 26, ed. by Guilielmus (Johann Wilhelm) Baum, Eduardus (Eduard) Cunitz, and Eduardus (Eduard) Reuss (1863–1900; reprinted 59 vol. in 58, 1964). Supplementary material may be found in the series “Supplementa Calviniana: Sermons inédits” (1961– ), which collects hitherto unpublished sermons, with 5 vol. published by 1988; and the Registres de la Compagnie des Pasteurs de Genève au temps de Calvin, ed. by Robert M. Kingdon and Jean-françois Bergier, 2 vol. (1962–64), a partial record of the deliberations of the Geneva Company of Pastors from 1546 to 1564, the first 2 vol. of a larger set, Registres de la Compagnie des Pasteurs de Genève, ed. by Olivier Fatio et al. The best English translation of Institutio Christianae religionis is Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. by Ford Lewis Battles, 2 vol. (1960). For selected other works of Calvin in English, see David W. Torrance and Thomas F. Torrance (eds.), Commentaries, 12 vol. (1959–72, reprinted 1976–88), on the New Testament; and Donald K. McKim (ed.), Readings in Calvin’s Theology (1984).

Studies of Calvin are numerous. For guidance to older works, see Alfredus (alfred) Erichson, Bibliographia Calviniana (1900, reprinted 1979); and Wilhelm Niesel, Calvin-Bibliographie, 1901–1959 (1961). For literature since 1960, see the bibliographies ed. by Peter De Klerk and published annually in issue no. 2 of Calvin Theological Journal. A recent scholarly biography of Calvin is T.H.L. Parker, John Calvin (1975, reissued 1987). For a fuller account of his thought, see François Wendel, Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought (1963, reprinted 1987; originally published in French, 1950); and for Calvin in historical context, see William J. Bouwsma, John Calvin: A Sixteenth-Century Portrait (1988). Robert M. Kingdon, Geneva and the Coming of the Wars of Religion in France, 1555–1563 (1956), deals with Calvin’s interest in France.