EBOOK Confession of the Christian Religion (Zanchi)

Description

In response to the Lutheran Formula of Concord, representatives of Reformed churches commissioned Girolamo Zanchi to draft a confession of faith acceptable to all Reformed churches. Zanchi patterned his Confession of the Christian Religion after the Apostles’ Creed, giving it a broadly Trinitarian and redemptive-historical structure that emphasizes God’s saving work for His people in His incarnate Son. It is a synthesis of his exegetical, doctrinal, and pastoral interests and stands out among his numerous publications as a useful and accessible overview of the entire Reformed theological system of doctrine. Although the project never attained confessional status at the ecclesiastical level as was planned, Zanchi’s Confession proved influential in both the Reformed theological tradition generally and the development of Reformed dogmatics in particular.

Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction

The Confession of the Christian Religion
Dedicatory Letter
Letter to the Reader

1. Holy Scripture, the Foundation of the Whole Christian Religion
2. God and the Divine Persons and Properties
3. Divine Foreknowledge and Predestination
4. The Omnipotence and Will of God
5. The Creation of the World, the Angels, and the Condition of the First Man
6. The Providence and Governance of the World
7. The Fall of Man, and Concerning Original Sin and Its Fruits
8. Man’s Free Will after the Fall
9. The Promise of Redemption and Salvation by Christ
10. The Law
11. Christ the Redeemer
12. The Actual Distribution of Redemption, Salvation, and Life Deposited in the One Christ (and the Indispensable Union and Fellowship with Christ)
13. The Gospel and the Abrogation of the Law by Means of the Gospel
14. The Sacraments of the New Testament
15. Baptism
16. The Lord’s Supper
17. Faith, Hope, and Love
18. Repentance
19. Justification
20. The Regenerate Man’s Free Will and His Power to Do Good
21. Good Works
22. Prayer and Oaths
23. Christ’s Church in General
24. The Church Militant
25. The Governance of the Church Militant and Ecclesiastical Ministry
26. The Magistrate
27. The Ongoing Remission of Sins in Christ’s Church
28. The State of Souls after Death and the Resurrection of the Dead
29. The Glorious Advent of Our Lord Jesus to Judge the Living and the Dead
30. Eternal Life

Zanchi’s Own Observations on His Confession
An Appendix to Chapter Eleven
Certain Chief Articles of the Christian Faith Debated at Various Times at Heidelberg and Neustadt against Various Heresies

Bibliography
Index

Endorsements

“Zanchi's Confession of Christian Religion was originally conceived as a common statement of faith for all European Reformed churches. Though it did not achieve this status, Zanchi's text offers precious insights both into what had become by the 1580s the Reformed dogmatic consensus and into those points of doctrine that remained controversial. This new English translation, complete with an illuminating introduction and erudite notes, provides access to a very interesting source. Highly recommended!”
—Luca Baschera, Theological Seminary, University of Zurich; editor of De Religion Christian Fides / Confession of Christian Religion

“Girolamo Zanchi (1516–1590) is a pivotal figure in the rise and development of Reformed orthodoxy; an influence on multiple scenes in the Reformation (e.g., Lucca, Strasbourg, and Heidelberg); a witness to what might have become of the Italian Reformation if not for the Inquisition; and a witness to the penetration of the Reformed faith into Italian humanist circles. This is an important volume that will reward careful study. We are all in Dr. O’Banion’s debt for his mighty and skillful labors in bringing this treasure to us in our language.”
—R. Scott Clark, professor of church history and historical theology, Westminster Seminary California; president, Heidelberg Reformation Association

“Zanchi’s Confession is unique among confessional statements of the sixteenth-century Reformation because it is so much more than a mere confession of faith. At once comprehensive and detailed yet at the same time extraordinarily lucid and succinct, it is a richly biblical, pastorally astute summary of the key doctrines of the Christian faith. In short compass, it lays bare the golden thread of mature wisdom and learning that is woven through Zanchi’s vast and remarkable output. Far eclipsing most summaries of the Christian faith, it is replete with insights you are unlikely to have encountered before. O’Banion’s introduction and translation is excellent, and his thorough annotations on Zanchi’s text are hugely informative. Here is a treasure that is sure to be a great blessing to pastors and laypeople alike.”
—Andrew Leslie, head of theology, philosophy, and ethics at Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia

“This new translation of Zanchi’s Confession is a welcome addition to the growing library of early modern Reformed theology in new, carefully done translations. O’Banion has provided a clear and accurate translation of an important work, accompanied by a solid introduction and fine apparatus. This is an important work that provides access to the developing patterns of Reformed thought and serves as an excellent introduction to the core of the theology that Zanchi would elaborate in massive detail in his major doctrinal treatises.”
—Richard A. Muller, scholar in residence, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

About the Translator

Patrick O'Banion (PhD, Saint Louis University) is a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and the author of several books, including The Sacrament of Penance and Religious Life in Golden Age Spain (2012) and Deza and Its Moriscos: Religion and Community in Early Modern Spain (2020). He taught history at the university level for two decades and currently works to train pastors overseas with Training Leaders International.

About the Author

Girolamo Zanchi (1516–1590) was an influential Reformed pastor and professor. Originally from northern Italy, he was converted under the ministry of Peter Martyr Vermigli and subsequently fled north to Protestant Europe. As an instructor and churchman at Strasbourg, Chiavenna, Heidelberg, and Neustadt, Zanchi became a prolific and pioneering Reformed scholastic theologian who sought to wed pious devotion with precise language.