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Theological work by John Calvin

Institutes of the Christian Religion (Institutio Christianae Religionis) is John Calvin's seminal work of systematic theology. Regarded as one of the most influential works of Protestant theology, it was published in Latin in 1536 at the same time as Henry VIII of England's Dissolution of the Monasteries and in his native French language in 1541. The definitive editions appeared in 1559 in Latin and in 1560 in French. The book was written as an introductory textbook on the Protestant creed for those with some previous knowledge of theology and covered a broad range of theological topics from the doctrines of church and sacraments to justification by faith alone and Christian liberty. It vigorously attacked the teachings of those Calvin considered unorthodox, particularly Roman Catholicism, to which Calvin says he had been "strongly devoted" before his conversion to Protestantism. The Institutes is a core reference for the system of doctrine adopted by the Reformed churches, usually called Calvinism.

John Calvin was a student of law and then classics at the University of Paris. Around 1533 he became involved in religious controversies and converted to Protestantism, a new Christian reform movement which was persecuted by the Catholic Church in France, forcing him to go into hiding. He moved to Basel, Switzerland for safety in 1535, and around this time he must have begun writing a summary of theology which would become the Institutes. His Catholic opponents sought to tie him and his associates (known as Huguenots in France) to groups of radical Anabaptists, some of which had been put down by persecution. He decided to adapt the work he had been writing to the purpose of defending Protestants suffering from persecution from false accusations that they were espousing radical and heretical doctrines. The work, written in Latin, was published in Basel in March 1536 with a preface addressed to King Francis I of France, entreating him to give the Protestants a hearing rather than continue to persecute them. It is six chapters long, covering the basics of Christian creed using the familiar catechetical structure of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the sacraments, as well as a chapter on Christian liberty and political theology. Soon after publishing it, Calvin began his ministry in Geneva, Switzerland. The Institutes proved instantly popular, with many asking for a revised edition. In 1539, Calvin published a much larger work, with seventeen chapters of about the same length as the six chapters of the first edition. It includes many references to classical authors and Church fathers, as well as many additional references to the Bible. Calvin's epistle to the reader indicates that the new work is intended for theological students preparing for ministry. Four chapters were added in a third edition in 1543, and a 1550 edition was published with only minor changes. The fifth and final edition with which Calvin was involved, and which is used by scholars as the authoritative text, is 80% larger than the previous edition and was published in Geneva in 1559. Calvin's theology did not change substantially throughout his life, and so while he expanded and added to the Institutes, he did not change their main ideas.

The Latin word "institutio", translated in the title as "institutes", may also be translated "instruction", as it was in titles of German translations of the work, and was commonly used in the titles of legal works as well as other summary works covering a large body of knowledge. The title of Desiderius Erasmus's Institutio principis Christiani (1516), with which Calvin would have been familiar, is usually translated The Education of a Christian Prince. The form of the short title of the first edition of Calvin's work, published in 1536 is Christianae religionis institutio. The full title of this edition may be translated The Institute of the Christian Religion, Containing almost the Whole Sum of Piety and Whatever It is Necessary to Know in the Doctrine of Salvation. A Work Very Well Worth Reading by All Persons Zealous for Piety, and Lately Published. A Preface to the Most Christian King of France, in Which this Book is Presented to Him as a Confession of Faith. Author, John Calvin, Of Noyon. Basel, MDXXXVI. In the 1539 edition, the title is Institutio Christianae Religionis, possibly to emphasize the fact that this is a new, considerably expanded work. This is followed by "at length truly corresponding to its title", a play on the grandiosity of the title and an indication that the new work better lives up to the expectation created by such a title.

The Institutes overshadowed the earlier Protestant theologies such as Melanchthon's Loci Communes and Zwingli's Commentary on the True and False Religion. According to historian Philip Schaff, it is a classic of theology at the level of Origen's On First Principles, Augustine's The City of God, Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica, and Schleiermacher's The Christian Faith. (Schaff himself was an adherent of Reformed Christianity, which traces its roots to John Calvin.)

Unterricht in der christlichen Religion – Institutio Christianae Religionis, Institutes of the Christian Religion based on the last (1559) edition translated and edited by Otto Weber, edited and reissued by Matthias Freudenberg. 2nd edition, Neukirchener Verlag (publisher) located in Neukirchen Vluyn, Germany, released in 2008.

칼빈, 존(2003)[1559]. 기독교 강요: 크리스찬 다이제스트, Korea, 원광연 옮김 칼빈, 존(2020)[1559]. 기독교 강요: 생명의 말씀사, Korea, 문병호 옮김 .

Institucion de la religion Cristiana, 1597, translation by Cipriano de Valera.

Zpráva a vysvětlení náboženství křesťanského, ca. 1615, translation by Jiří Strejc.

No full translation has been made to Polish. However, four important pieces were published:
O zwierzchności świeckiej, porządne, według sznuru Pisma Świętego opisanie. Zaraz o pożytkach i powinnościach urzędu jej. Z łacinskiego wiernie przetłumaczone, a 1599 anonymous translation of Chapter XX of Book IV. It was reissued in 2005. Nauka o sakramenciech świętych Nowego testamentu. Wzięta z czwartych ksiąg Instytucji nabożeństwa krześcijańskiego Jana Kalwina, y na polskie wiernie przetłumaczone a 1626 translation by Piotr Siestrzencewicz of Chapters XIV to XIX of Book IV. Published in Lubecz and dedicated to Duke Janusz Radziwiłł. The edition is extremely rare with three copies known to have survived. Book 4, Chapter 19, translated by Rafał Leszczyński sr, in the volume by Rafał Marcin Leszczyński, entitled: Jan Kalwin. Studia nad myślą Reformatora, ed. Jednota, Warszawa 2017, in the annex, pp. 183–219, 220–222. Istota religii chrześcijańskiej, księga 1 a 2020, by Towarzystwo Upowszechniania Myśli Reformowanej HORN, Świętochłowice, translation from Latin by Janusz Kucharczyk, Rafał Leszczyński sr, Piotr Wietrzykowski, Przemysław Gola (part of the Letter to the King) and Alina Lotz (differences from the French version). All books will be published. Istota religii chrześcijańskiej, księga 2 a December 2021, by Towarzystwo Upowszechniania Myśli Reformowanej HORN, translation from Latin by Janusz Kucharczyk and Rafał Leszczyński sr and Alina Lotz (differences from the French version). All books will be published.