WORKS IN PROGRESS

BOOK:
CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL,
VOLUMES 1-3

Author: Pierre Viret

Text edited, presented and annotated by Arthur-Louis Hofer
(Lausanne, Switzerland)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Christian Instruction in the Doctrine of the Law and the Gospel was published in two volumes by Viret in 1564 (the third volume was not published but can be reconstituted from former works to fit Viret’s announced program) and is without doubt his magnum opus, comparable to Calvin’s Institutes.

• VOLUME ONE – Brief and diverse Summaries and Catechisms of the Christian doctrine [containing an exposition of the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle’s Creed]; and Instruction against the obstacles that men make regarding their own salvation; adjoined is an ample exposition of the Law, containing the decrees and canons of the first and general Council of the Church [at Mount Sinaï] over which God presided and spoke in His very Person.


• VOLUME TWO – Exposition of the doctrine of the Christian Faith, concerning the true knowledge and the true service of God; and the Trinity of the persons in the unity of the divine essence and in the manifestation of the divinity in the creation both of that great world [the cosmos] and that little world [man], and in His providence manifested in all His creatures, and principally in human nature; and touching the fall of the human species, and the birth and growth and ordinary state both of the true and false Church.


• VOLUME THREE – Declaration of the doctrine of divine providence, concerning the good and evil which occur ordinarily in the world, and the predestination of men; and the manifestation of God in the work of redemption of the human species, and by the revelation of the Gospel, containing the decrees and canons of the second general Council, which God Himself presided in human form, in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ and by the visible presence of His Holy Spirit .

THE PROCESS

Viret’s works (over 50 books) were written in the sixteenth century, and were penned in a style of French in some ways comparable to King James English. Because of the plethora of differences existing between sixteenth century and modern French, an expert in the French of that period must first edit Viret’s works in order to annotate the text and explain the archaic language so as to render it accessible to present common usage. After this process is completed, the books may then be translated into English.

This editing process is the work of Arthur-Louis Hofer (Lausanne, Switzerland) who has done a masterful job in the editing and annotating of Volume 1 of Viret’s Christian Instruction. This involves putting the text into modern spelling, introducing footnotes explaining the meaning of expressions today foreign to the modern reader as well as historical and theological explanations necessary for a correct comprehension of the text. He is currently engaged in editing Volume 2, and hopes, God willing, to complete the final volume of this exceptional theological work. The Christian Instruction is preceded by an ample introductory Preface by Pierre Courthial.

BOOK:
THE CATECHISM OF PIERRE VIRET

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Catechism of Pierre Viret is a small volume, dedicated solely to the Reformer’s Larger Catechism as contained in Volume One of his Christian Instruction (pp 169-366 of Volume I, 2004). This catechism, written in the form of a dialogue between two individuals, is an easy-to-read, informal means of studying the basic truths of the Christian Faith. Viret’s popular style of giving understanding to deep theological truths makes this book beneficial to both the newest convert and the serious student.