This work on the Heidelberg Catechism is intended to give the new light that has been thrown on the catechism, mainly within the last fifty years, since the Tercentenary Jubilee was held in 1863 by the Reformed Church in the United States. However, it also includes some light previous to that time, but which does not seem to have attracted the attention of the American writers on the catechism. - Preface.

This work examines key aspects of the development of the Heidelberg Catechism, including historical background, socio-political origins, purpose, authorship, sources, and theology. The book includes the first ever English translations of two major sources of the Heidelberg Catechism--Ursinus's Smaller and Larger Catechisms--and a bibliography of research on the document since 1900. Students of the Reformed tradition and the Protestant Reformation will value this resource.

"Most of the essays contained in this volume were delivered as lectures at the Annual Convocation of Lancaster Theological Seminary in January 1963. The Lancaster convocation marked the opening on this side of the Atlantic of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism. At about the same time a similar celebration was being held at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, the home of the Catechism." -- From the introduction.

The Heidelberg Catechism, first approved in 1563, is a confessional document of the Protestant movement considered one of the most ecumenical of the confessions. Published to coincide with the catechism's 450th anniversary, this book explores the Heidelberg Catechism in its historical setting and emphasizes the catechism's integration of Lutheran and Reformed traditions in all of its major doctrines. An appendix contains a translation of the Heidelberg Catechism recently prepared and adopted by three of the Reformed denominations that recognize the catechism as one of their confessions: the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

The primary purpose of Drawn to Freedom is not to understand the Heidelberg Catechism, Eberhard Busch explains, but rather through it to understand what it means for us to believe in the merciful and just triune God. This is our God today, who always was our God, and will be our God tomorrow. This book, then, is a carefully developed, wide-ranging exploration of what it means to be a Christian in today s world. God is so committed to freedom, writes Busch, that he wants to give humans their own freedom. To unfold what this proposition means for Christians, Busch reexamines the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 from a modern perspective and uses its question-and-answer format to propose an understanding of God s ways that still holds true for the twenty-first century. Busch also invites into the conversation past and present theologians, philosophers, musicians, and scientists with significant questions, objections, and alternative views. He probes such issues as self-understanding, personal worth, sin and forgiveness, hope and despair, and faith and love all in relation to the freedom and deliverance that he believes God desires to afford us.

At the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism, an international conference on the spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism was held at the Theological University Apeldoorn, 21-22 June 2013. This publication offers the plenary papers presented, and a selection of the short papers. While the papers center on the Catechism's spirituality, a wide range of topics is covered, from both historical and theological perspectives. These topics include: the roles of Ursinus and Olevianus, controverse theologians, anabaptist spirituality, comparisons with Calvin's Genevan Catechism and the later Synopsis of Purer Theology. Also, the distinct spirituality of faith, regeneration, the trinity, the law and prayer in the Heidelberg Catechism are scrutinized, besides the idea of mystical union and the art of dying and living. Three contributions reflect on the controversy on the Eucharist which has stamped the Heidelberg Catechism. From a practical-theological perspective, the preaching and teaching of the Catechism are discussed, as well as the mode of gospel presentation and the permanent character of catechetical instruction. So, this volume offers a broad range of scholarly perspectives on the Catechism. Its spirituality is famous for the first question and answer, on the only comfort in life and death: That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.""