Calvin's first edition of The Institutes was in 1536 and it was a little over two hundred pages. Many scholars have spent their entire professional lives attempting to plumb the depths of the text and the man behind it. Written to "aid those who desire to be instructed in the doctrine of salvation," the Institutes, which follows the ordering of the Apostle's Creed, has four parts. Extremely important for the Protestant Reformation, the Institutes has remained important for Protestant theology for almost five centuries. John Calvin ranks high on the short list of the church’s most important thinkers, and The Institutes of the Christian Religion has consistently remained the central text of Reformed Christianity. I am sure that a lot of people will be doing it and discussing the reading. He kept increasing the length in subsequent editions of 1539 and 1543. The Alliance is happy to again offer a year-long reading schedule through Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. He blogs at Between Two Worlds and Evangelical History. The Foundation is grateful to provide here a full set of the papers presented at the Colloquia on Calvin Studies, 1982–2006, an organization also established by Dr. John H. Leith. The very first edition of the Institutes was published in 1536 by Calvin. Since 2009 marks the 500th birthday of Calvin, I think it would be wise to read the Institutes. Finally, here is a schedule of reading through Calvin’s Institutes in a year. Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin’s masterpiece, a summary of biblical theology that became the normative statement of the Reformed faith. He kept increasing the length in subsequent editions of 1539 and 1543. Well, almost 25 years separates the first edition of the Institutes from the final version, which was initially Latin and a year later, in 1560 Calvin translated it into French. Find more Christian classics for theology and Bible study at Bible Study Tools. Justin Taylor is executive vice president for book publishing and publisher for books at Crossway. A Year through John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559) Arranged and Prepared by J. R. Harris John Calvin’s Institutes represents the finest theological text of the Reformation. To get a free copy of the reading schedule, go here where you can download it for your use and to share with whoever you’d like. Calvin’s Institutes in a Year . For better resolution, you may want to download these .pdf files using Adobe Reader. You can follow him on Twitter. And, of course, the reading of Scripture is extremely important. Here is a link for how to read Calvin in a year. Published first in 1536, the Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin's magnum opus. Tolle lege! Karl Barth once Read Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 2 from author John Calvin. If you need a copy of Calvin’s Institutes, the Kindle version can be found here for only $0.99. Other Resources. As an added bonus, the Alliance is also offering a companion devotional, Zeal for Godliness, at an 80% discount. It was first published in 1536 and was revised and enlarged by Calvin in several editions before the definitive edition was published in 1559.