December 15, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY
A small book is getting a sizeable welcome at Calvin College where the H.
Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies has acquired a Latin edition of John
Calvin's 1545 Genevan Catechism.
Printed by Wendelin Rihel in Strasbourg, a printer of several of Calvin's
works, the book measures about four by six inches, but its size belies its
significance.
"It is a very rare book," says Meeter Center director Karin Maag, "and it
really gives us a window into how the faith was transmitted to early
generations of Reformed believers."
This new purchase, acquired from a rare book dealer in the Netherlands, is the
only known copy of the catechism in North America and one of only four
worldwide. The other three known copies of the catechism (copies may also
exist in private collections) reside in London, Geneva and Zurich.
Interestingly no known copies of Calvin's original 1542 version of the same
catechism exist.
Calvin wrote the catechism after his return from exile in Strasbourg to teach
the emerging generation of Reformed believers the fundamentals of their faith.
"Catechisms were particularly important for young or new believers," Maag
says.
Composed in a question-and-answer format (like its later competitor, the
Heidelberg Catechism), the Genevan Catechism was taught mainly to children and
servants in Sunday afternoon catechism services and was used extensively in
Geneva, France and Scotland.
"It was really a foundational catechism for the Reformed community," says
Maag.
The catechism is a rarity not only because of its scarcity but because it
still exists in good condition. Small books are more easily lost as the years
pass, Maag says, especially those which have been handled by children. This
book, made of sturdy rag paper has endured intact and readable.
"It's amazing when you think that something so old (has) such clean text,"
says Meeter Center curator Paul Fields.
Which isn't to say the Genevan Catechism won't be handled carefully.
The book will be stored in a climate-controlled room with other rare volumes
like the Italian version of the same catechism (discovered by Calvin librarian
Conrad Bult in the Hekman Library basement in 1998), the 1542 Vivere Apud
Christum and Calvin's 1532 Seneca Commentary.
Security measures aside, the Meeter Center (an internationally recognized
center for Calvinism scholarship) is prized by scholars because of the
accessibility of its collection.
A comparable collection of Calvinist volumes in Europe, Maag says, would
probably not be openly shelved.
"In many European libraries," she notes, "you have to fill out a form and wait
two hours to get a book - if you're lucky."
Maag herself is especially gratified to have access to the rare,
Calvin-authored work.
She is currently preparing a critical edition of the 1545 Genevan Catechism -
an edition that will contain a scholarly introduction, the Latin and French
version of the texts on facing pages and explanatory notes running along the
bottom.
Prior to this, she says, "I was working from a photo copy."
Contact Maag at 616-526-6089. For a photo of Maag and the catechism see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/photos/special/maag_book.jpg
-end-
Received on Wed Dec 15 10:01:27 2004
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