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Peter Martyr Vermigli Library
The Peter Martyr Reader
This handy paperback is an anthology of chapters taken from each of the volumes of the series. Chapters include Martyr's views on the scope of theology, the study of theology, the authority of scripture, human nature, human happiness, the knowledge of God, the person of Christ, justification and faith, the Lord's Supper, views on music and songs, predestination, free will, providence, moral virtue, civil magistrates, and prayer.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2016
Absolutely fantastic.
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When most people hear “Reformers,” they are inclined to think Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin. Maybe if they’ve read a book or two on the Reformation, they’ll sometimes think Phillip Melanchthon, Martin Bucer, or Heinrich Bullinger. A name that you’re not likely to hear is Peter Martyr Vermigli—an Italian humanist trained at Padua in the 16th century. In his career he labored alongside, and was a major influence upon Calvin, Bullinger, Bucer, Thomas Cranmer, and many more. He spent time in Strasbourg, Zurich, and Oxford, and he is credited with furthering the Reformed view on the Lord’s Supper, articulating orthodox Christology, and much more. Besides being a master exegete (he taught himself Hebrew and Greek so that he could read Aristotle in the original language), he also was a astute interpreter of the Church Fathers, wrote a commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, and shepherded many would-be pastors for the Reformed cause.
I mention all of this so that you will understand one point: you need to read Peter Martyr.
Thankfully, the dearth of knowledge about Peter Martyr is being remedied due to the project undertaken by a team at Truman State University Press to translate Martyr’s works into English. Any student of Reformation history be he scholar, pastor, student, or interested laymen ought to be grateful to God that the riches of Peter Martyr’s thought is now easily accessible through these beautiful little volumes.
THE PETER MARTYR READER
Martyr’s output was multi-varied and voluminous. He never wrote a compendium of theology (like a Calvin), and his writing could often be prolix and difficult to follow (unlike a Luther). Yet, his writings cover a variety of topics ranging from pastoral letters to churches defending orthodox Christology, a pastoral commentary on the Apostle’s creed, disputations regarding the Lord’s Supper and the development of the so-called extra Calvinistic (which, interestingly, one scholar says should more appropriately be called the extra Vermiglium!), and much more.
This volume, The Peter Martyr Reader, is exactly where one ought to begin if they are looking to dip into the works of Peter Martyr. The chapter outline is as follows:
Chapter 1: The Scope of Theology
Chapter 2: The Study of Theology
Chapter 3: The Authority of Scripture
Chapter 4: Human Nature
Chapter 5: Human Happiness
Chapter 6: Knowledge of God
Chapter 7: The Person of Christ
Chapter 8: Justification by Faith
Chapter 9: The Lord’s Supper
Chapter 10: Music and Songs
Chapter 11: Predestination
Chapter 12: Free Will
Chapter 13: Providence
Chapter 14: Moral Virtue
Chapter 15: The Civil Magistrate
Chapter 16: Prayers
With this smattering, you get a wide variety of topics in relatively bite-size chunks (besides the commentary on the Apostle’s Creed, most topics are not typically longer than 12 or so pages). My favorite sections were the ones of the person of Christ, Moral Virtue, the authority of Scripture and the prayers. However, that isn’t to discount any of the sections as they are all incredibly helpful.
Before I conclude, I want to comment on a few things in particular struck me about Martyr’s style and work:
First, his knowledge and usage of the catholic heritage is remarkable. Calvin himself noted that Martyr’s knowledge of the Fathers was quite exceptional. The usage of the Fathers shines most brightly in the fray surrounding the Lord’s Supper. Yet it goes beyond that as well. For instance, I found myself stunned to see an analogy used by Thomas Aquinas in the section on predestination! Reading Peter Martyr helps falsify the charge that the Reformers were individualists who didn’t care about the church—nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Reformers saw themselves as the true heirs of catholic heritage: theology performed under the Word of God, the principium of knowledge.
Second, his pastoral sensitivities. Upon his death, Bullinger wrote Calvin, “He was an incomparable man and of all mortals the most dear to me.” There is a sense that Martyr was animated by a love for the people of God and the good of Christ’s church. This sense jumps from the page, whether it be in a heated disputation, or in the pastoral warmth of the commentary on the Apostle’s Creed. The Reformation, under Martyr, was animated by a desire to see lives changed by the power of the gospel.
There is much, much more to be said about Martyr, and, thankfully, there hopefully will be now that we have been given these volumes from Truman State University Press. But more than that, we can be grateful to God who has given his church a witness in Peter Martyr Vermigli.
------
When most people hear “Reformers,” they are inclined to think Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin. Maybe if they’ve read a book or two on the Reformation, they’ll sometimes think Phillip Melanchthon, Martin Bucer, or Heinrich Bullinger. A name that you’re not likely to hear is Peter Martyr Vermigli—an Italian humanist trained at Padua in the 16th century. In his career he labored alongside, and was a major influence upon Calvin, Bullinger, Bucer, Thomas Cranmer, and many more. He spent time in Strasbourg, Zurich, and Oxford, and he is credited with furthering the Reformed view on the Lord’s Supper, articulating orthodox Christology, and much more. Besides being a master exegete (he taught himself Hebrew and Greek so that he could read Aristotle in the original language), he also was a astute interpreter of the Church Fathers, wrote a commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, and shepherded many would-be pastors for the Reformed cause.
I mention all of this so that you will understand one point: you need to read Peter Martyr.
Thankfully, the dearth of knowledge about Peter Martyr is being remedied due to the project undertaken by a team at Truman State University Press to translate Martyr’s works into English. Any student of Reformation history be he scholar, pastor, student, or interested laymen ought to be grateful to God that the riches of Peter Martyr’s thought is now easily accessible through these beautiful little volumes.
THE PETER MARTYR READER
Martyr’s output was multi-varied and voluminous. He never wrote a compendium of theology (like a Calvin), and his writing could often be prolix and difficult to follow (unlike a Luther). Yet, his writings cover a variety of topics ranging from pastoral letters to churches defending orthodox Christology, a pastoral commentary on the Apostle’s creed, disputations regarding the Lord’s Supper and the development of the so-called extra Calvinistic (which, interestingly, one scholar says should more appropriately be called the extra Vermiglium!), and much more.
This volume, The Peter Martyr Reader, is exactly where one ought to begin if they are looking to dip into the works of Peter Martyr. The chapter outline is as follows:
Chapter 1: The Scope of Theology
Chapter 2: The Study of Theology
Chapter 3: The Authority of Scripture
Chapter 4: Human Nature
Chapter 5: Human Happiness
Chapter 6: Knowledge of God
Chapter 7: The Person of Christ
Chapter 8: Justification by Faith
Chapter 9: The Lord’s Supper
Chapter 10: Music and Songs
Chapter 11: Predestination
Chapter 12: Free Will
Chapter 13: Providence
Chapter 14: Moral Virtue
Chapter 15: The Civil Magistrate
Chapter 16: Prayers
With this smattering, you get a wide variety of topics in relatively bite-size chunks (besides the commentary on the Apostle’s Creed, most topics are not typically longer than 12 or so pages). My favorite sections were the ones of the person of Christ, Moral Virtue, the authority of Scripture and the prayers. However, that isn’t to discount any of the sections as they are all incredibly helpful.
Before I conclude, I want to comment on a few things in particular struck me about Martyr’s style and work:
First, his knowledge and usage of the catholic heritage is remarkable. Calvin himself noted that Martyr’s knowledge of the Fathers was quite exceptional. The usage of the Fathers shines most brightly in the fray surrounding the Lord’s Supper. Yet it goes beyond that as well. For instance, I found myself stunned to see an analogy used by Thomas Aquinas in the section on predestination! Reading Peter Martyr helps falsify the charge that the Reformers were individualists who didn’t care about the church—nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Reformers saw themselves as the true heirs of catholic heritage: theology performed under the Word of God, the principium of knowledge.
Second, his pastoral sensitivities. Upon his death, Bullinger wrote Calvin, “He was an incomparable man and of all mortals the most dear to me.” There is a sense that Martyr was animated by a love for the people of God and the good of Christ’s church. This sense jumps from the page, whether it be in a heated disputation, or in the pastoral warmth of the commentary on the Apostle’s Creed. The Reformation, under Martyr, was animated by a desire to see lives changed by the power of the gospel.
There is much, much more to be said about Martyr, and, thankfully, there hopefully will be now that we have been given these volumes from Truman State University Press. But more than that, we can be grateful to God who has given his church a witness in Peter Martyr Vermigli.
October 2, 2018
Read this book to understand the Eucharist and to see what Reformed theology looked like and should look like today.
December 10, 2014
A solid introduction and sampling of this great Italian Magisterial Reformers works. I am grateful for the heightened interest to translate and make More of Vermigli's work available in English. This is a welcome read for anyone interested in a magisterial reformer who had a strong physical, intellectual and formative influence in three major Reformational epicenters of Europe during the 16th century. His lived in Strasbourg (with Bucer), England (with Cranmer helping with prayer book formation) and in Zurich (with Bullinger) where he eventually died.
January 30, 2012
An essential sampling of Vermigli's work and a good entry point to the thought of the Italian Reformer. A must for those interested in continental Reformation sources.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews