Key Doctrinal Sources

 

The catechism draws heavily from historic Christian creeds, catechisms, and confessions, as well as from the church fathers and reformers who have shaped classic Christianity and the Protestant tradition. 

Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms

  • The Apostles’ Creed is an early summary of the apostolic faith, used for confession at baptism. While the creed was not finalized until later centuries, its basic form was in use as early as the 2nd century.
  • The Nicene Creed is a summary of the Christian faith adopted at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD to affirm the full deity and eternal generation of the Son against the false teacher Arius (Q. 27). It was expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD to affirm the full deity and eternal procession of the Holy Spirit (Q. 36), so its full name is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
  • The Athanasian Creed is a longer exposition of the universal Christian faith in the Trinity and incarnation (Q. 6; 30). It begins with an anathema against those who do not “keep” the faith—that is, those who have received and believed the faith, but then forsake or deny it. The Creed is named in honor of Athanasius of Alexandria.
  • The Chalcedonian Definition is a commentary on the Nicene Creed, adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD to provide additional clarity on what the Church believes about the one person of Christ and his two natures (Q. 30).
  • The Augsburg Confession is the first major Protestant confession, published in 1530 to clarify Protestant teaching as part of an appeal for religious freedom in the Holy Roman Empire. It was largely written by Philipp Melanchthon, Martin Luther’s most important collaborator.
  • Luther’s Small Catechism is a question-and-answer summary of the Christian faith, published in 1529 by Martin Luther to teach the basics of the faith to the theologically ignorant masses. In the same year, Luther also published his Large Catechism.
  • The 39 Articles of Religion (“AOR”) is the doctrinal confession of the Church of England, originally composed by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1552 and finalized in 1571. John Wesley, a lifelong Anglican priest, abridged the AOR for the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784.
  • The Belgic Confession was written in 1561 by Guido de Bres, a pastor in modern-day Belgium, to explain Protestant doctrine as part of an appeal for tolerance during the Spanish inquisition. It was affirmed by both the Arminian Remonstrants and the Counter-Remonstrants in the Dutch Reformed Church.
  • The Heidelberg Catechism is the catechetical counterpart to the Belgic Confession, written in 1563 by Zacharias Ursinus at the University of Heidelberg.
  • The Westminster Confession of Faith (“WCF”) is a doctrinal confession written in 1646 by the Westminster Assembly, a council of English and Scottish theologians who sought to further reform the Church of England.
  • The Westminster Shorter Catechism (“WSC”) is the catechetical counterpart to the WCF. It is expanded in the Westminster Larger Catechism.

Theologians of Church History

  • Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–205) was the bishop of Lyons in Gaul (modern-day France) who opposed false teachings collectively known as Gnosticism. His key works are Against Heresies (AH) and Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching.
  • Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373) was a bishop in Alexandria, Egypt, who opposed Arianism when it continued to spread after the Council of Nicaea. His best-known work is On the Incarnation.
  • Augustine of Hippo (c. 354–430) was a bishop in North Africa whose extensive writings formed the Western Church and combatted the heresy of Pelagianism, which denied the necessity of the grace of Christ for salvation. His key works include Confessions, The City of God, and On Christian Doctrine.
  • John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) was Archbishop of Constantinople (modern-day Turkey), best known for his masterful sermons (“Chrysostom” means “Golden-Mouthed”).
  • Basil of Caesarea (c. 329–379), also known as “Basil the Great,” was bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), and one of the three “Cappadocian Fathers,” along with his younger brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus. Together, they defended Nicene orthodoxy and helped to advance Trinitarian theology. Basil’s best-known work is On the Holy Spirit. 
  • Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–395) was a bishop and theologian whose works include On the Soul and the Resurrection, Against Eunomius, and The Great Catechism.
  • Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–390), also known as “The Theologian,” was a bishop who is best known for his theological poetry and sermons, especially his Five Theological Orations.
  • Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109) was the Archbishop of Canterbury (England) and a Benedictine monk, famous for his ontological argument for the existence of God. His best-known  work is Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man).
  • Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) was a Dominican friar and one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of Western history. His best-known works are the Summa Theologica (Summary of Theology) and Summa Contra Gentiles. The Protestant Reformers critiqued Aquinas while appreciating and utilizing his work.
  • Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a German priest who questioned the Roman Catholic abuses of the late Middle Ages and sparked the Protestant Reformation, helping to recover the neglected doctrine of justification by faith. His key works include the 95 Theses, Freedom of a Christian, and The Bondage of the Will.
  • Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556) was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England, the primary author of the Book of Common Prayer and Articles of Religion, and a key contributor to the Book of Homilies.
  • John Calvin (1509–1564) was a pastor and reformer in Geneva, Switzerland. His key works include the Institutes of the Christian Religion and Geneva Catechism, which give a systematic account of reformed doctrine. He is also known for his commentaries on the Bible, which Jacob Arminius (1560–1609) commended to his students as the best since the church fathers.
  • John Wesley (1703–1791) was a priest in the Church of England who organized the evangelical renewal movement called Methodism, which emphasized free grace and an optimistic view of sanctification. Wesley’s key works include his Sermons on Several Occasions, Notes on the New Testament, and A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. John worked closely with his brother Charles Wesley (1707–1788), who wrote thousands of hymns for the Methodist movement, many of which are still sung today.