The History of the Heidelberg Catechism (6)

A study of the history of the Heidelberg Catechism in the Palatinate reveals much persecution. We cannot, in this short presentation, include many details. The opposition to the catechism reached its climax under the reign of the Elector Charles Philip, when an attempt was made to suppress it altogether. In a proclamation issued at Heidelberg in 1719, he commanded his officers to seize, without exception, within the space of three months, all copies containing the eightieth question. The reason given was that this question was offensive to the Catholics. The catechism was not only removed from the schools, but it was also taken away from the families. Therefore the bailiff of the place went from house to house to collect the copies. The collected copies were to be delivered to the magistrates.

Another proclamation directed that the citizens in whose possession such books would thereafter be found must “pay to his gracious majesty a fine of ten florins for each copy.” That the Elector's purpose was not only to prohibit its use in his own country, but, if possible, to destroy the catechism itself, is shown further by the circumstance that even the bookbinders were ordered, under the threat of punishment, to secure again and to hand over such copies as they had already sent to other countries. The copies that were collected were burned. The Catholic pulpits found pleasure in whipping the catechism with rods in the presence of the devout worshippers.

The Reformed Church Council at Heidelberg remonstrated against this, but all their efforts were in vain. The persecution continued. At Odernheim, one of Reformed persuasion was cast into prison and was given only bread and water because he would not comply with the order of the bailiff to search for copies of the catechism that were still concealed in the houses. Even the pope interfered in the matter and encouraged the elector to continue in his “praiseworthy” zeal. On the other hand, the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote a letter of encouragement to the Palatinate Consistory in the name of the Anglican Church, promising whatever assistance could be given.

The complaints against the prohibition of the catechism, and the taking away of the Church of the Holy Spirit from the Reformers and giving it to the Catholics, were finally brought before the Emperor and the Imperial Diet. The violation of the law on the part of the Elector was so apparent that even the Emperor had to decide against him, unwilling as he was. Although the Elector was ordered to permit the free use of the catechism, he endeavored in the course of the negotiation to secure from the Palatinate Consistory an alteration or modification of the language of Question 80. But the Consistory now also stood firm and declared that it was not authorized to make changes in a symbolical book of the church. Thus the Heidelberg Catechism emerged from this siege of persecution unaltered, and its use was continued for the time.

The electoral Palatinate was blotted out in the first French revolution, never to rise again. After Germany's deliverance from the French yoke, it was divided among the neighboring states. In different provinces the Palatinate Catechism remained in use, until it was displaced, like Luther's catechism, by other catechisms, yielding to the advance of Liberalism in church and state, in 1869.

The Heidelberg Catechism was first translated into the Dutch language in 1566 by Peter Datheen, and again a new translation, by C. Van der Heyden, appeared in 1580. At the Synod of Dort, at the 147th and 148th sessions, the resolution was passed to adopt the catechism. Dated May 1, 1619, it read as follows:

“It is unanimously declared, with the heartiest approval of the foreign as well as of the Netherland theologians, that the doctrine embraced in the Palatinate Catechism is in accordance with the Word of God, and that it contains nothing which on the ground of dissonance with the Word of God needs to be altered or amended, and that it is also an exceedingly correct handbook of sound Christian doctrine adapted with special skill, not only to the capacity of youth, but also to adults, that therefore, it may hereafter be taught with much profit in the Netherland churches, and it must, by all means, be retained.”

The catechism, however, was used before its acceptance by the Synod of Dort. It was first adopted as a book of instruction in Germany by the congregations of refugees from the Netherlands, the “Congregations of the Cross,” by the Synod of Wesel, 1568, and of Emden, 1571, and thus it found its way into East Friesland, where a'Lasco's catechism had been used.

Subsequently the catechism was translated into many languages: into Greek in 1597; by order of the states of Holland into modern Greek and Spanish in 1648; into Polish and Hungarian in 1577; into Arabic and Singalese in 1741; besides into Hebrew, low Saxon, English, Scotch, French, Italian, Bohemian, and Malay.

The Heidelberg Catechism was first brought to the United States from the Palatinate by German immigrants, who, on account of the persecutions of the catechism by the Catholic electors, escaped with it across the ocean and settled, for the most part, in Pennsylvania. It was probably their descendants, who, many years later (1869) originated Ursinus College, in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, which still exists today.

In concluding the history of our beloved Heidelberg Catechism, one of the Three Forms of Unity of our Netherlands Reformed denomination, we will quote the opinions of some eminent theologians who have given it their highest praise.

Henry Bullinger (died 1575), successor to Zwingli at Zurich, wrote in 1563, soon after the appearance of the book: “The catechism of the illustrious lord and elector Frederick I have read with great interest, and in reading it I have heartily thanked God that the work which He commenced through Frederick has been crowned with success. The arrangement of the book is comprehensive; the doctrines are set forth in their purity and in accordance with the truth. Everything is clear and edifying. Its rich contents are put together in compact form. I am confident that no better catechism has made its appearance. God's name be praised for it. May He grant it abundant success.”

David Pareus, professor at Heidelberg (died 1622), called it a “golden book,” and said that “it is the general opinion of pious persons that there could scarcely be another catechism prepared that is so firmly grounded upon the Word of God, so clearly arranged, so perfectly finished, and so uniformly adapted to the intellectual capacity of adults and of youth, as is the Palatinate or Heidelberg Catechism.”

The judgment of Heinrich Alting, professor at Heidelberg and later at Groningen (died 1644), was that “the Heidelberg Catechism is at the same time milk for babes and strong meat for adults.”

When the delegation of English theologians returned home from the Synod of Dort, they said: “Our Reformed brethren on the continent have a small book, the Heidelberg Catechism, whose single leaves [pages] are worth more than tons of gold.”

We conclude with the testimony of a German minister who is unknown to us, Max Goebel (died 1857), who wrote as follows: “The Heidelberg Catechism may be regarded in the truest sense of the word as the flower and fruit of the entire German and French Reformation. It combines in it Lutheran fervor, Melanchthonian clearness, Zwinglian simplicity, and .Calvinian fire.”

It is our sincere hope and prayer that the Lord may continue to bless this “book of comfort,” not only for the edification of His people, but also for the instruction of our youth in the three things necessary to know— misery, deliverance, and gratitude— that they may live and die happily.

This brief history of the Heidelberg Catechism has been adapted for the most part from a book written by Rev. Otto Thelemann, a German Reformed minister in Detmold, Germany, and published in 1887. It is an explanation of each question in the catechism, followed by a brief history of the same. In the preface to this work, he writes: “As I stand in the fullest and most perfect accord, both from conviction and experience, with the authors of the catechism, Ursinus and Olevianus, in relation to the creed of the Church, reformed according to God's Word, so my explanations of the catechism are true to the spirit and sense of their work, as is proved by the quotations from their Latin and German writings. I cite these, however, chiefly because the authors of the catechism are naturally the best, and have not yet been surpassed as interpreters of the same. At the same time the selections develop more fully the brief explanations which I have given, and will serve to restore to the church the rich inheritance which it possesses in the writings of these men.”

This book was translated from the German by M. Peters in 1896, and the translation was checked by the then president of Ursinus College, Henry T. Spangler, in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. The history appears as an appendix.

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