Zacharias Ursinus was one of the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism. Together with Kaspar Olevianus (1536-1587) he composed the instruction book that has endured the past 450 years.

Translations⤒🔗

The first Dutch translation of the Heidelberg Catechism was made for the emigrants from The Netherlands at Emden, which was a translation of the second German edition that was not widely used. Peter Dathenus made a translation of the third edition in 1563 for the Dutch refugee congregation in Frankenthal. In 1566 the Heidelberg Catechism was included as an appendix to the Dutch Psalm book. In 1568 the Convent of Wesel, an assembly of emigrants from the Netherlands, recommended the Dutch translation of the Heidelberg Catechism along with the Catechism of Calvin. The Heidelberg Catechism was approved by the Synods of Emden (1571), Dordrecht (1574, 1578), Middelburg (1581), and The Hague. Subscription to it by the ministers in the Reformed churches became mandatory.

Composers←⤒🔗

Frederick III (the Pious) of the Palatinate (1515-1576) commissioned the Heidelberg Catechism in 1562, directed its production, personally made some changes, and secured its approval by the Heidelberg Synod early in 1563. Some years later he courageously defended it before Emperor Maximilian at the Imperial Diet of Augsburg in May of 1566.

For the composition of the Heidelberg Catechism he consulted with the entire theological faculty, superintendents, and ministers. Thus, the composition of the Heidelberg Catechism was a team project. Nevertheless, the lion’s share of the work was done by two persons, namely Kaspar Olevianus and Zacharius Ursinus, who drafted the final edition.

Early Development by Ursinus←⤒🔗

In 1562 Ursinus produced his Small Catechism, consisting of 108 questions and answers. It is probable that he produced this Small Catechism in connection with Frederick’s order to prepare a new Palatinate catechism. Undoubtedly, the Heidelberg Catechism has this Small Catechism as its major source. About 90 of the 108 questions and answers reappear in some way in the Heidelberg Catechism. The main theme of the Small Catechism was comfort. The threefold division of misery, deliverance, and gratitude was also present in the Small Catechism. Therefore, it is a fact that Ursinus was responsible for the main content of the Catechism.

In addition, there are two more contributions by Ursinus to the Heidelberg Catechism. The first one is that he used the Catechism to bring the Lutheran and the Reformed traditions together. This is probably connected to the fact on the one hand that Ursinus was reared in a Lutheran home but that the foundations of his theology were laid by Melanchthon, with whom he lived and studied for seven years in Wittenberg. He also toured the great centres of Reformed thought, and was strongly attached to Zurich. He visited Geneva and was acquainted with Calvin and Beza. Through Melanchthon’s influence he found himself increasingly drawn to the Reformed theologians – Calvin, Bullinger, Peter Martyr.

Ever since the 1520s, Lutheranism and Reformed Protestantism had grown apart, which became evident particularly in their differing viewpoints on the Lord’s Supper. This difference in doctrine became the occasion for a sad turn in the course of events. Luther had not realized that others might think differently than he did about the doctrine he held on the Lord’s Supper.

A hardening of viewpoints became evident. Realizing that the two traditions had grown apart, it was Ursinus, who tried to bring the two positions together. As a result Ursinus was regarded as a Crypto-Calvinist, that is, a Lutheran who covertly holds Calvinist views, especially on the point of the Lord’s Supper, but also on the teaching of the law and its significance for the Christian life.

Ursinus painfully experienced how the strict Lutherans of his day thought ill of him. Yet he was not to be dissuaded. After his studies at Wittenberg (1550-57) and Zurich (1558-60), he became Loci professor at Heidelberg (1561-68), where he sought to bring about a reformation in the Reformed sense.

In 1546, Frederik III had embraced Lutheranism, but through his wife Maria he had become interested in the Calvinists so that by 1561 he had rejected Lutheranism for Calvinism. Trying to promote the unity between the two, he was concerned to promote Calvinist teachings. The result was that Ursinus and Olevianus cooperated with him in this effort when composing the Heidelberg Catechism. It is to these series of events that we owe the composition of the Heidelberg Catechism.

The Comfort of Doctrine←⤒🔗

When the Heidelberg Catechism is read in the light of the above, it will be evident that it clearly contains the essence of the Reformed confessions, but in a way that focuses on the comfort of faith. The Heidelberg Catechism is the book of the “only comfort.” This personal comfort is felt throughout and is not missing from even one page, so that the question regarding the profit of believing a doctrine is often raised. Many times it is asked, “What does it profit you that you believe this?” or “What advantage is it to us to know this?”

This immediate focus on the Christian’s comfort stands out in the Catechism. When we compare the Heidelberg Catechism with other catechisms written in the days of the Reformation, it may be noticed that the Heidelberg Catechism definitely strikes this keynote. This does not mean that we charge other catechisms with intellectualizing doctrine. Yet it cannot be denied that the keynote in the Heidelberg Catechism has a different sound, which appeals to the reader and the church profits from this emphasis on the instruction of Christian doctrines.

Christian doctrine may not be presented as barren and dry, and it is evident that it is not presented that way in the Heidelberg Catechism when we notice the constant refrain of comfort. It focuses on the heart. It seeks to point to the comfort by inquiring after the significance, the advantage of the doctrines it teaches.

Ursinus, as it were, has built a bridge between Lutheranism and Reformed Protestantism, while clearly continuing to be a good Calvinist. Yet he has not hesitated to bring the questions of Luther and the questions of Calvin together. To put it simply, Luther asks, “How do I find a gracious God? How do I partake of the comfort of the Gospel?” Although Calvin cannot be accused of having another starting-point, his emphasis was much more focused on, “What does God say in His Word?” with a view to asking, “How is this to His glory?”

Ursinus successfully brought those two emphases together – the comfort of the sinner and the glory of God. In the Heidelberg Catechism Ursinus brought together what has become separated in the history of the Reformation. In this way Ursinus made a significant contribution to the church of the Reformation, as well as for the Church today.

Orderly Truth←⤒🔗

The second significant contribution that Ursinus has made to the Heidelberg Catechism is that he presents doctrine in a scholarly way, with a particular focus on the practical outcome in the message coming from the pulpit and as it resonates in the life of the church.

This is clear from his theological method. Ursinus lived in a day when the churches of the Reformation were compelled to give an account of the faith in a scholarly way. Ursinus did not turn his back on that challenge. On the contrary, while making use of all the tools the scholarly world of that time had at its disposal, he expounded the Christian faith in a methodical way.

Ursinus has often been criticized for having used the method borrowed from medieval scholasticism, which is said to detract from the essence of the Gospel. In the scope of this article, we cannot answer this in detail. It may be helpful to simply state that the term scholasticism has at least a number of meanings. It can refer to a system of thought, to a method, or to a style.

Ursinus was not unwarrantably scholastic in his method and certainly not unbiblical in his system of thought. We do an injustice to Ursinus if we regard him as someone who petrified Reformed theology and turned it into dry and rigid truths. On the contrary, the beauty and freshness of the Heidelberg Catechism still stuns many today.

Let us remember Ursinus and his labours for the church with deep respect and thank God for the great gifts that He bestows on His servants when His church is truly in need of such.