To say that this is a lifetime’s work by an elite historical theologian may be an understatement. Professor R. Scott Clark, who has taught Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary in California for decades, has been working on this project for decades. He has taught the subject matter in venues ranging from scholarly symposia to seminary classrooms to Sunday School classes. This volume stands head and shoulders above any other modern commentaries, comprehending both the best insights of this catechetical tradition while also supplying a timely set of pastoral insights. While well documented, the prose is accessible to any who wish to learn.
Subtitled “A Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Commentary,” following its introduction (which thankfully is to the point and not exhausting), the commentary per se is organized around the several questions that were designed to be read and studied each Lord’s Day of the year, providing basic theology over 52 Sundays. The 129 questions spread over this Sabbatarian pattern fall into three main divisions, mirroring the typical “Guilt-Grace-Gratitude” structure: 1) Law, questions 2–11; 2) Gospel, questions 12–85; and 3) Sanctification, questions 86–129.
The introduction to the cultural sitz im leben is helpful. The two primary authors (Ursinus, once a protégé to Melanchthon, and Olevianus) are introduced in the opening, as well as the political situation of the lone German Calvinist province, the Palatinate, under the sponsorship of Frederick III. Clark also identifies the precursor catechisms that fed into this impressive 1563 work (from Bucer in Strasbourg, Bullinger in Zurich, Calvin in Geneva, and a Lasco in Emden—indicating the ecumenical Reformed consensus).
From its initial explanation of the familiar Question 1, this commentary is both modern and practical in the best sense. Professor Clark has written a large volume that keeps the average church member in mind, for example: “The whole Reformation may be said to turn on the difference between two prepositions. When it comes to being right before God, the Roman Catholic preposition is in us, and the Protestant preposition is for us” (24). Typical of the rightly-practical bent, Clark concludes his commentary on the first Lord’s Day with a facet that is not always associated with heady theology, namely, thankfulness.
Each chapter includes the catechism questions, an introduction that shows the timeliness of the idea, and discussion of both Scripture and various traditions on the subject. And while many practical insights are provided, where else can we find one who knows the mind of the original author enough to say credibly, “We know that Ursinus was thinking in these terms ” (56).
That being said, Clark does not fail to provide his readers with a lifetime of historical information which filters out the difference between orthodoxy and heterodoxy. His commentary covers the traditional blocks of information: 1) the Apostles’ Creed; 2) The Ten Commandments (comprising one-fifth of this volume), which are seen as an anchor for ethical formulations (some of the latter sections include a helpful summary of virtues to be developed and vices to be avoided); and 3) The Lord’s Prayer (10% of the book). Of course, he also traces the sacraments and church discipline.
With an impressive bibliography of nearly 50 pages, there is also a Scripture index (in addition to an author and subject index) which puts the work right at the 1,000-page mark, but do not let that scare you off. It is, after all, possible to have a quarter of a cow in the freezer without eating all the beef at once—a few bites at a time will serve one well with this book. The footnotes serve their purpose of providing extra information or sourcing, but one may proceed without considering such and still get the full meal.
To sum it up: this is a practical commentary on a practical catechism, and it shows. One may find more information on a particular topic in other pedantic works, but this work aims to expose a new generation to the riches of the whole. If only a movement styling itself as “gospel-centered” could appreciate this work, churches and Christians could be greatly strengthened.
The next time one thinks that Scott Clark is guilty of being too polemical—usually for blurting out something like, “But the emperor has no clothes”—maybe show him some grace after reading this work which is representative of his theology and practice, and give him a bit of gratitude for this magnum opus.
We are grateful for the many years spent preparing this work. It really has no other comparable competition, unless one lugs around Ursinus’ own commentary, which almost needs a cart to transport. Every church library must have this, and officers and students will want a copy of this fine work. It ranks with Robert Godfrey’s recent Saving the Reformation, Kevin DeYoung’s Daily Doctrine, and Carl Trueman’s Crisis in Confidence—a new generation of books by elite scholars that are, thankfully, pitched toward any serious reader. This volume will serve as a community-identifier for friends and foes of the Reformed faith, which will demand to be represented fairly with the publication of this standard.
With books like this one, there is simply no excuse not to know “the faith handed down once and for all to all the saints.”
R. Scott Clark, The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, Pastoral Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press 2025).
Editor’s Note: This review originally appeared on David Hall’s Substack and appears here with minor revisions and with permission.
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David Hall
Reverend David W. Hall is married to Ann, and they are parents of three grown children and grandparents of eight grandchildren. He has served as the Senior Pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA) since 2003. Previously, he served as Pastor of the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (1984–2003) and as Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Rome, Georgia (1980–1984). He was ordained to pastoral ministry in 1980. He was educated at Covenant Theological Seminary and is the editor and author of several volumes.
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