Reformation Classics Collection

This massive collection on the reformation contains contains 45 volumes of writings by the Reformers themselves, and 15 classic studies on the reformation such as Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton,  Leaders of the Reformation, by C. H. Dubbs. History of the Anabaptists in Switzerland, by H. S. Burrage and others of similar quality.

A massive, original collection on the Protestant Reformation containing hundreds of writings by the Reformers, along with 15 classic studies on the Reformation. A must-have for students of Church history and those who are devoted to the Protestant heritage.

Biblesoft’s editorial staff has been working on this new collection for over a year and has done an outstanding job of organizing the works under the various movements which made up the Reformation.

What's Included

The complete Biblesoft Reformation Classics Collection contains:

45 Volumes of Writings by the Reformers.

Note: These are Biblesoft volumes -- often covering multiple print volumes, and overall containing hundreds of individual writings.

• Works of Luther (11 vols, including his German Bible transl.
• The Lutheran Book of Concord (1 vol)
• Works of Calvin (9 vols)
• Calvin's Institutes and complete Commentaries
• Works of the Swiss Reformation (4 vols: Zwingli/Bullinger/Anabaptists)
• Works of the English Reformation (11 vols, including Tyndale's English Bible transl.)
• Selected Writings of the Anabaptists
• (Complete) Works of Menno Simons
• Enchiridion of Dirk Philips
• The Martyrs' Mirror
• Selected Writings of the Spiritualist Reformers
• (Complete) Works of James Arminius
• Truth of the Christian Religion, by Hugo Grotius

15 Classic Studies on the Reformation

• D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation in Europe
• Baird, History of the Rise of the Huguenots
• Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton
• Life of Luther, by Julius Köstlin
• Luther and the Reformation, by Joseph A. Seiss
• Luther Examined and Reexamined, by W. H. T. Dau
• Luther on the Eve of His Revolt, by M. J. Lagrange
• Luther and Other Leaders of the Reformation, by J. Tulloch
• Leaders of the Reformation, by C. H. Dubbs
• Life of Philip Melanchthon: Two Biographies
• Life and Times of Ulrich Zwingli, by J. Hottinger
• History of the Anabaptists in Switzerland, by H. S. Burrage
• History of the Moravian Church (Bohemian Brethren), by J. E. Hutton
• John Calvin and the Psalmody of the Reformed Church
• Studies in the History of the Book of Common Prayer, by H. M. Luckock

Included in this collection but also available separately:

Luther and the Lutheran Tradition

18 Volumes:

• 10 volumes - Works of Luther
• Luther's German Bible translation
• Lutheran Book of Concord
• Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton
• Life of Luther, by Julius Köstlin
• Luther and the Reformation, by Joseph A. Seiss
• Luther Examined and Reexamined, by W. H. T. Dau
• Luther on the Eve of His Revolt, by M. J. Lagrange
• Life of Philip Melanchthon: Two Biographies

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Calvin and the Reformation in France

12 Volumes:

• 9 volumes - Works of Calvin
• Calvin's Institutes and complete Commentaries
• D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation in Europe
• Baird, History of the Rise of the Huguenots
• John Calvin and the Psalmody of the Reformed Church

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The English Reformation

12 Volumes:

• Vol 1: Thomas Cranmer, with historical documents
• Vol 2: Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley
• Vol 3: William Tyndale and other Early English Reformers
• Vol 4: Miles Coverdale and Other Reformers
• Vol 5: John Hooper
• Vol 6: John Knox
• Vol 7: John Jewel
• Vol 8: Theologians and Reformers
• Vol 9: John Fox's Acts and Monuments
• Vol 10: Richard Hooker
• Tyndale's English Bible translation
• Studies in the History of the Book of Common Prayer, by H. M. Luckock

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The Swiss Reformation

6 Volumes:

• 2 volumes - Works of Zwingli
• The Decades of Heinrich Bullinger
• Writings and Testimonies of the Swiss Anabaptists
• History of the Anabaptists in Switzerland, by H. S. Burrage
• Life and Times of Ulrich Zwingli, by J. Hottinger

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Anabaptists and Spiritualist Reformers

8 Volumes:

• Selected Writings of the Spiritualist Reformers
• Selected Writings of the Anabaptists
• Works of Menno Simons
• The Enchiridion of Dirk Philips
• The Martyrs' Mirror
• Writings and Testimonies of the Swiss Anabaptists
• History of the Anabaptists in Switzerland, by H. S. Burrage
• History of the Moravian Church (Bohemian Brethren), by J. E. Hutton

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LUTHER AND THE LUTHERAN TRADITION:

The Protestant Reformation is traditionally said to begin with Martin Luther's posting of his "95 Theses" on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Oct 31 1517. Luther was, in every respect, a larger-than-life figure, whose experience (as a monk, university professor, and pioneering reformer) helped lead the way during the early years of the movement that shook Christian Europe. His firebrand courage, his boldness and audacity, as well as his theological learning and religious acumen -- these all made him the right person and the right time. Biblesoft offers 10 volumes of Luther's works, including all of his best-known writings - besides the landmark 95 Theses, a collection of tracts and treatises (Address to the Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, The Bondage of the Will, etc.), his Catechisms, a rich selection of Sermons from his Church Postil, Commentaries on Genesis, Galatians, the Sermon on the Mount and other NT passages; along with Letters and Hymns, as well as his famous (or infamous) Tischreden ("Table-Talk"). Also included is Luther's German Bible translation, which, along with his Hymns, would surely be regarded as his finest and most lasting work; it's influence on the German language is equal to that of the KJV on English.

Besides Luther's writings, we offer five classic studies on his life and work, among which are Quaker historian Roland H. Bainton's wonderful Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, and the Life of Luther by Julius Köstlin (in translation). Also included are two biographies on Philip Melancthon, Luther's younger colleague -- one of the finest theologians, scholars, and educators of the day. "Peace-loving" Melanchton tended to adopt a more moderate or mediating position on controversial issues, and was on friendly terms with Calvin and other Reformed leaders. These controversial issues are exemplified in the Lutheran Book of Concord, the definitive document of Lutheranism.

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CALVIN AND THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE:

John Calvin is undoubtedly the best known figure of the Reformation -  in Western Europe and America, at any rate -- whose name has become virtually synonymous with the Reformed Tradition. Immensely gifted as a man of learning, if he had not been converted to the Reformation, Calvin would have probably become the pre-eminent scholar in France. In addition to his famous Institutes and complete Commentaries, Biblesoft offers nine volumes of Calvin's works, covering most of his essential writings: Three volumes of tracts and treatises, including a biography of Calvin, written by his successor at Geneva, Theodore Beza; Four volumes of Letter; One volume of Selected Sermons; and a ninth volume, which contains a special Appendix on "Calvin and the Persecution of Heretics", with an examination of the execution of Servetus and selected writings by Calvin's colleague-turned-opponent Sebastian Castellion.

Also included are two classic histories: D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin; and History of the Rise of the Huguenots, by Henry M. Baird. John Calvin and the Psalmody of the Reformed Church explores a little-appreciated part of the Reformed Tradition: its rich musical-poetical heritage.

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THE ENGLISH REFORMATION:

Sometimes called the "Middle Way" of the Reformation, the path taken in England (and Scotland) was wholly unique to the mind and temperament of the nation -- its rulers and its people. From Henry VIII's initial break with the pope and the Roman Catholic Church (for personal/political reasons), a fierce Protestant-Catholic struggle ensued, the national shifts being represented by each successive ruler: Edward VI (Reformed Protestant), Mary (Roman Catholic), Elizabeth (moderate Reformed, Episcopal). The Elizabethan settlement -- characterized by the 39 Articles and the Book of Common Prayer, and despite some Puritan dissent -- became the foundation of the Anglican Communion. Nearby Scotland, on the other hand, after serious conflict, became thoroughly Reformed, epitomized by the heroic figure of John Knox.

The names (Cranmer, Tyndale, Knox, Latimer, Hooker) may be familiar, if not their writings. Here Biblesoft offers 10 full volumes of works of the English Reformation. Individual volumes are devoted to the key figures of Thomas Cranmer, William Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, John Knox, John Hooper, John Jewell and John Fox, with a varied selection of treatises, sermons, commentaries, letters, and other writings. Many of the English Reformers (Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, Bradford, etc.) were martyred during the reign of Queen Mary, to be immortalized in Fox's Acts and Monuments (from whence the abridged "Book of Martyrs" comes). We provide here the complete Acts and Monuments, with illustrations. An added volume of the works of Richard Hooker, presents his magisterial and greatly influential Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. In addition, we offer Tyndale's English Bible version, and H. M. Luckock's Studies in the History of the Book of Common Prayer.

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THE SWISS REFORMATION:

Zwingli's successor at Zurich was Heinrich Bullinger, whose played a prominent role (alongside John Calvin), in establishing the doctrinal standards of the Reformed Churches. Bullinger was especially influential and revered among the English Reformers. His Decades -- a collection of 50 sermons, expanded and arranged into a kind of systematic theology -- was, for a time, the chief theological textbook in England, achieving a greater popularity even than Calvin's Institutes.
The Anabaptists were also an important, if somewhat forgotten, part of the Swiss Reformation. Many died young (some in prison or at the stake), persecuted by both Catholics and fellow-Protestants. From Switzerland and southern Germany, the movement spread north and east, encountering persecution at almost every turn. We offer a selection of their writings, along with historical articles and documentation, as well as a History of the Anabaptists in Switzerland, by H. S. Burrage.

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ANABAPTISTS AND SPIRITUALIST REFORMERS

By far the least known and poorly understood members of the Protestant movement, these men and women represent the so-called "Radical Reformation". Most of these dissidents and independent groups endured intense persecution -- facing prison, exile, or death -- sadly, at the hands of both Roman Catholics and Protestants alike. The Anabaptist movement began in Switzerland and spread throughout Germany, into the Netherlands and eastern Europe. The early Anabaptists included talented young scholars and theologians such as Felix Manz, Conrad Grebel, Michael Sattler, of which the two most prominent were Balthasar Hubmeier and Pilgram Marpeck. Two volumes of writings, testimonies, historical documents, and supplemental articles are offered, as well as the History of the Anabaptists in Switzerland, by H. S. Burrage.

The Anabaptists today survive among the Hutterites and Mennonites in North America. The Mennonite tradition is especially represented here by three volumes: Complete Works of Menno Simons and the Enchiridion of Dirk Philips; along with the Martyrs' Mirror by Tilemann van Braught, a compendious Church History, modelled after Fox's Acts and Monuments, which movingly details (with illustrations) the fierce persecution endured by the Anabaptists. These early German Baptists were precursors to the later (English) Baptist Tradition.
Biblesoft also offers a unique volume of writings by the so-called Spiritualist (or Spiritual) Reformers. Villified, more or less unjustly, as pernicious heretics, these lonely figures who pursued and espoused an "inner" spiritual path, over and against the external forms of worship and church government, had to endure, like the Anabaptists, much persecution. Johannes Denck, Sebastian Franck, and Caspar Schwenckfeld are the main Reformers of note. Because their views and writings are so poorly understood, some supplementary articles and a special introduction are included. In many ways, they are precursors to the 17th century Quaker movement, and the Pietist mystics.

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