Today I have the pleasure of reviewing the new edition of “Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms: A Reader’s Edition” put out by Crossway.
I can begin this review by saying I absolutely love this volume and have used it every day since getting it. Before explaining why, let me note that this book is a cloth over board book containing 13 creeds and confessions penned throughout church history. This volume includes The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Athanasian Creed, The Chalcedonian Definition, The Augsburg Confession, The Belgic Confession, The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, The Canons of Dort, The Westminster Confession of Faith, The London Baptist Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Westminster Larger Catechism, and The Westminster Shorter Catechism
For those who don’t know, here is a quick chart breaking those down (swipe to scroll on the table on mobile):
| Creed/Confession | Origin | Tradition |
| Apostles Creed | Mysterious Origin/Early forms across the church | Accepted by All |
| Nicene Creed (381, the Nicene Constantinopolitan) | Pre-Reformation, ecumenical creed | Accepted by All |
| Athanasian | 5th Century | Accepted by most Western Churches |
| Chalcedonian Definition | 5th Century | Accepted by all except various Coptic Churches |
| Augsburg Confession | 16th Century | Lutheran Confession |
| Belgic Confession | 16th Century | Reformed Confession |
| The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion | 16th Century | Anglican/Episcopalian Confession |
| Canons of Dort | 17th Century | Reformed response to the Remonstrance |
| Westminster Confession of Faith | 17th Century | Reformed Confession, influential in Presbyterian churches |
| The London Baptist Confession | 17th Century | Reformed Baptist, influential in Reformed Baptist churches. |
| The Heidelberg Catechism | 16th Century | Reformed Catechism |
| Westminster Larger Catechism | 17th Century | Reformed Catechism |
| Westminster Shorter Catechism | 17th Century | Reformed Catechism |
The paper is excellent, the binding feels nice, and it has a single ribbon (crossways ribbons are still annoying, but overall this book is a win entirely). In most cases, I would have to consult my digital edition of the Creeds and Confessions compiled to read them, yet here we have them all in a single volume. Not only are they in a single book, but they also were not kidding about it being “A Reader’s Edition.” The font, paper, and feel are just absolutely fantastic and comfortable to read through.
The beautiful cover design is actually the cover design instead of just being a print on a book jacket (thank you, crossway), and those of you who know me know this is a big win for me. In addition, at the beginning of each creed/confession/catechism, you’ll find a brief historical explanation of the subject at hand, written by the editor, Chad Van Dixhoorn, a professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary. These introductions are brief, but you can also supplement them with some quick research.
My only real gripe, which is tiny in light of the entire volume, is the translation of the Apostles Creed. It’s the same issue I had with the “Be Thou My Vision” devotional, and so I won’t rehash it here.
Ultimately, this book is a must for those who are interested in church confessions, and history, and especially wonderful if you are wanting to make them a part of your devotional life. This is by far going to be one of my most-used volumes and I’m so glad Crossway finally fulfilled what has been a long-standing desire of mine, to have all of these documents in one book.
Pick it up on Amazon or at crossway.
My name is Nicholas [Nick] Campbell and I live in Texas with my wife and two children. I have a BA in Biblical Studies and a MA in New Testament Studies. Learn more about me and CITC at christisthecure.org/about
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