Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism

Click here for TOCs and sample chapter   “The question of comfort is placed and treated first, because it embodies the design and substance of the catechism. The design is that we may be led to the attainment of sure and solid comfort, both in life and death.” —on Lord’s Day 1 Comfort. To comfort God’s people with instruction in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the main reason the Heidelberg Catechism was written. And to that end, George W. Williard's English translation of The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism has existed alongside the Catechism since 1851, assisting many generations of believers in plumbing the depths of the biblical truth of comfort expounded in the Catechism. This 2025 edition of the Commentary is improved in readability and consistency compared to previous editions but still remains faithful to Williard’s original English translation. Bibliographical and explanatory footnotes have also been added to improve the reader’s study. Now in an enhanced format, the Commentary is a theological classic that would find a home in any Christian library.    What others are saying about the book: “The lectures of Ursinus as compiled and edited by his student, David Pareus, are invaluable for understanding the Heidelberg Catechism. This is especially true for preachers tasked with proclaiming its teaching. Yet, preachers, and even those in the pew, may be turned off by its ‘scholastic’ structure. Far from making the Catechism more difficult, it was in the Christian use of Aristotle that Ursinus and others sought to analyze, break down, and simplify the teaching of the word for pastors, who are tasked with preaching to people. In other words, sophistication in the study leads to simplicity in the pulpit. Pastors: immerse yourself in the best of our tradition’s pedagogy and watch your preaching improve and your people’s minds and hearts be enflamed!”  - Daniel R. Hyde (Ph.D., Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church (Carlsbad/Oceanside, CA)   “It is with great enthusiasm that I commend this latest edition of Ursinus’s Commentary from the RFPA…The reader of this new edition will find much to edify the soul. I cannot encourage you too strongly to buy this for your personal and church libraries. A blessing is in store for readers of classics.” - C. N. Willborn (Ph.D., Westminster Theological Seminary), senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (Oak Ridge, TN)   “The well-loved Heidelberg Catechism deserves not only careful study but also systematic exposition. And who better to write a commentary on the Catechism than one of its authors, Zacharias Ursinus?...Let us all rejoice in the republication of a significant resource in our Reformed theological and practical heritage.” - Thomas G. Reid Jr. (M.Div., Th.M.), retired librarian and registrar, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Pittsburgh, PA)     ZACHARIAS URSINUS (1534–1583) was a Reformed theologian and professor. Through his works and teaching, and as the main author of the Heidelberg Catechism, by God’s grace Ursinus left an ongoing legacy for Reformed churches worldwide.   718 pages Hardcover ISBN 978-1-959515-41-8 Release date: March 2025   eBook version will be available after the hardcover's release