COMMENTARY CONTEXTS

Date, circumstances and background issues of the commentary

The commentaries examined in this chapter are varied, covering Calvin's work on all non-Pauline New Testament epistles. In many ways Calvin's work here is much like his work on the rest of the New Testament. The discussion below will focus as much as possible on what is distinctive to these books, saying less on some topics as a result.

Calvin placed these commentaries in separate volumes. The commentary on Hebrews was first published as a freestanding work in 1549. Those on the Catholic Epistles, or rather the “Canonical Epistles” as Calvin termed them in the title and dedicatory epistle, were published in one volume in 1551.

He had done exegetical work on these texts in other contexts prior to or during the publication of the commentaries. Both Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles were studied in the congrégations in 1549. T. H. L. Parker notes that a series of Sunday morning sermons on Hebrews was under way in 1549 when data becomes available, possibly having begun in December of 1548, and concluding by August 25 when the sermons on the book of Acts were begun. None of these sermons are extant, as the stenographic work of Denis Raguenier did not begin until September of that year. It is not known whether Calvin preached on the Canonical Epistles.

The Latin commentary on Hebrews was published alone only once, with a dedication date of May 23, 1549.