1536–1559

Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion"

The first edition of the "Institutes of the Christian Religion" appeared in Basel in 1536. It was a small six-chapter book in the manner of a catechism, dedicated to Francis I in defence of persecuted French evangelicals.

The 1539 edition was three times longer and reflected the influence of Martin Bucer and polemics against Servetus and the Anabaptists. The final Latin edition of 1559 and French edition of 1560 had four books and eighty chapters. They became the supreme achievement of Reformation-era Protestant systematic theology.