1559 Confession de Foi

This confession was prepared by Calvin and his pupil, De Chandieu, revised and approved by a synod at Paris, 1559, delivered by Beza to Charles IX, at Poissv, 1561, adopted by the Synod of La Rochelle, 1571 (hence also called the "Confession of La Rochelle"), and solemnly sanctioned by Henry IV.


The theological character of this confession striking me is that the confession starts with the discussion of God's divine attributes prior to Scripture, even though Calvin tried "to make this confession of faith decided by the Word of God (faire decider nostre confession de Foy par la parole de Dieu)." What Calvin was telling to the king of France in hope is that "we may sometimes be permitted to gather together, to be exhorted to the fear of God by His Word, as well as to be confirmed by the administration of the sacraments which the Lord Jesus Christ instituted in His Church (qu'il nous soit permis d'estre quelquefois assembles, tant pour estre exhortee par la parole de Dieu a sa crainte, que pour estre confermee par l'administration des Sacremens, que nostre Seigneur Iesus Christ a institues en son Eglise)."