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The Institution of Christian Religion

Jean Calvin; translated by Thomas Norton · 1561

Thomas Norton's 1561 English translation of Calvin's Institutes, bringing his theology to English readers.

An early English translation of Calvin's own theological masterwork, the Institutes.

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Close view of a marbled endpaper with blue, green, and cream swirls and a brown leather hinge or board edge along the left side. No text is visible.
Jean Calvin, translated by Thomas Norton, The Institution of Christian Religion, 1561.

About this source

What it is

This book is Thomas Norton's 1561 English translation of Calvin's major theological work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. The original text was written by Calvin, and Norton translated it into English soon after.

Why it matters

This translation helped spread Calvin's ideas to English-speaking Protestants not long after his lifetime. It shows how Calvin's theology crossed language barriers and influenced the Reformed church in England.

Look closer

  • Why would translating a theological work into English have mattered so much in the 1560s?
  • What might be gained or lost when a text is translated rather than read in its original language?
  • What can the physical book — its binding and endpapers — tell us about how it was made and preserved?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Calvin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1559 Geneva edition of Calvin's Institutio Christianae religionis, printed by Robert Estienne. Title text reads 'Institutio Christianae religionis... Iohanne Calvino authore.' A woodcut shows a tree with the motto 'Altum sapere' and a figure reaching toward it. Printed 'Geneva, M.D.LIX.'Book

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Painted portrait of a bearded man in a black beret, dark-brown garment, black collar with white linen edge, turned three-quarters to the left against a brown background. Inscription at top reads IOANNES CALVINVS.Painting

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