Title page from The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Institutes of the Christian Religion

in 1535 John Calvin published the initial version of the Institutes. The importance of the Institutes lies with its inclusive and systematic explication of Protestant doctrine. It forcefully presents the Protestants’ claim to teach the original doctrine of the church before it was corrupted by the popes in Rome. Further, the Institutes provides instructions for the practical organization of the reformed church and its relations to a political state.