"Unjustly forgotten for centuries, Johannes Oecolampadius of Basel was a prolific pioneer reformer. As a linguist and exegete he was matched only by Calvin, for whom his writings were a valued resource. But here, at least, is a worthy survey of his life and work. Exhaustive without being exhausting, and solidly learned while easy to read, this is a volume of major importance for all students of Reformed thought."
- J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College
"Johannes Oecolampadius is one of the forgotten heroes of the Reformation. Diane Poythress has put the modern church in her debt by recalling his great achievements in the city of Basel and more widely through his influential biblical commentaries. It is a fascinating study."
- Gordon J. Wenham, Old Testament Professor Emeritus, Trinity College Bristol
"It is indeed a joy to be able to read about the life and times of Basel’s great Reformer, Johannes Oecolampadius, from Dr. Diane Poythress’s pen. She writes in a very engaging style that helps to make the long-ago events of the sixteenth century come alive. Her presentation is scholarly, engaging with all the sources in a number of languages, correctly critical (when authors refuse to see the clear hand of God at action and ascribe ‘secular’ motivation), but most importantly introduces to English readers a beautiful facet of God’s great reforming work in Switzerland.
"Poythress introduces her readers to Oecolampadius’s life in its historical context. She traces his vast influence throughout Europe and helps the reader to understand why he is so important by presenting an annotated bibliography of his prodigious writings. With great depth of learning (including comparing his work with Greek fathers), she points out Oecolampadius’s exegetical insights and contributions as well as his hermeneutical theory. Not content with that significant contribution, she also shows the scope of the Basel Reformer’s theology.
"Dr. Poythress also provides an English translation of part of Oecolampadius’s Isaiah commentary, giving her readers a sweet appetizer to the banquet of theology found at Oecolampadius’s theological table. This work will satisfy scholars but will be a blessing to any reader. It is highly recommended, and the Christian community is indebted to Dr. Poythress and her publisher for making this great work available to us."
- Richard C. Gamble, Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
"Dr. Diane Poythress has written the sole work that reveals for the Englishspeaking world the significant contributions of Oecolampadius. Here is a
man who, as a fountainhead of the Reformation, championed and developed
widely known Protestant doctrines and practices, strengthened those beliefs by
appealing to patristic support for them, had a hand in the 1516 edition of the
Greek New Testament of Desiderius Erasmus, interacted with luminaries like
Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, exerted significant influence on John Calvin and his reforming measures in Geneva, successfully confronted the corrupt
Catholic Church of his day, and transformed Basel into a Reformed city (while
restructuring the city government, schools, and university), interceded for the
Anabaptists, and much more.
"So how does one describe a book that is in a category by itself ? Definitive? Indispensible? Pioneering? Essential? Perhaps better than providing a
description, let me offer thanks to Diane Poythress for her labor in preparing
this unique gift. And let me urge all who love the Reformation and/or desire to
know what has been up to now an overlooked theologian of that movement to
read this exceptional, well-researched, and well-written book."
- Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology,
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and author of
Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine
"Those with a nodding acquaintance with the name and ministry of Johannes
Oecolampadius have longed for a fuller introduction in English of this sixteenth-century Reformer’s life and thought. This is what Dr. Diane Poythress’s
book provides. Usually associated with his contemporary German-Swiss
Reformer Ulrich Zwingli, partly for his participation in the Marburg Colloquy
of 1529 and partly for his death at age forty-nine just six weeks after Zwingli
was killed in battle in 1531, Oecolampadius is shown here to have anticipated
many of the reforming insights and activities of Martin Bucer and John Calvin.
These appear in such areas as church discipline, the role of the elder, exegesis,
and biblical theology. This scholarly and godly figure is one that twenty-firstcentury ministers and theologians can profit from knowing and emulating."
- William S. Barker, Emeritus Professor of Church History,
Westminster Theological Seminary
"In The Reformer of Basel: The Life, Thought, and Influence of Johannes Oecolampadius, Diane Poythress provides a fresh reason to probe the lives and thinking
of little-acknowledged figures of the Protestant Reformation. Oecolampadius,
literally, the ‘house lamp,’ brought to light what became the distinguishing
features of Reformed Christianity. In this excellent biographical and thematic
study of the Reformer of Basel—one of the very few in English—Poythress
probes his pioneering work in original languages, exegetical and historical
studies, liturgy, church discipline, guidance to pastors, and balance of intellect
and pious devotion. Commentator on over twenty biblical books, historian
unpacking the labors of early fathers such as Chrysostom, John of Damascus,
and Augustine, the Reformer of Basel foreshadowed what was best to be found
in Bucer and Calvin. Zwingli had ample reason to call Oecolampadius’s works
a ‘cornucopia.’ An additional benefit of this fine work is Poythress’s summaries of Oecolampadius’s interaction with his contemporary Reformers and his
influence on reformations occurring in other European countries."
- Andrew Hoffecker, Emeritus Professor of Church History,
Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson)
"In Reformer of Basel Diane Poythress introduces us to a generally overlooked
early Reformer who was, in her apt metaphor, a ‘funnel’ who collected the wisdom of the past and poured it into his times. She documents the importance
of Oecolampadius in the development of typological exegesis, his striving to
reform the discipline of the church, and his remarkable capacity for friendship with other first-generation Reformers. As Dr. Poythress observes and ably
demonstrates, if John Calvin is the father of the Reformed churches, he is also
the son of Johannes Oecolampadius."
- John R. Muether, Professor of Church History,
Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando)
"This work on Oecolampadius by Diane Poythress is an enchiridion on the
Reformation. The life of the subject himself is a wonder of providence. His
connections through personal contact or by theological and literary influence
with the other major Reformers give an instructive picture of the organic relations of ideas in the development of Reformation thought and demonstrate the
pivotal substantive nature of his influence on all aspects of the Reformation.Poythress has done a masterful job of laying out the linguistic skills of the
Basel Reformer as well as the more subtle and broadly demanding aspects
of his full hermeneutical method. She has given a succinct yet sufficiently
nuanced presentation of his Reformation theology and the relentless way in
which he discussed all doctrine from a christocentric interpretation of the biblical text. Her presentation of Oecolampadius’s instructions, and practice, about
the importance of preaching is a sobering and encouraging word to any generation. In an immaculately scholarly and trustworthy presentation, Poythress
has also managed to be highly accessible to readers, transparently devoted to
Reformation theology, and seriously encouraging to biblical piety."
- Tom J. Nettles, Professor of Historical Theology,
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"In his day, Oecolampadius attracted the likes of Erasmus and Luther. It’s not
too much of a stretch to claim that his exegetical and grammatical work in
Hebrew and Greek stands behind the return to the Bible and the world-changing preaching of the Reformation. Yet he has become a forgotten soul today.
This book corrects that. Thanks to the tireless and deft efforts of Dr. Diane
Poythress, this great voice from the past once again speaks to the church with
clarity and conviction. Oecolampadius and we too are in her debt."
- Stephen J. Nichols, Research Professor of Christianity
and Culture, Lancaster Bible College
"Dr. Diane Poythress has produced a book that is both informative and inspiring. Informative because she brings needed data to our attention about a
too-little-known figure of the Reformation in Basel, who not only influenced
better-known Reformers but also did important theological work, especially in
hermeneutics, ecclesiology, church polity, and even church and state. Inspiring
because Oecolampadius was both learned and godly, and focus upon such a
life is sure to encourage other pilgrims in their journey. Diane is to be thanked
and congratulated for foregrounding Oecolampadius and translating some of
his rarely read work so that we can all get to know him and the God that he
sought to glorify better."
- Alan D. Strange, Associate Professor of Church History,
Mid-America Reformed Seminary
"Contemporary of Ulrich Zwingli and Protestant leader of Basel, Johannes
Oecolampadius is arguably the most important of the forgotten first-generation Reformers. His numerous commentaries on Scripture and writings on the
Lord’s Supper and church discipline informed the leading lights of subsequent
Reformers like Calvin, Bucer, and Melanchthon. Poythress artfully re-introduces Oecolampadius to twenty-first-century readers by leading them on a
well-rounded tour of his life, reforming activities, hermeneutics, Reformed
convictions, and commentaries. Reformer of Basel houses a wealth of historical
and theological detail and will prove to be an important addition to Reformation studies. A must-read for all those who cherish their Reformation heritage."
- Robert Caldwell, Assistant Professor of Church History,
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
"It is almost incredible that no book-length monograph has ever been published in English on this exceedingly important Reformer of the Basel church,
Johannes Oecolampadius, who played such a decisive role in the formation of
the later Presbyterian-Reformed church polity, especially in the inception and
establishment of eldership among the church officers.
"This new book by Diane Poythress, thanks to her linguistic brilliance in the
sixteenth- century Swiss German and Latin, sheds a new light on this Reformer,
not just as an academic or a scholar but more as a pastor or, in German, a
Seelsorger (caretaker of souls), by way of the autonomous discipline of excommunication, as John Calvin later named it. Through this book, the readers will
learn that Oecolampadius’s prayer was centered solely around the rediscovery
and remedy of the lost sheep back to Christ’s fold.
"I am convinced that this book will prove a great contribution to the Reformation research in English-speaking countries. It will be my great joy to see
it enjoy an extensive circulation for years to come."
- Akira Demura, Professor Emeritus of Church History,
Tohoku Gakuin University, Sendai, Japan
"Recent years have witnessed the publication of many monographs and
scholarly articles dedicated to serially neglected Reformed theologians of the
sixteenth century. One such figure is Johannes Oecolampadius, a first-generation Reformed theologian and civic reformer who, when mentioned at all,
is frequently depicted as a minor figure among better-known contemporaries
such as Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Bucer. Diane Poythress has helpfully filled
this lacuna with this new introduction to Oecolampadius’s career and convictions. Her discussion of the Reformer’s relationships with his more famous
contemporaries, particularly his probable influence on Calvin himself, is
particularly helpful. The sections on Oecolampadius’s approach to biblical
interpretation and the introduction to his core theological convictions are most
welcome. Poythress’s study will be the starting place for English-speaking students and scholars interested in studying the life and doctrine of this key early
Reformed leader."
- Nathan A. Finn, Associate Professor of Historical Theology,
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
"This scholarly book on Oecolampadius will be a necessary addition to any
library of sixteenth-century works. Dr. Poythress has brought to life this lesserknown Reformer by painting a vivid picture of his life and contributions in
the context of essential Protestant themes. She connects his theology to that
of other Reformation personalities and provides a thorough review of all his
published works. For Poythress, Oecolampadius is a model pastor-scholar who
offered a fresh vision for renewing the church in his day and ours."
- S. Donald Fortson, Professor of Church History,
Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte)
"Thanks to Diane Poythress I must substantially modify my rather truncated
lecture on Calvin’s education in Strassburg under Martin Bucer. Poythress
expands the Reformed axis by demonstrating a strong Basel-Strassburg and
Genevan connection. The Reformer of Basel, Johannes Oecolampadius, was
in fact the theologian behind many of the ideas Calvin embraced, including
the relationship of church and state, church discipline, Reformed liturgy, and
aspects of the Lord’s Supper and union with Christ. Any subsequent study of
the Lutheran and Reformed branch of the Reformation must include Oecolampadius. This book is the place to begin."
- Dale Walden Johnson, Professor of Church History, Erskine Theological Seminary
"In this carefully researched study, Diane Poythress has opened for her readers the fascinating world of Johannes Oecolampadius, an important but often
overlooked sixteenth-century pastor, teacher, and Reformer. Reformer of Basel:
The Life, Thought, and Influence of Johannes Oecolampadius makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Protestant Reformation and one of its
most interesting leaders."
- Garth M. Rosell, Professor of Church History,
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
