The Works of John Knox, Volume 6: Letters, Prayers, and Other Shorter Writings with a Sketch of His Life

Book excerpt: John Knox (1514-1572) was more a reformer of the Scottish Kirk than he was a systematic theologian, as his collected works will attest. Knox had a profound influence upon theological and ecclesiological developments in Scotland both purely by the force of his personality and by the role he played in shaping the Scots Confession and the Book of Common Order. Knox was an ordained priest and served as a tutor prior to his conversion to Protestantism. Volumes One and Two: Knox's famous 'History of the Reformation in Scotland'. Apologetics as much as history, 'History of the Reformation in Scotland' was immediately seized and suppressed when it initially appeared, yet it has remained available in various editions for over 400 years. Volume Three: 'Earliest Writings', 1548-1554 Volume Four: 'Writings from Frankfurt and Geneva'. These writings in exile include Knox's famous 'First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women', his violent diatribe against Mary of Guise. Volume Five: 'On Predestination' and other writings. 'On Predestination, in Answer to the Cavillations by an Anabaptist' is Knox's longest theological work and presents a position of rigid predestinationism. Volume Six: Letters, Prayer, and other shorter writings with a sketch of his life.