BOOK REVIEW:
Architect of Reformation: An Introduction to Heinrich Bullinger, 1503-1575. Edited by Bruce Gordon and Emidio Campi. Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004. 300 pp. (paperback). ISBN 978-0801028991. 

Two claims are made in the introduction of this volume of collected essays, gathered together to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Heinrich Bullinger's birth: that Bullinger is “the forgotten reformer of the sixteenth century” (emphasis is in the original) and that he is “the man above all responsible for the construction of the Reformed church in the sixteenth century” (p. 17). These are the sort of claims that make for good hooks, but they are usually not helpful as a real measure of the success of a book. There are simply too many questions that cannot be answered in anything approaching an objective manner; we have here assertions without evidence (and one must ask what kind of evidence would be necessary to substantiate these claims).

But that's okay. Whether or not the book can make a special case for Bullinger being “the” forgotten reformer (out of the hundreds of other possible candidates), and whether or not he can be seen as bearing the responsibility for the construction of the Reformed church (which of several different kinds of measure would one use?), one thing remains: an engaging and illuminating set of essays that examine Bullinger as reformer, pastor, preacher, theologian, etc. One puts down this volume not only knowing more about Bullinger than when one started (in all likelihood), but one also finishes these essays with a greater appreciation for Bullinger. In fact, this volume does a wonderful job of reminding us that, as with many important figures in the history of the sixteenth-century Reformation, Bullinger served well in a variety of roles, highlighting the fact that his talents were many and his dedication to the church was remarkable.

After a well-deserved note of gratitude to the late Edward A. Dowey, Jr., who worked so hard to increase awareness of the work and importance of Bullinger, and an introduction that (caveats above notwithstanding) serves well to frame the collection of essays, the work starts with a posthumously edited chapter by Professor Dowey on Bullinger's theology and method, which provides a very helpful overview of Bullinger as a theologian. The essays that follow cover topics in Bullinger's theology (ranging from the Trinity on the one hand, marriage on the other) and ecclesiology (worship, ministry); they examine genres of his writing (the Decades, vernacular spiritual writings); and they look at particular kinds of work in which he was engaged (Bullinger as historian, educator, correspondent, and politician).

Almost (though not quite) all of the essays work within a collection such as this one because they elicit (in this reader, anyway) a desire to read more Bullinger, dig deeper into his thought, and compare his life's work with that of the more thoroughly studied reformers. Mark Taplin's essay on the Trinity, for example, is a very instructive case study in how Bullinger helped to develop the Reformed “synthesis of scripture and tradition” (p. 99), one that, while relying upon scripture, understood scripture to stand under a rule of faith that embodied the Apostolic tradition. Rather than replacing the authority of tradition with the authority of scripture, Bullinger refused to accept this “false dichotomy” (p. 97). Along the way in his analysis, Taplin explores Bullinger's distinction between the words of scripture and the meaning of scripture. The person who emerges from this case study is a careful, thoughtful exegete very much worth further study, among other reasons, for his nuanced approach to biblical and Christian language. This recognition of Bullinger's suppleness with regard to language comes in other essays as well (for example, Peter Opitz's examination of the Decades), and not only in terms of theory: Bruce Gordon's presentation of Bullinger's spiritual writings convincingly shows the power of those writings to move the reader to “tears and rage” when focusing upon the wounds of Christ (p. 127).

Other readers will find other touchstones, no doubt, but that is the point: this volume provides the type of reasoned (and seasoned) scholarship that always points beyond itself, back to the source, thereby offering not simply observations, nor even conclusions, but more importantly an invitation to read for oneself the texts that have been so painstakingly examined in the production of these essays. So, even if one cannot come away from this book knowing that Bullinger is the forgotten reformer, and even if there is nothing therein that really proves that he was, above all others, responsible for the construction of the Reformed church, that makes little difference. The book makes one want to read Bullinger. What could possibly make for a better 500th birthday celebration? At that level, the volume succeeds wonderfully, and its editors and authors are to be warmly commended. 

Thomas J. Davis
Professor and Chair, Department of Religious Studies
Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 

PUBLISHED IN THE BULLETIN OF THE INSTITUTE FOR REFORMED THEOLOGY, SPRING 2008, VOL. 8, #1.