An Introduction to the Life and Works of Scottish Reformer John Craig - Part 1

Martin Luther had his Philip Melanchthon.  Ulrich Zwinglie had his Heinrich Bullinger. John Calvin had his Theodore Beza.  And John Knox had his John Craig.

Of these many successors and "2nd in Command" Reformers, John Craig is without a doubt the least known.  No picture has survived.  No printed sermon manuscript exists.  Apart from a few catechisms, sayings, debates, and books, we know little of this mighty man of God.  Very few know of him in spite of how he contributed to the Scottish Reformation clearly led by John Knox.  I hope to at least change his obscurity among fellow Protestants.

My interest in John Craig is centered in the fact that I am a descendant of this great leader.  The Craig family is an important family when it comes to theology from John Craig all the way back to the some of the churches I grew up around.  Many were ministers, religious leaders, Baptists, Presbyterians, and driven by the gospel to change the world.  Craig was the first in our family to leave the Catholic Church and embrace the Protestant movement and he did so in world-shaping fashion.

What I hope to offer in this and future post is a sample of his life and theology.  Regarding his theology, I want to provide the world a new and fresh translation of his magnum opus:  A Short Summary of the Whole Catechism.  This catechism served as the most used catechism among the Scottish until the Westminister Catechism replaced it.

Other of Craig's works are already available online.  The National Covenant which was heavily influenced by Craig can be found here. And his Communion Catechism can be found here.  His Second Book of Discipline can be read here.  But interestingly, apart from hard to read Google books, Craig's monumental work that helped shape the Reformation in Scotland, and praised by the likes of Knox, A Shote Summe of the Whole Catechism has not appeared online in an easy to read and access way.

So what will follow is each section of the catechism in which I have updated.  I have done my best to remove as many of the old English grammar as possible without removing the meaning of the text.  For example the word "eftate" has been changed to "estate."  We no longer replace our "s" with "f."  Likewise, words like "us" read "vs" in the Catechism and I have taken the liberty to change that.

Craig is a fascinating character whose story is interesting and needs to be told.  His boldness and work are well worth our time and effort as his efforts in contributing to the Reformation in Scotland need not be ignored anymore.

For the best biography of Craig available online, click here.  It is written by Thomas Graves Law who wrote this biography in his opening chapter to a book he published of two of Craig's works including the Short Summary of the Whole Catechism.