Abstract

VAN DER MERWE, J.M.. The Heidelberg Catechism and the catechesis material of the Dutch Reformed Church: A church history overview. Acta theol. [online]. 2014, vol.34, suppl.20, pp.231-249. ISSN 2309-9089.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/actat.v20i1.15s.

In the year which we commemorate the 450^th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism, this article follows the historical tracks of the catechism through the history of the Dutch Reformed Church with special focus on the role it played in the catechesis of the church. It starts with a short introduction about the origin of the Heidelberg Catechism. Secondly it gives an overview of the material used by the church through its early history before it compares the different books which were used later on. This is done in order to establish what role the Heidelberg Catechism played in the learning material of the church. The article concludes with the finding that the Heidelberg Catechism indeed played and still plays a huge role in the catechesis of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Keywords : Heidelberg Catechism; Dutch Reformed Church; History; Catechesis.

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