Guy de Brès’s "Le baston de la foy chrestienne": From Personal Notebook to Patristic Anthology (1555-1565)

Abstract

Guy de Brès, who would become the author of the "Confessio Belgica", published his first work in 1555, "Le baston de la foy chrestienne", a florilegium of quotes from the Bible and the Church Fathers, that was intended as a guide for the faithful who were engaged in dispute over Reformed doctrine. De Brès, a preacher in the South of the Low Countries, travelled to Lausanne and Geneva (1556-1559) to further study theology and improve his Latin. The connection between his studies at both institutions, his work on three more editions of his book, and the sources of his patristic knowledge are discussed. A critical edition of his work, that preceded the composition of the Belgic Confession, is being prepared.