{Book Review} Jus Divinium Regiminis Ecclesiastici [The Divine Right of Church Government]

Jus Divinium Regiminis Ecclesiastici or The Divine Right of Church Government is a Naphtali Press Special Edition publication. Reformation Heritage Books and Naphtali Press partner up to bring you this excellent biblical defense of Presbyterian church polity. This book is edited by Chris Coldwell. 

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Jus Divinium Regiminis Ecclesiastici [The Divine Right of Church Government]

Before getting into the content of this work, I want to breifly mention that the book is a blue hardcover with gold lettering on the spine, and a white dust jacket containing blue lettering for the title. The book is quite beautiful. I think the font is very nice (though the Fell type sometimes messes with me, so I’m not a huge fan of it), and I appreciate the size of the print (even the footnotes are rather large for easy reading). 

This work was originally published in 1646. A second edition came out the following year in 1647, followed by a third edition in 1654. There was a reprinting in 1799 that contained significant revision, including the removal of much of the Greek text and Latin quotations. This edition was then printed in the US in 1844. David Hall edited a version in 1995, and now Chris Coldwell has provided this critical edition of Jus Divinium. 

This book was originally written in order to persuade people that Presbyterian church government is indeed derived from Holy Scripture and therefore ought to be practiced.

The book consists of two parts:

1. On the Nature of Divine Right
2. On the Nature of that Church Government which is of Divine Right According to the Scripture

Part one (consisting of seven chapters) is essentially seeking to explain what makes something of divine right. There are diverse ways given, specifically these five: (1) By the light of nature; (2) By obligatory Scripture examples; (3) by divine approbation; (4) by divine acts; and (5) by divine precepts or mandates.  Part one fleshes out these diverse ways that make something of divine right. Part two is much larger (consisting of 15 chapters) and is examining the details of the system of government which is of divine right. 

Coldwell’s work is fantastic! He has produced a very readable version of the text while retaining the original Greek and Latin. This is a book that could certainly be understood by the church today (unlike some other 17th century writings that are quite difficult to understand due to the evolution of the English language). I wish it were possible to have every minister read this book! Whether one is Presbyerian or not, this book would shine so much light on the topic of church government. The reader would either come away convinced of Presbyterianism, or, if that’s not the case, they would at the least come away with a much greater appreciation of Presbyterian church polity and the reasons behind it. 

The reader will surely find this work to be an enjoyable read. It’s a long one, but definitely worth the time and effort. I highly recommend this excellent work to you. Tolle lege, take up and read! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.