Petrus Dathenus, The Pearl of Christian Comfort, trans. Arie W. Blok (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2005). $6.

Reviewed by Rev. Shane Lems

Petrus Dathenus was a laborer for Reformed churches in the mid to later sixteenth-century. He preached and taught in Dutch Reformed churches; he also translated the newly written Heidelberg Catechism into Dutch in 1563 and published a metrical Psalter for singing. Dathenus had a hand in many liturgical resources for Reformed churches, including the forms for the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Interestingly, with others of his day, he literally carried his pulpit on his back and preached from town to town, sometimes to crowds as large as ten or fifteen thousand.

One influential booklet that Dathenus penned was De Paarl der Christelijke Vertroosting (The Pearl of Christian Comfort). This booklet was originally a series of letters that Dathenus wrote to Elizabeth DeGrave to help her on spiritual matters. After his death, they were published in book form in 1624. This series of letters reads a bit differently than books today, because it is a dialogue. Joel Beeke notes that in this era and location in Holland, dialogue was a popular way to correspond with friends. This book, then, is a fictional dialogue between Dathenus and Elizabeth, a dialogue to help comfort her troubled soul.

Elizabeth comes to Petrus in a terribly sorrowful mood, so dejected that “one would almost become depressed just by looking at you” (p. 1). As is soon evident, Elizabeth’s soul is frightened because of the demands of the law, demands that she just cannot keep no matter how hard she tries. Dathenus quickly realizes her error: “It seems to me that your sorrow is such a sorrow, and arises out of a great misunderstanding, which is that you do not distinguish between the law and the gospel because you do not rightly know the Lord Jesus” (p. 2). He then exhorts Elizabeth for more than eighty pages to learn to regard Jesus not as another fierce Moses, an accuser and condemner, but as an Advocate and Savior as he is, properly (Ibid.). Indeed, “we say that God’s ministry is divided into the distinct parts of law and gospel” (p. 7). As well as a clear law/gospel distinction, Dathenus trains Elizabeth in other biblical themes such as faith alone, imputation, and gratitude for salvation.

This booklet is a counseling booklet in the spirit of the Reformation. As I was reading it, several times I thought I heard hints of Luther’s story as he regarded Christ as a severe judge before his conversion. As many know, a huge emphasis of Luther was to properly divide the Word—law and gospel—for no one can be a Christian teacher if he or she does not do that. This book divides the Word rightly. Dathenus walked in Ursinus’ footsteps, as Ursinus in his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism also stressed loudly the duty for Christians—especially teachers and preachers—to distinguish between the two parts of the Bible, the law and gospel. This booklet follows Reformation teaching.

Dathenus' letters are full of Scripture. The average page has at least four clear Scripture citations as well as several alluded verses. He knew Scripture well, and he knew the difference between command and promise, law and gospel. His whole counseling method was governed by this distinction. Not only is this book a helpful tool for understanding the Reformation, it is also a great resource for living the Christian life and counseling troubled souls. Since it is written in a genre that is somewhat foreign to us, it may not be the most exciting book you’ve ever read, but it certainly is worth the effort. Also, since it is only 87 pages, it is not overly daunting. I highly recommend it!