John Calvin’s Illustrated Institutes, Book 1

Martin and Joy Williams, Eds.

Reviewed by: Katharine Olinger

John Calvin’s Illustrated Institutes, Book 1: Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves, Chapters 1–5, by John Calvin, edited by Martin and Joy Williams, illustrated by Paul Cox. P&R, 2025. Paperback, 80 pages, $11.99. Reviewed by OP member Katharine Olinger.

Of all the books the editor of this magazine could have asked me to review, why did he choose John Calvin’s Illustrated Institutes, the graphic novel? Somewhere, weighty tomes were shipped to more serious readers. Here in Glenside, I was greeted by Calvin in outer space, climbing a tree with a floating astronaut-cat companion. You know what they say: Know thyself.

The editing team of Martin and Joy Williams, together with illustrator (and creator of RefToons) Paul Cox, have crafted something both reverent and playful in the Illustrated Institutes. Their primary source is Book 1 of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, Chapters 1–5. In an adventure through time and space, John Calvin, the sixteenth-century Protestant reformer, leads adolescents Theo and Geneva (along with orange tabby Luther) to see that “true and sound wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” This adaptation is faithful to Calvin’s message, but it uses modern language and extensive summarizing so that the finished product is no more than eighty pages.

Have you ever wished that John Calvin could lead you on a journey to the bottom of the ocean? Can you picture Calvin as a globe-trotter with Indiana Jones energy? As Leonardo’s anatomical model, or a scuba diver? In the Illustrated Institutes, Calvin serves as a friendly and multi-talented guide, answering questions posed by Theo and Geneva that help to recreate Calvin’s rhetorical style. As Calvin expounds, his companions are prompted to ask, “What do you mean by true knowledge?” And, “What is the purpose of God’s work in creation and providence?” There are even biblical and historical cameos that bring Calvin’s references to life—the Israelites quaking at Mount Sinai, Paul writing to the New Testament churches, and Plato and Plutarch each popping in for a quick quote.

I teach Middle School Bible classes at a private Christian school. In my classroom, the most popular books during free time are 1) yearbooks, 2) a battered Where’s Waldo?, and 3) graphic novels like New Kid and Invisible Emmie. The images make them attractive and easily accessible. That accessibility is part of what makes the Illustrated Institutes a clever project—but it’s also a tightrope walk. There’s a risk that adapting Calvin into a comic could feel like too much of a gimmick. After all, if a student’s skills are strong enough to read this adaptation, he or she might be capable of working through the actual text, which would be admirable.