Merchant Royal Press

Passing down the deposit of the faith from one generation to the next is the necessary work of the church. Essential to that process is the ministry of faithful shepherds who interpret and proclaim God’s Word. But how are such ministers to be formed and prepared for a lifetime of service on the frontlines of the spiritual battlefield? In a series of orations delivered over the course of twenty-five years, Italian Reformed theologian Girolamo Zanchi (1516–1590) offers wise counsel to students, professors, churches, pastors, rulers, and other stakeholders which continues to be relevant centuries later. Translated out of Latin for the first time, Zanchi’s Orations on Theological Education bring into sharp relief the challenges and benefits afforded to those blessed men who devote themselves to meditating upon God’s Word day and night in service to the church.

GIROLAMO ZANCHI (1516–1590) came to Protestant convictions while serving as a priest and canon in northern Italy and lived most of his life as a religious refugee in Protestant Europe. As a professor, pastor, and churchman, he became a prolific and creative Reformed theologian who bequeathed a legacy of piety and theological precision to both hearers and readers.

PATRICK J. O’BANION (PhD, Saint Louis University) is a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and author and translator of several books. He teaches with Training Leaders International.