In the Commentatio the 22-year-old Kuyper not only describes Calvin's and a Lasco's concepts of the Church, but also discusses them in the light of the Gospel. The Commentatio marks the beginning of modern a Lasco studies. The work also offers the initial impetus for the idea with which Kuyper would later exert great influence on Dutch nation and society: the Church as a free, democratic society of Christians, which manifests itself as a living organism in all spheres of life. The text, which has never been published before, is accompanied by historical and philological...