Did Calvin Invent Dogmatics Textbooks?

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-post.html

"The Holy Spirit teaches man better than all the books; He teaches him to understand the Scriptures better than he can understand them from the teaching of any other; and of his own accord he does everything God wills he should, so the Law dare make no demands upon him."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 280. Pentecost Sunday John 14:23-31. 

 Look at Calvin's Institutes chapters at this link. Remind you of dogmatics textbooks? Barth? Braaten-Jenson? LCMS Dogma-tanic?

Luther and Melanchthon taught directly from the Scriptures. The Reformer himself placed the emphasis on the sermon (unlike today). 

Chemnitz was exceptional in answering attacks on Biblical doctrine - The Council of Trent (his Examination) - The Apology of the Book of Concord (against the Calvinist naysayers).

Gerhard-Chemnitz wrote an enormous Harmony of the Gospels.

1. Listen to a Roman Catholic priest give a sermon. He will say, "The Church teaches..."
2. Matt the Fatt speaks of "The established doctrines of the Lutheran Church [Missouri Synod]..."
3. DP Jon-Boy Buchholz speaks of "established doctrine" - established false doctrine, established only recently, but established nevertheless.

Whether called Systematic Theology (Tillich) or Church Dogmatics (Barth), each effort is an exercise in creative writing. Stan Hauerwas used to say in class, "Watch him make his move..."

One person - or a group - will put together a new publication and a few generations will analyze it, argue for and against, and eventually forget it. How many read Schleiermacher's dogmatics today - Der christliche Glaube (The Christian Faith)?

The Problem with All Dogmatics Books

Every dogmatics book lays down various theses, which either begin the argument or frame how the Scriptures must be viewed - books judging The Book. No matter how good the dogmatics book might seem to be, that is the reverse of what Luther taught, which is exactly what the faithful in the earliest years of Christianity taught. 

Jesus also taught this, as the Apostles do.

 The sects and cults that depart from Biblical truths use the claw machine for their dogma. If a verse alone or a half-verse does not work, they add "add" to the verse (as the NIV does).