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Sacred Prayers: Drawn from the Psalms of David: PMV Library, Vol. 3
Davenant Press

Sacred Prayers: Drawn from the Psalms of David: PMV Library, Vol. 3

The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library, Volume 3

by Peter Martyr Vermigli

Reformed Devotion from Scripture’s Heart: Prayers from the Psalms of David

This intimate volume reveals Peter Martyr Vermigli as pastoral theologian and spiritual guide, presenting the reformer leading his students at Strasbourg in prayer drawn from the Psalms of David. During his transformative years as professor at the Strasbourg Academy (1542-1547), Vermigli developed a rich devotional practice that combined rigorous biblical scholarship with heartfelt piety.

These sacred prayers demonstrate Vermigli’s profound understanding that Reformed theology must be both intellectually robust and spiritually nourishing. Drawing from the inexhaustible well of the Psalter, he guides his students into the depths of biblical worship, showing how David’s ancient songs become the church’s living prayers.

Vermigli’s prayers reveal the pastoral heart of a scholar who understood that academic theology must serve the life of faith. His careful exposition of psalmic themes—from confession and thanksgiving to petition and praise—provides a masterclass in how Reformed Christians can pray with both mind and heart fully engaged.

This volume captures the devotional spirit that animated the Protestant Reformation, when recovered biblical truth transformed not only doctrine but the very practice of prayer. For contemporary Christians seeking to deepen their prayer life through Scripture, Vermigli offers a time-tested guide to finding Christ in the Psalms.

$28.95
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About the Author

John Patrick Donnelly , S.J. received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1972, where he wrote a dissertation on Peter Martyr Vermigli under the direction of Robert M. Kingdon. Since 1971, he has taught at Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he is professor of history. His research has centered mainly on the Jesuits and on Peter Martyr Vermigli. In addition to six articles and chapters in books dealing with Vermigli, he has published Calvinism and Scholasticism in Vermigli’s Doctrine of Man and Grace (Leiden: Brill, 1976), and with Robert M. Kingdon, A Bibliography of the Works of Peter Martyr Vermigli (Kirksville, Mo., 1990). He has previously translated from Latin various works of Thomas More (1982), Robert Bellarmine (1989), and Girolamo Savonarola (1994). He has held various offices in professional societies, including President of the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference (1977) and President of the Society for Reformation Research (1990–1991). He currently serves on the editorial boards of The Sixteenth Century Journal and Archive for Reformation Research . He is co-general editor of the Peter Martyr Library.

Joseph Cumming McLelland

(1925-2016) received his Ph.D. in historical theology from New College, Edinburgh, in 1953 for a dissertation on Peter Martyr’s sacramental doctrine. He was Robert Professor of History and Philosophy of Religion and Christian Ethics at the Presbyterian College, Montreal, from 1957 to 1964, McConnell Professor of Philosophy of Religion at McGill University from 1964 to 1993,and dean of the faculty of religious studies at McGill from 1975 to 1985. He served as president of the Canadian Theological Society (1968-69) and editor of Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses (1973-77). He is now emeritus professor of McGill University and The Presbyterian College. A symposium at his retirement has been published as The Three Loves: Philosophy, Theology and World Religions, edited by Robert C. Culley and William Klempa, 1994. His books and articles on philosophical and historical theology include God the Anonymous: A Study in Alexandrian Philosophical Theology (1976) and Prometheus Rebound: The Irony of Atheism (1988). His works on Vermigli include The Visible Words of God (1957), Peter Martyr Vermigli and Italian Reform (editor, 1980), Life, Early Letters and Eucharistic Writings of Peter Martyr (with G. Duffield, 1989), and Early Writings (vol. 1 of the Peter Martyr Library, 1994). He served as consulting editor of The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation Thought and as a general editor of the Peter Martyr Library series.

Publication Details

  • Publisher: Davenant Press
  • ISBN: 978-1-949716-42-9
  • Publication Date: November 18, 2025
  • Pages: 217
  • Author: Peter Martyr Vermigli
  • Price: $28.95

Endorsements

  • “Legend has it that Peter Martyr Vermigli wandered out of the Italian Alps as the ‘ready-made reformer,’ a fact confirmed by the respect he commanded among sixteenth-century Reformed churches. A theologian of the first order, trained in catholic theology and fully committed to the Reformation, students of Scripture would do well to read, mark, and meditate upon the biblically faithful, theologically insightful, and practically oriented work of this great theologian.”

    — J. V. Fesko, Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi

  • “There are few servants of the Reformation era who had such theological insight and widespread influence as Peter Martyr Vermigli. Yet his labours have never truly received either the attention or the appreciation that they deserve. It is therefore a delight to see this stunning new edition of his works come to publication, which will hopefully inspire fresh engagement with his ideas and his legacy. There are treasures here – for Christians and for churches – that will amply reward careful reading and judicious reflection.”

    — Professor Paul T. Nimmo, King’s Chair of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen

  • “Peter Martyr Vermigli was one of the preeminent theologians of the Protestant Reformation. For far too long his contributions to the development of Reformed theology have been neglected. With the publication of this library, his rich, thoughtful, and textured theology and philosophy will finally be widely available!”

    — Gayle Doornbos, Associate Professor of Theology, Dordt University

  • “Peter Martyr Vermigli must be listed among the most remarkable men who shaped one of the most remarkable centuries in the long span of human history. The fact that the man and his writings have been barely known is a scandal and that is why the publication of The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library is such good news. Vermigli was one of the most important figures in the Protestant Reformation and, strangely enough, in the formation of what became the English constitutional tradition. The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library represents a great recovery and is to be celebrated.”

    — R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President & Centennial Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

More Endorsements (4)
  • “Peter Martyr Vermigli was everywhere in the sixteenth century—abbot of a monastery in Naples, teacher and colleague of Cranmer in Oxford, pastor and theologian in Zurich. His erudition was immense, from Aristotle and Augustine and Aquinas to Bucer and Zwingli, not to mention his biblical commentaries. These nine volumes will be a major resource for all who seek to learn from the leading figures of the sixteenth century and, in our own context, to foster ecumenical conversations rooted in the love and truth of Christ.”

    — Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

  • “Peter Martyr is a name too little known and appreciated, but his clarity, rigor, and meaningful contribution to early Reformation theology make his work well worth our time. Whether he is carefully navigating the hypostatic union, the eucharist, or questions about justification, this powerful Reformer helps us better appreciate not only 16th-century Reformed distinctives, but why it all might matter for Christian life. I am thrilled that the Davenant Institute is now making these significant volumes available as high-quality hardback reprints. I hope they will fill the shelves of many personal and professional libraries.”

    — Kelly M. Kapic, Professor of Theological Studies, Covenant College

  • “This is a wonderful collection from an exemplary Hebraist, exegete, preacher, theologian and controversialist. Forced to move between the Continent and British Isles following his conversion to the Reformation, Vermigli impressed people wherever he went and will undoubtedly impress readers today. The Florentine was a trained Dominican and Renaissance humanist. He exhibited deep familiarity with the Patristic, Classical, and Scholastic corpora. He is not for the faint-hearted, but the effort of reading him will be rewarded 1000-fold.”

    — Christina Larsen, Associate Professor of Theology, Grand Canyon Theological Seminary & College of Theology

  • “The very fact that Peter Martyr Vermigli has become something of a household name in Reformed theology is due in large part to the Davenant Institute’s republication of his various works at a reasonable price. The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library covers a whole panoply of this Italian Reformer’s writings, ranging from exposition of Aristotle’s moral philosophy to the catechetical theology of his commentary on the Apostles’ Creed. Vermigli—more so than Calvin—represents the intellectual and theological high-mark of early, 16th century Reformed orthodoxy. This collection has and will continue to provide theologians, ministers, or even those simply interested in Reformational Protestantism a one-stop shop for early modern theological, philosophical, and biblical reflection. With pleasure I say: Tolle lege!”

    — Michael Lynch, Professor of Christian History, Davenant Hall

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