John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation Essay

This paper is devoted to the period of Protestant Reformation in France and the key figure of this process- John Calvin. John Calvin was a Protestant theologian and the developer of the famous Calvinism theology as a system of Christian church. He is well known for his written works and his teachings, and not many know about his role played in Michael Servetuss execution. These and many other issues lead be discussed in this research. John Calvin was born under the name of Jean Chauvin in Picardie, in France. His aim sent him to capital of France in 1523 to get ready for the priesthood. in that location Calvin studied in College de la marchlande and thus in College de Montaigu till 1528. As he was doing quite well in ecclesiastics, he gained the chaplaincy and the curacy of venerate Martin de Martheville from his native metropolis (Tracy, 1999). In 1529 Calvin resigned chaplaincy for the benefit of his younger brother, tho however two eld later he resumed and was holding it till 1534 (Gordon, 2002). Calvin proved to be a good student, but his father, who by the year 1528 had problems in relations with the ecclesiastic authorities in Noyon, took a decision, that his son should study faithfulness instead.John didnt argue and went to siege of Orleans, to study law at the university there. In a year he moved to another university and took classes of Andrea Alciati. During his studies at both universities Calvin was very much under the impact of Melchior Wolmar, who was a loss leader of humanist ranks and was a supporter of Reformation ideas. When in 1531 the father of Calvin died, he had to summon back to Paris and take up study of Hebrew. In 1532 John spent another year in Orleans as a student of law again.In spring of the same year he remunerative his own money for publishing the text of Senecas De Clementia, adding his commentary. This was a confirmation of his humanistic views in friendship with the Roman Church. At the same clock time the idea s of Reformation were rapidly spread in France, Calvin however was sorrowful step by step to his position, he wrote in his commentary to Psalms that he was too stubbornly devoted to the superstitions of popery to be easily extricated from so profound an abyss of mire. (Barth, 1995). One of his friends, who also dual-lane the ideas of Reformation, was Nicolas Cop. When he became the rector of Paris University, they decided to use the chance to present their comments concerning the Reformation in present of cultured and intelligent audience. In November 1533 Cop held a speech in the Church of the Mathurins, which they gave the title Christian Philosophy, meaning the Gospel. The relation, he built between Law and Gospel, was closely connected to the ideas of Luther.The final break down of the speech was however independent and more concentrated on the one of the features of Calvinism, namely salvation. The speech had solely chances to produce a vivid impression on the audience a nd to attract supporters, but Cop intercommunicate negatively about the hierologists of Sorbonne and called them sophists. This certainly caused their indignation, they sought for support from the government, and Cop had to escape. Calvin followed him due to their known close relation, but risked to return very soon.He couldnt get rid of his fears, that his support of Reformation ideas could be followed by imprisonment, like it was the case with some other reformers. He decided to become a wanderer in 1534, all the time changing his name. Two and a half years he was going from station to place, was imprisoned in Noyon, visited Paris, where he met Servetus for the first time. In Orleans he make his Psychopannychia, confutation of the theory about sleeping soul between death and the Last Judgment (Gordon, 2002). In 1535 Calvin visited Strasburg under the name of Basel.There he finished his Institutes of the Christian Religion, about the book he wrote My objects were, first, to vind icate my brethren whose death was unprecedented in the sight of the Lord and next that, as the same cruelties might very soon later on be exercised against many unhappy individuals, foreign nations might be touched with at least some compassion toward them and solicitude about them. (Barth, 1995). After he had published this work, he worked in Ferrara in the chat up of Duchess Renee. A year later he met his younger brother Antoine and his half-sister Marie in Paris.He traveled with them to Strasburg, but because of the war, had to go to geneva, planning to remain only one night there. But Farel Guillaume, one of the like-minded someones, win over him to stay there. Two years he spent at the side of Farel, but still the city could not stand the significant reforms offered by the Reformers and on Easter Monday in 1538 they both were ordered to render the city. Calvin traveled to Strasburg, where he became minister to the French refugees in the Church of St. Nicolas (Brady, 1994 ).Two years later he get hitched with Idelette de Bure, widow of Jean Stordeur of Liege, an Anabaptist, whom Calvin managed to turn into pedobabtist. They had a son, who lived only several days. Idelette de Bure died in 1549 and Calvin never married for the second time. Calvin didnt have the plans to return to geneva as his financial situation was rather scurvy at that moment, but very soon he got the opportunity to improve his position. In Strasburg he managed to exercise the reform, which he could not launch in Geneva, and his fame started to grow very quickly. He received an offer to come out with a course of cathedral lectures.In 1539 Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto sent a letter to Geneva, inquire for it to be returned to Roman obedience and Bern government gave the right to answer to Calvin. There were serious spays in the government of Geneva, and as a result the friends if Calvin won the power in the city. For the second time Calvin followed the arguments of Farel and went to Geneva. He knew perfectly, that there were a lot of his enemies, and that not everybody was ready to support him, but his faith in theology was his major support. The government prepared a house for him and a corresponding salary.His work in Geneva started, the city turned into his main, but not the only one, center of activity. Geneva was a place, that gathered a lot of refugees from Holland, Italy, England, Spain, who were ready to listen and to support the ideas of Calvin. Also a number of students visited his lectures. His fame was growing, and more and more batch were standing by him. At the age of fifty-five he died because of a disease. For Geneva he leave one hundred and s evety dollar, faith, education and reconstructed government. Calvin chose Apostles Creed as the basis for his ideas, at the same time closely relating theology and ethics.Calvins reformation was practical, with the strongest emphasis on the doctrine of predetermination he tried to teach people of the ci ty to refer to it as a cornerstone of the Christian faith. Opposed to lenient views concerning grace and sin, propagated by the Roman Church, the Augustinian doctrine recovered in his words. Calvin did his best to change the face of Protestantism, as he managed to address openly and directly the matters, which other reformers didnt know or didnt want to discuss (Brady, 1994). His main target was the proper organization of the church governance and affectionate organization of the church in the city.He was said to be the first politic leader, who was able to number the social organization based on biblical principles. He brought very significant innovation, namely by incorporating church into the government of the city (Cameron, 1991). In the middle of 1550s the structure of Geneva was changed completely in concurrence to Calvins ideas. As a result Geneva became the or so important center of Protestantism in europium and attracted the persecuted refugees from other countries. Th e branch of Calvins reforms became the prevalent branch of Protestantism from the seventeenth century. Calvin had the same problems as Luther with Anabaptists.On the 16-17 of March in 1537 he had a public meeting with them, and using his strong argumentation disposed of their ideas, as confirmed by Council of Two Hundred. Along with a great number of supporters Calvin had his opponents as well. Calvin played a very important role in the execution of Michael Servetus the Spanish physician, radical reformer (Anabaptist), and unitarian. (Gordon, 2002). In 1531 Servetus published his ideas denouncing the Trinity, which was the key doctrine Catholics and Protestants could agree about. Three years later Calvin agreed to meet Servetus in person in Paris, Servetus however didnt appear.From 1546 till 1548 they exchanged letters, trying to convince each other, but in the end Calvin had to stop the correspondence, as it was growing more and more rancorous. In 1553 Servetus was sentenced to death in absentia by hunt in Spain for spreading heresy. Calvin provided very important evidences to support the conviction. Servetus escaped from the prison, but was again arrested in Geneva on the initiative of Calvin. This time he was sentenced to burning on a stake, which took place in 1553. hence Servetus was buried together with the copy of his last work De Trinitatis Erroribus.Servetus was the only one, who was sentenced to death for his religious beliefs during the lifetime of Calvin, and there is finally no agreement about the correctness of Calvins actions concerning this issue. Hundreds of years later modern Calvinists do not support the actions of Calvin towards Servetus. Nowadays persecution, and what is more death sentence for religious beliefs and positions, seems to be barbarous. Calvin was certainly not the only reformer. The ideas of Calvin and Farel were really close, but Farel was a missionary, a preacher and not theologian or even less a statesman.Calvin, bein g French would probably not be able to spread his regulate so successfully either in Zurich or in Wittenberg, as Zwingli and Luther did it. Calvin was much younger than Luther and Zwingli and had an expediency of having a good foundation for spreading his ideas. He managed to build a system based on their new ideas. He proved to be better organizer and better thinker, at the same time lacking their genius and activity. His life was not as dramatic as those of Luther or Zwingli he didnt possess that genial humor or was able to raise popular enthusiasm.And still he remained the most influential Reformer of the Protestant Church. References Barth, K. (1995). The Theology of John Calvin, tr. by G. W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids Wm. B. Eerdmans. Brady, T. (1994).Handbook of European History, 14001600 recently Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. Leiden and New York. Breen, Q. (1968). John Calvin A Study in French Humanism. Cameron, E. (1991). The European Reformation. Oxford and New York. Gordon, B. (2002). The Swiss Reformation. Manchester, U. K. , and New York. Tracy, J. (1999). Europes Reformations, 14501650. Lanham, Md.