JOHN CALVIN
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John Calvin, (so called from Calvinus,
the Latinized form of his family name, (Cauvin or Chauvin), was born 1509, at Noyon, Picardy, northeast of Paris.
His father Gerard Cauvin, procureur-fiscal and diocesan secretary, dedicated him early to the church, and he was
presented with a benefice at the age of twelve. The income derived from this nominal office enabled him to proceed
to Paris and enter on a course of regular study of Latin and theology. Here he absorbed Lutheran opinions from
German fellow students. He was soon led to entertain doubts respecting the priesthood, and became dissatisfied
with the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church; In consequence he gave up his cure, and took to the study of the
law in Orleans. In 1532 he returned to Paris and decided to convert to the reformed faith, his conversion was sudden and complete: "As if by a sudden ray of light I recognized into what an abyss of errors I had hitherto been plunged. Now therefore, O Lord, I did what was my duty and fearlessly I followed in thy footsteps." |
At Basel he completed and published his great work, The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Christianae Religionis Institutio; 1536)
Having gone to Italy, after a short stay at Ferrara he was persuaded by another French Lutheran, William Farel to take control of the Church in Geneva, which had just broken free of the Catholic House of Savoy. However his insistence on discipline and doctrinal uniformity based largely upon the New Testament antagonised many politicians. In 1538 in company with William Farel, he was expelled from Geneva he first went home and then went to Strasburg. Here he married a widow, Idelette de Burie, and had one son, who died early.
In 1541 his friends in Geneva succeeded in effecting his recall, and he became pastor of the Cathedral of St. Peter, when he laid before the council the draft of his ordinances respecting church discipline, they were immediately accepted and published.
Calvin assumed that every citizen was an orthodox member of the Church, the question of religious toleration simply did not arise.He formed a theocracy based on an independent Church, he was the head of a college of pastors, and doctors with a consistorial court of discipline, though the city council could overrule it. This virtually managed all municipal matters and the social and individual life of the people. Every Thursday, elders and pastors met together to decide on how that code was to be enforced. Lay "elders", or disciplinary officials, reported to the "Venerable Company" of pastors. In 1550 the pastors were fully empowered to enter and inspect the home of each citizen once a year. If the Church found a "sinner", he or she was handed over to the civil, power for punishment.
A. magistrate was deposed and condemned to two months' imprisonment ' because his life was irregular, and he was connected-with the enemies of Calvin. James Gruet was beheaded because he had written profane letters and obscene verses, and eadeavoured to overthrow the ordinances of the church. Michael Servetus, passing through Geneva in 1553, was arrested, and through Calvin's instrumentality was burnt alive because he had attacked the mystery of the Trinity in a book which was neither written nor printed at Geneva This has been regarded as the great blot on Calvin's career, though approved of by many others of the reformers.
His energy arid industry were enormous: he preached almost daily, delivered theological lectures three times a week, attended all deliberations of the consistory, all sittings of the association of ministers, and was the soul of all the councils. He was consulted, too, upon points of law as well as of theology. Besides this, he found time to attend to political affairs in the name of the Republic to publish a multitude of writings in defence of his opinions, and to maintain a correspondence through all Europe.
Calvin believed in freedom of religious worship, and encouraged the foundation of new sects of worship. As a theologian Calvin was equal to any of his contemporaries in knowledge, acuteness of mind, and up to 1561 the Lutherans and the Calvinists were as one. He condemned the idolatry of the Roman Church, the seven sacraments were cut to just two - baptism and communion - Latter that same year he expressly rejected the tenth article of the Confession of Augsburg, besides some others, and hence arose the name of Calvinists.
The theological tenets of John Calvin are different from that of Luther's because he concentrated upon the idea of predestination.This was not a new concept - even the early Christian theologians like Augustine (St.) and Thomas Aquinas (St.) had seen it as a vital element of belief.He preached austerity and simplicity, and that Jesus Christ died only for the elect, his doctrines include controversy, on matters such as freewill, the Sonship of the Second Person of the Trinity, other differences between Calvinists and Arminians include election, total depravity, original sin, effectual calling, and the final perseverance of the saints.
Calvinism is the theological system expounded in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and is therefore the faith officially held by the Presbyterian churches generally; it is also substantially identical with what is known as 'evangelicalism' in any of the churches or religions bodies.
Up till a year or two before his death Calvin the reformer and Protestant theological writer, remained an intellectual in the city republic of Geneva, then his health broke down, and he died 1564.
His Latin works are written with much method, dignity, and correctness. He was also a great jurist and an able politician. Besides the Institutes, the most important of Calvin's works are the De Necessitate Reformandae Ecclesiae, In Novum Testamentum Commentarii, and In Librum Geneseos Commentarii .
The collected works of Calvin have been published in English by the Calvin Translation Society of Edingburgh in fifty-two vols. 8 vol (1843 - 55). For 100 years his followers were to become a powerful force in Protestant Europe, and their views spread to North America.
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