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John Calvin
In the days soon following European medieval
times, cries for reform appropriate to a more modern era began to ripple through a
populous yearning for a reformed civil order. Martin Luther spearheaded the
movement, followed by John Calvin. Born Jean Cauvin, the native Frenchman came into
the world as the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Cauvin in the French town of Noyon
on July 10, 1509. The surname was changed to the Latin “Calvin” as
was customary. Oddly enough, this domination of the ancient language for over a
millenium helped to spark uprisings by the masses in Europe longing to establish their own
identities. Furthermore, this religious revolt was at least indirectly responsible
for the French translation of the Bible. The more popular Latin Vulgate used by the
Catholic Church had long been unusable by people groups speaking other languages.
Thus, Calvin was right for his time.
The
French native originally studied law at Orleans and received his doctorate in 1532.
But his passion soon turned from politics to religion, not that he could make much of a
distinction between the two. Residing in Paris, Calvin publicly called for reforms in the
Church on November 1, 1533, much as his predecessor, Luther did in 1517. The
Protestants, as they came to be known, insisted that Scriptures be the final
authority, not the Catholic priesthood, with a greater emphasis on personal faith instead
of blind devotion to Church tradition. Ironically, Calvin himself wanted much the
same as the Catholic elite—a union between religious influence and political power.
John Calvin, though, believed that more lay persons should be used to accomplish
this. He advocated allowing church elders, for example to oversee city and municipal
business affairs, effectively acting as councilmen. He would hope to
experiment with this new arrangement in Switzerland where he fled following his ultimate
expulsion from France for his stance on reform. But the road-weary Calvinist, was
expelled from Geneva, Switzerland in 1538, as well, for his staunch opinions leaving for
Strasbourg, France. . During the stay in the French city, Calvin began the writing
of The Institutes of the Christian Church, wherein he outlined his doctrines for
how church and society should be structured and operated. This extensive work that
took him many years to modify and complete became the basis for the movement called
Calvinism. It was his own personal version of Protestant Christianity—in effect
becoming a denomination in and of itself.
Rev. Calvin’s plans included more than himself, to be sure. In
1539, while at Strasbourg, Calvin married a widow by the name of Idelette de Bure. Idelette had a son and daughter from a previous marriage. Only the daughter,
however lived with her and John in Geneva, where they returned at the bidding of new city
leaders in 1540. In 1542, the couple had a son who died at just two weeks of age.
Idelette herself died in 1549. Calvin indicated that she assisted his ministry and was a
genuinely great person.
The 1550’s saw Geneva become a hub for Calvinism and the Protestant
Reformation in general. People excommunicated or fleeing from other countries would
find a haven there. The Swiss capital gained the nickname of “little Rome”
because what the Italian city was to Catholicism, Geneva had become to Protestantism.
But the influence of Calvinism itself made significant strides in the Netherlands,
France, Hungary, Scotland, and Poland. It even impacted North America and Africa.
The Dutch African settlers from the Netherlands (called “Boers”)
eventually had run-ins with David Livingstone in the mid-1800’s.
In 1553, Calvin approved of the execution of a scientist and ideologue by the
name of Michael Servetus. He was accused of heresy, for fundamental differences with
nearly all religious viewpoints on infant baptism and the trinity. For what
it’s worth, Calvin’s personal preference for execution was decapitation.
It seemed to be a bit more humane in his opinion than burning at the stake that was
carried out by the authorities. In 1559, Calvin founded a school for training
children as well as a hospital for the indigent. His remaining years were filled with
study and ministering. John Calvin died in Geneva on May 27, 1564 after suffering with
many aiments including lung disease, gout, migraines and kidney stones. At his request, he
was buried in an unmarked grave.
For all the controversy he stirred, few could rival the major impact John Calvin
made on his culture and on the history of both the Catholic and Protestant churches for
centuries to come.
Resources: mb-soft.com,
en.wikipedia.org, newadvent.org, ccel.org, brainyencyclopedia.com, wsu.edu
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