John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation Essay

This paper is utilise to the period of Protestant reclamation in France and the key figure of this process- rear end Calvin. John Calvin was a Protestant theologian and the developer of the famous Calvinism devotion as a system of Christian church. He is well be intimaten for his written works and his teachings, plainly not many know about his social occasion played in Michael Servetuss execution. These and some other issues will be discussed in this research. John Calvin was born under the name of Jean Chauvin in Picardie, in France. His father sent him to Paris in 1523 to get sterilize for the priesthood. at that place Calvin studied in College de la Marche and then in College de Montaigu work on 1528. As he was doing quite well in ecclesiastics, he gained the chaplaincy and the curacy of Saint Martin de Martheville from his native urban oculus (Tracy, 1999). In 1529 Calvin resigned chaplaincy for the benefit of his junior brother, but however two billets later he res umed and was safekeeping it till 1534 (Gordon, 2002). Calvin proved to be a smashing 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 convey law instead.John didnt argue and went to siege of Orleans, to study law at the university in that respect. In a year he go to another university and took classes of Andrea Alciati. During his studies at both universities Calvin was in truth much under the move of Melchior Wolmar, who was a leader of humanist ranks and was a digester of Reformation ideas. When in 1531 the father of Calvin died, he had to come back to Paris and take up study of Hebrew. In 1532 John spent another year in Orleans as a student of law again.In bounciness of the same year he paid his own money for issue the text of Senecas De Clementia, adding his commentary. This was a confirmation of his humanistic views in connector with the papist Church. At the sam e clock time the ideas of Reformation were rapidly get around in France, Calvin however was moving step by step to his position, he wrote in his commentary to Psalms that he was too obstinately employ to the superstitions of popery to be easily extricated from so profound an abyss of mire. (Barth, 1995). iodine of his friends, who also shared the ideas of Reformation, was Nicolas Cop. When he became the rector of Paris University, they decided to engagement the chance to present their comments concerning the Reformation in front of cultured and well-informed audience. In November 1533 Cop held a speech in the Church of the Mathurins, which they gave the cognomen Christian Philosophy, meaning the Gospel. The relation, he built among equity and Gospel, was closely connected to the ideas of Luther.The final part of the speech was however autarkical and more concentrated on the one of the features of Calvinism, namely salvation. The speech had entirely chances to produce a v ivid impression on the audience and to rive supporters, but Cop spoke negatively about the hierologists of Sorbonne and called them sophists. This certainly caused their indignation, they want for support from the government, and Cop had to escape. Calvin followed him due to their known close relation, but risked to pitch 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 eld he was button from place to place, was imprisoned in Noyon, visited Paris, where he met Servetus for the first time. In Orleans he create 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 we re, first, to vindicate my brethren whose death was precious in the sight of the Lord and bordering that, as the same cruelties might very soon after 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 court of Duchess Renee. A year later he met his younger brother Antoine and his half-sister Marie in Paris.He travelled with them to Strasburg, but because of the war, had to go to geneva, planning to remain plainly one dark there. But Farel Guillaume, one of the like-minded persons, convinced 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 leave 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 matrimonial 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 poor at that moment, but very soon he got the opportunity to improve his position. In Strasburg he managed to practice 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, intercommunicate for it to be re off-key to Roman obedience and Bern government gave the right to pass onant map to Calvin. There were serious changes 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 argu ments 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 reliance in God was his major support. The government prepared a fireside 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 pull together 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 people were standing by him. At the age of fifty-five he died because of a disease. For Geneva he leave one hundred and seventy dollar, faith, education and reconstructed government. Calvin chose Apostles assurance 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 predestinat ion he tried to teach people of the city 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 decent organization of the church governance and social organization of the church in the city.He was said to be the first politic leader, who was able to physique the social organization ground 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 accordance to Calvins ideas. As a result Geneva became the most important center of Protestantism in Europe and attracted the persecuted ref ugees from other countries. The tell apart 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 bang-up 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 hold to meet Servetus in person in Paris, Servetus however didnt appear.From 1546 till 1548 they exchanged letters, trying to convince each other, but finally Calvin had to disclose the correspondence, as it was growing more and more rancor ous. In 1553 Servetus was sentenced to death in absentia by Inquisition 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 foremost of Calvin. This time he was sentenced to burning on a stake, which took place in 1553. Then 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 apparitional beliefs during the life sentencetime of Calvin, and there is finally no commensurateness 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 little a statesman.Calvin, being French would probably not be able to spread his influence 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 advantage 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 labor 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 everyday enthusiasm.And still he remained the most influential Reformer of the Protestant Church. References Barth, K. (1995). The religion of John Calvin, tr. by G. W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids Wm. B. Eerdmans. Brady, T. (1994).Handbook of European History, 14001600 Late mediate Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. Leiden and New York. Breen, Q. (1968). John Calvin A Study in Frenc h 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.