John Calvin (1509 to 1564)

Gerard Cauvin planned his son, John, like his older brother Antoine, for a spiritual career. When he was about seven years old, he entered the Collège des Capettes in Noyon, an elementary school.

On 19 May 1521, shortly before his twelfth birthday, he received a share of the grantee from the Noyon cathedral and thus became a scholar. This requires dispensation because the boy has not yet reached canonical age, but that's just a formality. The benefit is a kind of scholarship for planned theological studies.

At the age of 14, Calvin came to Paris with the brothers Jean and Claude de Hangest and their teacher. The University of Paris is made up of many colleges. Calvin spent several months at the College de la Marche perfecting his knowledge of Latin in preparation for his actual studies. Calvin has a very positive relationship with his Latin teacher, Mathurin Cordier. Teachers immediately arranged for Calvin to transfer to the College de Montaigu, where he was trained in philosophy and dispute techniques.

His father then thought, studying law at that time could make his children earn more. Calvin followed his father's plan. In Paris one could only study canon law, so around 1526 he moved to the University of Orléans to study civil law. Gérard Cauvin envisioned a career as a lawyer or judge for his son, but not (like himself) in Church service. Calvin was then able to live a freer student life than at the College de Montaigu; but he followed the strict learning plan he had come up with. The most important lawyer in Orleans is Pierre de L'Estoile. He advocates a conservative approach to the text. A kind of anti-pattern was the humanist Andrea Alciato, who accepted the chair of jurisprudence at the University of Bourges in 1529. Calvin's first text published in print was the preface to the anthropology of his college friend Nicholas Duchemin (dated March 6, 1529), in which the latter defended his academic teacher Pierre de L'Estoile against criticism from Andrea Alicato. Calvin takes a mediating position in his foreword. He moved from Orleans to Bourges in 1529 to listen to Alicato.

In May 1531 Calvin returned to Noyon because his father was seriously ill. His death on May 26 was a turning point for Calvin as he no longer felt obliged to pursue a legal career and was able to pursue his humanistic interests. To do this, he moved to Paris and attended lectures at the College des trois langues. He studied ancient Greek with Pierre Danès, as he mentioned in a letter; that he also took Hebrew lessons from François Vatable most likely. Calvin was part of a circle of reformed humanists who met at the home of Étienne de la Forge. The writings of Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli have likely also been discussed here. In his first independent publication in April 1532, Calvin emerged as an ambitious young humanist. That is a commentary on Seneca's De clementia ("On Mildness"). Erasmus von Rotterdam has edited it and called it up for study. Calvin applied this and showed that he had mastered the instruments of philology. After the publication of his Seneca comments, Calvin probably returned to Orleans in 1532 and completed his law degree there.

In 1532, at the age of 23, he published his first work, Commentary on Seneca, which expressed his radical idea: "The prince is not above the law, but the law is above the prince". In his religious life, Calvin was a very strict observer of Roman Catholic worship and traditional practices. In his letter to Cardinal Sadolet it was discovered that Calvin practiced all religious acts, yet still felt no peace, instead extreme fear overwhelmed him without anything to restore him. In 1533, Calvin intersected with reformation and experienced a "sudden conversion." He said, “God, by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame…. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately inflamed with an intense desire to make progress. "

The Kingdom of Navarre offered religious dissidents more protection than Paris or Orléans. Calvin's college friend Louis du Tillet, canon of Angoulême Cathedral and pastor in the neighboring town of Claix since 1532, gave him quarters. In the castle of Angoulême, Calvin was able to use the library of the Du Tillet family to study the Bible and the church fathers. This was preliminary work for the “Instruction in the Christian Religion” (Institutio Christianae Religionis) printed in Basel in 1536. The most important source for Calvin's stay in Angoulême is the work of Florimond de Raemond (1623), a Counter-Reformation author who claims to know more details about Calvin's activities there. According to Wilhelm H. Neuser, this source is unusable because fiction and historical memory can no longer be separated.

Calvin was now 25 years old and was ordained a priest; he decided against it. On May 4th, 1534 he, therefore, traveled to Noyon and officially returned his benefice. Strictly speaking, he could have been represented, but research generally assumes a visit by Calvin to his place of origin. The date represents Calvin's break with the papal church.

The poster affair (Affaire des Placards) marks the end of the relatively tolerant religious policy in France. The occasion for this was a text in which the celebration of Holy Mass and the doctrine of transubstantiation were defamed as the work of the Antichrist. This attack on the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar hit the center of late medieval piety. After a first leaflet campaign by the Protestant Antoine Marcourt in October 1534, the Old Believers had mainly reacted with host stagings, such as processions. This was seen as the collective penance of the population for the abuse of the sacrament, but it was also a way of mobilizing people and occupying public space. The second leaflet campaign by the same author in January 1535 was followed by nationwide arrests of perpetrators, accomplices, and suspected "Lutherans" (Luthériens). The months of repression ended with an offer of amnesty for repentant Protestants (Edict of Coucy, July 16, 1535). From October 1534 to July 1535, 24 people were executed in Paris alone. "Never before and never since have so many death sentences been carried out against 'heretics' in a French city." One of the victims was Étienne de la Forge, in whose house Calvin had run during his time in Paris. Du Tillet and Calvin fled together via Metz and Strasbourg to Basel, where they probably arrived at the beginning of 1535. The poster affair (Affaire des Placards) marked the end of the relatively tolerant religious policy in France. The occasion for this was a text in which the celebration of Holy Mass and the doctrine of transubstantiation were defamed as the work of the Antichrist. This attack on the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar hit the center of late medieval piety. After a first leaflet campaign by the Protestant Antoine Marcourt in October 1534, the Old Believers had mainly reacted with host stagings, such as processions. This was seen as the collective penance of the population for the abuse of the sacrament, but it was also a way of mobilizing people and occupying public space. The second leaflet campaign by the same author in January 1535 was followed by nationwide arrests of perpetrators, accomplices, and suspected "Lutherans" (Luthériens). The months of repression ended with an offer of amnesty for repentant Protestants (Edict of Coucy, July 16, 1535). From October 1534 to July 1535, 24 people were executed in Paris alone. "Never before and never since have so many death sentences been carried out against 'heretics' in a French city." One of the victims was Étienne de la Forge, in whose house Calvin had run during his time in Paris. Du Tillet and Calvin fled together via Metz and Strasbourg to Basel, where they probably arrived in early 1535.

In March 1536, Calvin published the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. This book is intended as a basic level book for those who want to know the Christian faith. The Institutes were revised 5 times, most recently in 1559 with many extensions so that this book became like a new work.

In 1536, Calvin went to Italy. On his way back to Basel he was forced to go through Geneva and spend the night there. Farel hears that Calvin is in Geneva so Farel looks for Calvin. Farel asked Calvin to stay in Geneva and together with Farel organized the city of Geneva into a city of reform. Two months earlier the Geneva City Council had decided to embrace reformism. Calvin rejected Farel's request. Calvin wanted to live in peace and continue writing theological works. He felt incompatible with practical work in the church. However, Farel urged him, saying: "In the name of God almighty I say to you: if you will not surrender yourself to this work of God, God will curse you because you seek your own honor more than the glory of Christ". Calvin saw God's call to him through Farel so he stayed in Geneva. Today, Calvin lives in Geneva, together with Farel, managing the reformist church there. They devised a church order that governed the whole life of the townspeople according to theocratic ideals. According to the design of the church order, it was said that the Lord's Supper was held once a month and in connection with that strict discipline would be exercised. Every resident is required to sign a confession letter as a sign that they are truly aware of their faith and confession. This last point was disagreed with by many city residents. In 1538, the City Council was overpowered by people who rejected the claim so that Calvin and Farel were prohibited from preaching in the pulpits in Geneva, and in the end, the two were expelled from Geneva. Later, Calvin was called by the Strausburg congregation. He became a pastor there in 1539-1541.

To show his positive attitude towards marriage rather than celibacy, In 1539 he married Idelette Stordeur, the Anabaptist widow he had converted. Idelette's husband, Jean, died of the plague, leaving behind a son and a daughter. He told Farel that the character of the wife he wanted was simple, obedient, not arrogant, not extravagant, patient, and could take care of his health.

Idelette has a son and daughter from her late husband. But only his daughters moved with him to Geneva. In 1542, the Calvins had a son who two weeks later died. Idelette Calvin died in 1549. Calvin wrote that his wife had helped a lot in the ministry of the church, never got in the way, never bothered him with the affairs of his children, and was big-hearted. After his wife's death, Calvin did not remarry.

In 1541, the Geneva city council asked Calvin and Farel to rebuild Geneva. Calvin did not want to return because he knew that his life there would be full of controversy and danger. But finally, he returned to Geneva because he knew that he was not the master of his life, he had given his heart as an offering to God. This became Calvin's motto with the icon of a hand holding a heart that is ready and ready to be offered to God.

Immediately after he worked in the Geneva congregation, Calvin put together a new church order called: Ordonnances Ecclesiastiques (Ecclesiastical Code), 1541. Calvin was a great theologian in the reformatory churches. His theological views were expressed in his book, the Institute.

Calvin taught about justification by faith alone (Sola Fide), as did Luther. However, Calvin places great emphasis on sanctification, the new life for Christians who are grateful, because God has saved them. Calvin emphasized that church members who come together to hear the Word of God and to partake of the Lord's Supper must be holy. Church discipline is closely watched. Supervision of the behavior of church members is not only carried out by the elders, but also by the government (City Council).

The relationship between church and state in Calvin's theology is very close. Calvin aspired to a theocratic state. The whole life of society must be arranged according to the will of Allah. The government is also tasked with supporting the church and eliminating anything that is contrary to the pure gospel message. However, this does not mean that the state is under the church. Church and state side by side. Both have the duty to carry out God's will and defend the honor of God. Regarding the duty of the state, Calvin wrote as follows: "The government is given the duty to, as long as we live among the people, support and protect the worship of the outward God, maintain sound teaching on worship and the position of the church, govern our lives by looking to the social interactions, shaping our morality in accordance with justice as stipulated by state laws, making us harmonious and maintaining peace and general order .... "

Regarding the positions in the church, Calvin knows four positions, namely: pastor, teacher, elder and deacon. Pastors together with elders constitute a consistory, that is, a church council that leads the congregation and who runs church discipline. The regulations for the election and ordination of church officials were carefully regulated, especially the office of pastor.

Regarding the Holy Communion, Calvin taught that Holy Communion is a gift from God and not a human act. The bread and wine are not only symbols but the instruments used to give Christ's body and blood to His people. However, Christ is now in heaven. Bread and wine cannot be considered the same as the body and blood that is in heaven but must be regarded as signs and seals of God's grace and love in Jesus Christ. Calvin distinguished a sign from what it signified. Calvin explains it this way: "As the believer really received the signs with his mouth, so at that very moment he was really connected by the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ which is in heaven." In administering the Lord's Supper, Calvin was meticulous.

Calvin in his teachings also emphasized predestination as well as justification by faith. According to Calvin, from eternity God in Himself has determined which people He gives salvation and which are destroyed. Those who are chosen by God are given free gifts, while those who are rejected by Allah, Allah block the way into life. Calvin said that this was very difficult to understand. The signs that a person is appointed by God for eternal life are that he (they) are called by God and they receive justification from God. This Calvinist teaching on predestination led to a schism in the later Calvinist churches. By the time Calvin was still alive, Hieronymus Bolsec had attacked this teaching of predestination. Calvin defended the correctness of his teachings and he advised the City Council to banish Bolsec. Thus Bolsec was expelled from the city of Geneva.

Calvin also opposed the Antitrinitarian teachings taught by Michael Servet. While Servet was in Geneva on the run from the death sentence the Roman Catholic Church had imposed on him, the Geneva City Council arrested and imprisoned Servet at Calvin's request. At the suggestion of the priests and of course including Calvin in it so that Servet's head beheaded, the City Council beheaded Servet in 1553.

In Geneva, Calvin also founded schools. In Geneva, an Academy was established which has two parts, namely the gymnasium and theology. Theodorus Beza was appointed director of the Academy. It was at this Academy that young Calvinists who would later become well-known leaders of the Calvinist church were prepared, such as John Knox, Caspar Olevianus, the author of the famous Heidelberg Catechism.

So much work was done by Calvin tirelessly. Since 1558 the disease started to get worse. Before his death, he left many messages to his congregation and to Theodorus Beza, who would take his place in the Geneva congregation. The City Council and pastors were called upon to hear his counsel.

Calvin saw himself as unpolished, shy, withdrawn, and aloof. But he recognized God's hand driving him to become a public leader.

Calvin stayed in Geneva until finally on May 27, 1564, Calvin died peacefully. He left leaving the hard work for Theodorus Beza. Initially, his body was placed in the city of Geneva, but because so many people had arrived, the reformers feared that they might cult Calvin. The next day he was buried at Cimetiere de Plainpalais with a tombstone marked with the initials "J.C" in accordance with his wish to be buried in an unknown place, without witnesses or ceremony. His name is remembered throughout history throughout the world with his patronized Calvinist church.