John Calvin

Calvin, John (1509–1564) one of the most important leaders of the Protestant REFORMATION Calvin was born and educated in France. His father, a lawyer, had the young Calvin prepare fi rst for a career in the church, then for one in law. When his father died in 1531, Calvin turned from law to humanism, that is, to the study of the classics of ancient Greece and Rome. In 1533 one of Calvin's close friends gave an address, at the University of Paris, which supported some ideas of Martin LUTHER. The theologians of Paris had earlier condemned these ideas. The friend had to fl ee for his life. Calvin was implicated in his friend's views, and he had to fl ee, too. Around this time Calvin seems to have had a profound personal religious experience. In 1536 Calvin settled in Geneva, Switzerland. With the exception of three years spent in Strasbourg (1538–41), he spent the rest of his life in Geneva. At fi rst he assisted the Reformation there. Eventually he led it. Calvin organized Geneva's government, church, and schools. In his eyes, the government and the church needed to cooperate to ensure that the ideals of the BIBLE were observed. As a result, Geneva John Calvin (Library of Congress) became a place where Christian regulations were strictly enforced. The infl exibility of the views was not unusual at the time, but it did have unfortunate consequences. The most famous example is the case of Michael Servetus, who was burned at the stake in 1553 for teaching that GOD is one, not a TRINITY. Calvin made his mark as a writer, a thinker, and an organizer. His many writings include a catechism, sermons, hymns, commentaries on the Bible, and letters. But his most important book is Institutes of the Christian Religion, fi rst published in 1536. Throughout his life Calvin revised and expanded it. He published the last version in 1559. As a humanist, Calvin insisted on returning to the original sources. In THEOLOGY, that meant the Bible. His reading of the Bible owes a great deal to the thought of the apostle PAUL and AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. Calvin emphasizes that, as a result of original SIN, human beings cannot live in the state for which they were created: communion with God. Nevertheless, God redeems sinners, although they do not in any way deserve to be saved. But God chooses to save some sinners and to condemn others to hell. This is Calvin's famous teaching of predestination. God saves people through the activity of JESUS, the prophet, priest, and king. He also does so through the Holy Spirit, who instills faith in the human heart. Calvin recognized four offi ces in the church: pastors, who preached and administered the SACRAMENTS of BAPTISM and EUCHARIST; teachers, who instructed in faith; elders, who administered and ensured discipline; and deacons, who assisted the poor. The congregation was governed by a "consistory," a body made up of pastors and elders. On some points Calvin differed from Martin Luther. One of the most signifi cant was the interpretation of the eucharist. Luther had insisted that Jesus's body and blood were actually present in the bread and wine of the eucharist. Calvin taught that they were present spiritually. As a result, the Reformation gave rise to several distinct traditions. Calvinism is one of the most important. Calvinist churches are known as "Reformed" (see PRESBYTERIAN AND REFORMED CHURCHES). They predominate in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Scotland. In the United States Calvinism is represented above all by the Presbyterian Church, which derives from the Scottish Calvinist tradition.