John Calvin

Lore & Background

In 1536, Calvin was recruited by Frenchman William Farel to join the Reformation in Geneva, where he regularly preached sermons throughout the week. However, the governing council of the city resisted the implementation of their ideas, and both men were expelled. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg, where he became the minister of a church of French refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and in 1541 he was invited back to lead the church of the city. Following his return, Calvin introduced new forms of church government and liturgy, despite opposition from several powerful families in the city who tried to curb his authority. During this period, Michael Servetus, a Spaniard regarded by both Roman Catholics and Protestants as having a heretical view of the Trinity, arrived in Geneva. He was denounced by Calvin and burned at the stake for heresy by the city council. Following an influx of supportive refugees and new elections to the city council, Calvin's opponents were forced out. Calvin spent his final years promoting the Reformation both in Geneva and throughout Europe.

Reader's Guide

John Calvin's significance lies in his role as the principal architect of Calvinism, a major branch of Protestant theology that emphasizes predestination and God's absolute sovereignty in salvation. His seminal work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, first published in 1536 and revised throughout his life, served as both a defense of Reformed faith and a systematic theological textbook. Calvin's influence extended through his commentaries on most books of the Bible, confessional documents, and numerous theological treatises. As a dedicated polemicist and apologetic writer, he generated much controversy, yet also maintained cordial correspondence with reformers such as Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. His legacy is embodied in various Reformed Church movements worldwide, including Continental Reformed, Congregationalism, Presbyterianism, Waldensians, Baptist Reformed, Calvinist Methodism, and Reformed Anglican Churches. Calvin's work in Geneva established a model of church governance and liturgy that shaped Protestant communities for centuries, and his theological ideas continue to be studied and debated.

Did You Know?

• Calvin was originally trained as a humanist lawyer before breaking from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530.
• His first book was a commentary on Seneca's De Clementia, published in 1532.
• Calvin learned Koine Greek during an 18-month stay in Bourges, a necessity for studying the New Testament.
• He was forced to flee France during the Affair of the Placards in mid-October 1534.
• Calvin never received any pastoral consecration, but was selected to be a 'pastor' sometime in 1537.