Page 48 - DIVA_4_2009

MICHAEL SERVETUS (1511-1553)

Fatefully, in 1546 Servetus
Even the good and the great
started corresponding with
can make the most terrible
Jean Calvin in Geneva.
gaffes, and the burning of
Calvin sent him a copy of his
Michael Servetus at the stake
own book, The Institutes of
in Champel in 1553 is gener-
the Christian Religion, which
ally considered to be the
Servetus promptly returned,
most serious error of judge-
thoroughly annotated with
ment in the otherwise exem-
arrogant observations. Calvin
plary life and career of Jean
replied to Servetus: "I neither
Calvin, Geneva's Protestant
hate you nor despise you; nor
ruler in the sixteenth century.
do I wish to persecute you;
but I would be as hard as iron
At that epoch, it was quite
when I behold you insulting
common for scholars to use a
sound doctrine with so great
Latin or Greek form of their
audacity.' Servetus came
name. Thus, Michael
back with a domineering and
Servetus was born Miguel
abusive answer. Their corre-
Serveto-in the northern
spondence became more and
Spanish village of Villanueva
more heated until Calvin
de Sijenain 1511. He studied
decided to end it. In a letter to
law in Toulouse while, for
a friend, Calvin said that if
his own benefit, reading the
Servetus should ever come to
Bible in Latin, Greek and
Geneva, he would not be per-
Hebrew-and the Koran too!
mitted to leave alive.
Servetus had a gift for lan-
guages. The 1520s and 1530s
Over the years, Servetus had
were a time of the greatest
been labouring to put his rad-
possible turmoil-and peril-in repute. Servetus was During the 1530s, Servetus
ical religious ideas into a
the religious life of Europe as appalled at the pomp and cer- studied botany, cartography,
magnum opus. He finally had
the Protestant and Catholic emony of the coronation cer- pharmacology, theology and
forms of Christianity wres- emony in Bologna and by the astrology at various universi- 1,000 copies of his book
Christianismi Restitutio pub-
tled for territorial control. As Emperor's deference to the ties, before finally obtaining
a young man, Servetus Pope-not so much a holy a degree in medicine from lished secretly in Vienne in
1553. When his authorship
plunged naively into the gen- man as a man of the world! Paris in 1538. He became
eral controversy in which Servetus left Quintana's serv- physician to Pierre Palinier, became known, both
Catholics and Protestants
people were prepared to kill ice and travelled across the archbishop of the town of
were determined to silence
and be killed for their reli- Europe in a quest for the Vienne near Lyon, where he
him. He was denounced by a
gious beliefs. truth from the leading reli- also worked as an editor of
merchant friend of Calvin.
gious reformers. He began to books. While outwardly con-
First, he was arrested and
He became secretary to the have some ideas of his own forming to the Catholic faith,
Franciscan friar John de about the interpretation of he pursued his theological tried by the Catholic authori-
Quintana, a confessor and the Bible, which-to avoid studies and his writing ties in Vienne, but released
advisor to the Royal House persecution from the became increasingly radical. for lack of evidence. He was
of Habsburg. In 1530 the two Catholic authorities-he pub- He rejected a great deal of then arrested again-this time
men went to Bologna in Italy lished in 1531 under the contemporary religious the missing evidence had
been supplied by a certain
where Charles V was to be pseudonym of Michel de thought, while seeking to
Jehan Calvin, preacher of
crowned Holy Roman Villeneuve. His idea of base church practice on the
Geneva-but managed to
Emperor by the Pope. Pope returning to the simplicity of Holy
Scriptures.
Clement VII was an Italian the early Christian Church Extraordinarily, Servetus escape. His effigy and his
prince, a Medici-a diplomat was rather fashionable. also described in one of his books were, however,
and politician first and a Nevertheless, burned. On the run, he decid-
although
books for the first time the
pious ruler ... er, second. Catholics and Protestants function of the pulmonary ed to flee to Italy but on the
Europe's religious chaos was seemed resolutely divided, circulation of blood, but this way, crazily, he turned up at a
Protestant church service in
reaching its peak at about this Servetus succeeded in the did not come to light for
time and the Popes attempts impossible-he made deadly many years afterwards since Geneva presided by Jean
to steer a course through the enemies in both camps (see most of his books were Calvin. He was recognized
doctrinal maelstrom brought box)! burned! and arrested. French inquisi-
the Catholic Church into dis- tors demanded his extradi-
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