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)Vhat exactly did Jean Calvin do for Geneva?

he was obliged to make a big wise. Calvin imposed his inter-
detour via Geneva. The leader of pretation of the reformed religion
the Protestant reform in Geneva, on the people of Geneva with
Guillaume Farel, hastily recrui- total intransigence. Those who
ted the twenty-six year old insisted in standing in his way
Calvin as an unwilling and were hung, drawn and quartered
unpaid preacher. He soon came or burned at the stake-the lucky
to be called a "predicateur" and ones were garrotted first!
before long a pastor'. His col- Nevertheless, Calvin continued
leagues immediately recognized to enjoy the support of the politi-
Calvin as a Protestant leader of cal authorities and the majority
immense significance. He was of the population. With the gran-
never ordained as a priest; he ting of citizenship to large num-
became a pastor because this was bers of religious refugees, the
clearly what he did best. Calvin's new doctrine was finally made
strong influence soon became secure. Although he was in theo-
evident when he wrote a plan for ry only responsible for religious
compulsory education and pro- affairs, Calvin was also consul-
posed close moral supervision of ted on matters great and small in
the city's inhabitants. Moral gui- the running of the city: law, poli-
delines had existed in Geneva for ce, economy, trade, manufacture,
a long time, but had never been foreign diplomacy, sanitation.
enforced. Calvin stated that any
person not observing the strict In 1559 he founded an academy
moral code would be excommu- that became the intellectual cent-
nicated and expelled from the re of Calvinism for many years to
Jean Calvin was born in Picardy, It was at this point that Calvin city. Each person was required to come. The doctrines and practi-
Northern France, and educated in stepped on to the stage. In 1534 make a public declaration of his ces of reformed churches are
Paris and Orleans, where he gra- he had written a book entitled or her faith. based on his writings on theolo-
duated as a lawyer. As a young The institutes of Christian gical ideas, patterns of worship,
man in the early 1530s in Paris Religion, which was immediate- But the people of Geneva had church organization and moral
Calvin was introduced to the ly recognized as a superb sum- difficulty accepting that Farel discipline, and these later beca-
ideas of humanism and the mary of how the new form of and Calvin-both Frenchmen- me associated with Presbyterian
reforms of Martin Luther. He worship should be carried out. should have such power over groups, among them the Quakers
converted to the Protestant form The two central ideas are sprea- them. Matters came to a head at and the Mormons. Alongside
of Christianity in 1533 when he ding the word of God and moral Easter 1538 when Farel and these activities, Calvin's writings
was 24 years old and quickly supervision, and these would Calvin were expelled by the contain important social, politi-
assumed intellectual leadership guide all of Calvin's later work. mob. cal and economic ideas.
of the movement in Paris. This book would be expanded in Calvin became a pastor in
several editions over the next Strasbourg and lived there happi- Throughout his adult life, Calvin
The sixteenth century was a time twenty-five years. ly for three years; he even got suffered from poor health: kid-
of great religious turmoil. Until married-to a widow who already ney stones, haemorrhoids, gout,
that time Christianity had existed Meanwhile, in Geneva, during had two children! but particularly long periods of
in western Europe only as the the early 1530s political revolt migraine. This perhaps explains
Catholic doctrine governed from and religious reform had become In the meantime political and his reputation for irascibility! He
Rome. While the religious hie- inseparable as the city tried religious chaos had taken over in ate sparingly and dressed in sim-
rarchy was often corrupt and desperately to achieve its inde- Geneva and Calvin was officially ple robes. He slept little but was
priests ignorant and ill-educated, pendence from the Duke of invited several times to return as capable of extraordinary intellec-
attempts at reform were blocked Savoy. Both the civil authorities head of the reformed church. tual effort; he had a most retenti-
and all those who tried to intro- and the religious authorities used After a long hesitation, he reluc- ve memory combined with keen
duce change were persecuted. On Protestantism to give legal justi- tantly agreed to do so and arrived powers of observation. When he
31 October 1517, the German fication to the city's autonomy. in Geneva on 13 September was well, it is estimated that he
monk Martin Luther denounced Religion was reduced to its bare 154 1. He began preaching exact- gave 286 sermons in French and
a number of dubious practices. In essentials: all decoration was ly where he had left off in 1538. 186 lectures in Latin every year!
1529 several German princes removed from churches; all He was now determined to intro- His fragile body could not sup-
"protested" in favour of Luther's Catholic ceremony and ritual duce his whole scheme for orga- port these incessant labours. In
reforms and the "Protestant" were excluded from religious nizing church affairs. the late winter of 1564 he fell ill
Reformation of Christianity then services. and died on 27 May just short of
broke away from Catholicism in This was a time of religious into- his 55th birthday. He was buried
Northern Europe. However, by But Calvin knew none of this lerance throughout Europe, when the next day in a common ceme-
the 1540s Luther's reforms had because he did not enter the city "heretics" were put to death. The tery on Plainpalais after a simple
begun to lose their momentum until July 1536. He had set out on Catholic religion demanded total ceremony. The actual grave can
and the Catholic Church was a journey from Paris to fidelity and any dissenters were no longer be identified.
making a comeback. Strasbourg, but there was a war executed as cruelly as possible;
going on in Eastern France and the Protestant religion did like- HAYWARD BEYWOOD
46 Diva 7.2004