John Calvin

John Calvin was a French theologian and pastor who was an instrumental figure in the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Noyon, Picardy, France, to a devout Catholic family. He studied law and humanism at the University of Paris, Orléans, and Bourges. He was influenced by the writings of Erasmus and Luther, and gradually adopted a reformist stance against the Roman Catholic Church. He broke with the church around 1530 and fled to Basel, Switzerland, where he published the first edition of his magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion, in 1536. This work became a systematic exposition of his theological views, which emphasized the sovereignty of God, the depravity of human nature, and the doctrine of predestination. In 1536, Calvin was invited by William Farel to join the Reformation in Geneva, where he became a preacher and a leader of the city's church. He faced opposition from some factions in the city who resisted his reforms and authority. He was expelled from Geneva in 1538 and went to Strasbourg, where he became the pastor of a French refugee congregation. He also married Idelette de Bure, a widow with two children, in 1540. He had one son with her, Jacques, who died in infancy. Idelette died in 1549, leaving Calvin grief-stricken. In 1541, Calvin returned to Geneva at the request of the city council. He resumed his role as a pastor and a reformer, and established a system of church government and discipline that became a model for many Protestant churches. He also wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, as well as various confessions, catechisms, and polemical works. He engaged in controversies with other reformers, such as Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, Heinrich Bullinger, and Michael Servetus. Servetus was a Spanish theologian who denied the doctrine of the Trinity and was condemned as a heretic by both Catholics and Protestants. He was arrested in Geneva and burned at the stake in 1553 with Calvin's consent. Calvin suffered from various illnesses throughout his life, such as migraines, asthma, kidney stones, and gout. He died in Geneva on May 27, 1564, at the age of 54. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the King's Cemetery. His legacy lives on in the Calvinist tradition of Protestantism, which has spread to various parts of the world. His followers include John Knox, Theodore Beza, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, and many others. Calvin is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians in Christian history.