Calvin – famous Reformer and theologian

Calvin (John Calvin A.D. 1509-1564) (famous Reformer and theologian)

Calvin is hailed as the second greatest figure of the Reformation period in Europe, second only to Martin Luther of Germany. His Christian essentials are classics of the Reformation period. Calvin was French, but established an influential ecclesiastical administration in Geneva. His achievements occupy a certain place in the history of Christianity.

Calvin was born in 1509, and his father was a reputable legal adviser. At that time, the society made a lot of people with status. By virtue of his father's influence, Calvin was able to accept the position of church at the age of twelve; and entered the University of Paris with a salary, when he was only fourteen years old. University training, such as Latin, philosophy, and dialectics, laid the foundation for Calvin's later achievements.

At the age of nineteen, Calvin took law courses at his father's arrangement. In fact, what he loves is humanistic literature. After his father's death, Calvin, who had a law degree, went to the Académie française to specialize in Greek and Hebrew.

In 1532, Calvin published his first book, but at the time he was only a scholar of humanism and had little interest in religion.

Between 1532 and 1534, Calvin's life changed dramatically, and he understood that God's will must be obeyed, and it was from then on that christian faith became the primary position in Calvin's life. When the Reformation movement arose, France was affected, and Calvin's thought gradually shifted to the ranks of the Reformation movement.

In 1533, Calvin's good friend Gao Bo was forced to flee Paris for his speeches on church reform; Calvin was also implicated and had to leave, so he returned to his hometown and gave up all the financial support he received from the church.

In 1536, Calvin came to Geneva. There, in cooperation with Fajale, hoping to do some great reformist cause, unfortunately they were frustrated and deported from Geneva. Calvin fled to Stazberg, where he lived for three years, becoming a priest of a French refugee church, revered by everyone, and receiving good pastoral experience. In addition, he worked diligently to supplement the christian essentials and completed his first biblical commentary, the Romans Commentary. He also wrote a book known as the best defense of the Protest Sect. His married life was very happy, and his wife was his best partner, but unfortunately he died in 1549.

The Essentials of Christianity, published in 1536, is a great masterpiece that Calvin completed after twenty-five years. During the Reformation period, the content was divided into four parts: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church, the main ideas were derived from the ideas of Martin Luther and Boozer, and were systematized by Calvin to form a clear and rich theological masterpiece. This work is arguably the most theoretical work on Christianity and the Christian life. The preface to the book is written in the form of letters to His Holiness. Geneva underwent a political revolution, and the pro-Calvin faction took power. At their strong invitation, calvin set foot on geneva land in September 1541. This time he came with success and did great work.

In fact, Calvin was only a pastor of a church in Geneva. But under his guidance, the whole city of Geneva became a fully Christian city. The people's lives appeared regular under the supervision of the ecclesiastical courts. Under Calvin's influence, filthy places within the city were removed. He also paid attention to the poor people and sought their welfare. These successful reforms have attracted many foreigners to live in Geneva. Behind the success, there are often calls for opposition. Calvin's harsh approach to governance was clearly criticized by opponents. They tried by all means to force Calvin to fail, but they could not stop Calvin's work. A Parisian monk named Beljet attacked Calvin's predestination, which was a great challenge to Calvin's authority and could influence his position in Geneva, and after some effort, Baleth was expelled and Calvin was victorious. In addition, there were many political forces that wanted Calvin to lose his position, but the final victory still belonged to Calvin.

In 1559, he founded the Geneva Academy (later the University of Geneva), which trained preachers in a number of European countries and whose influence spread throughout Europe. His ideas, Calvinism, can continue to confront and persist in the face of any opposition in the Reformation. The model of ecclesiastical administration he created in Geneva, the college he founded himself, and his biblical commentaries and epistles are all valuable assets of the history of the Christian Church.