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DOCUMENTS OF MODERN HISTORY General Editor: A. G. Dickens John Calvin G. R. Potter and M. Greengrass | EDWARD ARNOLD Contents Abbreviations and Note on Translations xi Acknowledgements XUl Map xiv Preface XV I Early Career 1 A Noyon and Paris 2 1 Beza's Life of Calvin 2 2 Appointment as chaplain (1521) 3 3 A dedication (1532) 3 4 A dedication to Mathurin Cordier (1550) 3 B The Humanist 4 5 Studying law at Orl6ans 5 6 Commentary on the De Clementia of Seneca (1532) 6 C Conversion and Exile 7 7 Calvin - unwilling convert 9 8 Calvin - discreet convert 10 9 Calvin and Nicolas Cop /I I0 Nicolas Cop's oration (1 November 1533) 11 11 The Placards 12 Copyright G. R. Potter and M. Greengrass 1983 First published 1983 by Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd 41 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DQ British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Potter, G. R. John Calvin.--(Documents of modern history) 1. Calvin, Jean 2. Calvinists--Biography I. Tide II. Greengrass, M. III. Series 284.2'0924 BX9418 ISBN 0-7131-6381-X All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd. In memoriam G. R. 1:'. Text set in 10/11 pt Baskervilte Compugraphic by Cotset Private Limited, Singapore Printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd, Bungay, Suffolk iv II The Institutes of the Christian Religion 13 A The Making of the Institutes 131 12 Preface addressed to Francis I, King of France (Basel, 23 August 1535) 14 13 Preface addressed to the reader (I August 1559) 16 B Knowledge of God and of Ourselves 17 14-16 18 17-18 Against idolatry 19 19 Trinity 20 C The Word 20 20 The Word 22 21-2 Scripture and the Holy Spirit 22 23 Scripture and the Church 23 24 Natural law 24 25 Revealed divine law 24 26-8 Covenant 24 29 Christ - fulfilment of the law 25 30-1 Christ the mediator 26 D God's Merciful Justlce 26 32-3 Original sin 28 34-5 Justification by faith 28 36-8 Grace 29 39-40 Predestination and foreknowledge 30 41 Predestination and election 31 42 Call!ng or vocation 31 43 The reprobate 32 44 Persecution a special mark of God's favour 32 45 Providence 33 46 Against astrology 33 E Sacraments 34 47-9 Definition of a sacrament 35 50 Baptism 37 51 Against Anabaptists 37 52-3 Spiritual presence in the Eucharist 37 54 Against the adoration of the sacraments 38 55 How to celebrate the Lord's Supper 39 56 Marriage not a sacrament 39 57 Ordination of ministers 40 58-60 Penance 40 III Calvin in Exile 43 A Geneva 43 61 Arrival in Geneva (August 1536) 45 62 Geneva's Factions (1519) 46 63 The Confraternity of the Spoon 47 64 The beginnings of the Reformation in Geneva 47 65 Geneva's acceptance of reform 48 B Deposition from Geneva (April 1538) 49 66 First steps to settle Geneva's Reformation 50 67 Lack of support for the confession 51 68 Synod of Lausanne and the exile of Calvin and Farel 52 69 Journey to Basel (May 1538) 52 C Strasbourg 53 70 Invitation to Strasbourg 53 71 Straitened circumstances in Strasbourg 54 72 Search for a wife 54 73 Friendship with Bullinger 54 74 Calvin's first reactions to the invitation to return to Geneva 55 75 Return to Geneva 56 IV Calvin and Genevan Church Settlement 57 A Calvin and Politics 57 76 Conscience and Christian liberty 58 77 Godly magistrates 60 78 Necessity for civil authority 61 vi 79 Tyranny better than anarchy 61 80 The best form of rule 62 81 Obedience to just and unjust magistrates 63 82. Magistrates and the protection of subjects' liberties 63 B C alvin ' s Church 64 83' God's institution of the Church 65 84 Visible and invisible Church 65 85-6 Necessity of the Church 66 87 Church discipline 67 88-9 Excommunication and public correction 68 9O To the minister at N6rdlingen (27 August 1554) 69 (3 Geneva's Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) 69 91 Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) 71 92 Formula for excommunication 76 V Enforcement and Opposition 77 A New Laws and Methods of Enforcement 77 93 Ordinances on marriage and divorce 77 94 Christian names 79 95 Swearing 80 96 Festivals 81 97 Theatre in Geneva 81 98 Household visitation in Geneva 82 99 Parish visitation in Geneva's villages 82 B Opposition to Calvin - the Genevan Context 85 100 Plague and conspiracy 87 101-2 The Libertine faction (1546-8) 87 103 Slashed breeches and the youth militia (1547) 89 104 Trial of Perrin and reinstatement 89 105 Climax to Genevan opposition (1551-5) 9O 106 Conspiracy of 18 May 1555 91 vii C Three Genevan Opponents of Calvin - Ameaux, Gruet and Troillet 92 107 Pierre Ameaux 93 108 Jacques Gruet 94 109 Jean Troillet 96 D Bolsec, Castellio and Servetus 97 110 J~r6me Bolsec's propositions 98 111 Calvin's reply 98 112 Bolsec's banishment (23 December 1551) 99 113 Castellio's testimonial 100 114 Calvin to Sulzer (7 August 1554) 101 115 The Restoration of Christianity 104 116 Calvin's initial reactions 105 117 Alerting the Inquisition 105 118 Servetus recognized in Geneva 106 119 Attempts to prevent his book being sold 106 120 Servetus condemned to death 107 121 Calvin's justification 108 VI Spreading the Word 110 A Pamphlets 110 122 On Relies (1543) 112 123 Against the Anabaptists (1544) 113 124 Apology to the Nieodemites (1544) 115 125 Against the Council of Trent (1547) 117 B Preaching and Teaching 118 126 Scriptural interpretation 118 127 Times for preaching in Geneva 119 128 Copying of lectures and sermons 120 129 Social comment 120 C Exiles and Refugees 122 130 Exiles from Provence (1545) 122 131 Exiles arriving in large numbers (1551) 123 132 Foreigners' bursary 123 viii 133 Easter refugees (1554) 123 134 John Knox's admiration for Geneva 124 D Geneva's Academy 124 135 College ordinances (June 1559) 125 136,/ Academy ordinances (June 1559) 127 VII Dogma and Diplomacy 128 A The Agreement of Zurich (1549) 128 137 Consensus Tigurinus (1549) 129 B Discussions with the Lutherans 130 138 To Theodorus Vitus (17 March 1546) 131 139 Preface to the Second Defence of the holy and orthodox faith in the matter of the sacraments (against Westphal) (1556) 132 VIII Churches and Martyrs 134 A England 134 140 To Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, Duke of Somerset, Protector in England (22 October 1549) 135 141 Letters patent for the strangers' church in London (24 July 1550) 137 142 To Edward VI, KingofEngland, January 1551 137 B Calvin and the Marian Exiles 138 143 Ministers of Geneva to the brethren in Wesel (13 March 1554) 138 144 Calvin to the church at Frankfurt (22 December 1555) 139 C Poland 140 145 To Sigismund Augustus (December 1554) 141 146 To Nicolas Radziwill (13 February 1555) 142 147 To the nobles of Poland (8 March 1557) 142 D France 143 148 To the faithful in France (24July 1547) 145 149 Reactions to the Edict of ChSteaubriant (15 October 1551) 145 150 Calvin to Richard Le F~vre (19January 1551) 146 151 The 'Five Scholars' of Lyons (December 1552) 147 152 Antoine Laborie's interrogation (August- September 1555) 148 153 To a French congregation (19June 1554) 152 154 The church in Paris (September 1555) 153 155 To a French church (19 April 1556) 154 t56 Incident in the rue Saint-Jacques (4 September 1557) 154 157 To Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre (14 December 1557) 155 IX The Last Years (1559-1564) 156 A Calvin and John Knox 156 158 Preface to The First Blast of the Trumpet... (1558) 157 159 Letterto the Commonalty of Scotland (14 July 1558) 157 160 To William Cecil (undated - c. March 1559) 158 161 John Knox's return to Scotland 159 162 First Confession of Faith (1560) 160 163 Calvin to John Knox (23 April 1561) 160 B Calvin and the Coming of Civil War in France 161 164 To Peter Martyr (4 October 1559) 162 165 To Bullinger (5 October 1559) 162 166 To Gaspard de Coligny (16 April 1561) 163 167 Memorandum to Henry of Navarre (undated - c. December 1560) 166 168 To Theodore Beza (10 September 1561) 167 169 To Ambrose Blaurer (May 1561) 167 170 To the Baron des Adrets (13 May 1562) 167 171 To the churches of Languedoc (undated- September 1562) 168 172 To Bullinger (8 April 1563) 168 C Health, Wealth, Family and Friends 168 173 Calvin's energy 169 174 To Peter Martyr (2 March 1559) 169 175 To Nicholas des Gallars (3 October 1560) 170 176 To Theodore Beza (27 August 1561) 171 177 To the Physicians of Montpellier (8 February t 1564) 17i D Calvin's Death 171 178 Calvin's farewell to the congregation of ministers 172 179 Epitaph from the consistory in Geneva 173 180 Beza's recollections of John Calvin 173 Epilogue 175 Further Reading 176 Abbreviations and Note on Translations Battles and Hugo J. Calvin, Commentary on Seneca "s De Clementia, ed. F.L. Battles and A.M. Hugo (Leiden, 1969) Beza Histoire ecclgsiastique des gglises rdformges au royaume de France (attributed to Theodore Beza) (Antwerp, 1580) CR Corpus Reformatorum (Opera Calvini), ed. G. Baum, E. Cunitz, and E. Reuss (59 vols., Brunswick, 1863-80) Daniel J.