John Calvin
John Calvin (Jehan Cauvin) was born on February 11th, 1509. John passed away April 27th, 1564 at 55 years old. John Calvin was born in Noyon, Picardy, France. Calvin attended the University of Paris, the University of Orléans, and the University of Bourges.
John Calvin was a pastor, theologian, and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation.
John was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology that later was called Calvinism, which includes God’s absolute sovereignty in the salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation and all of its doctrines of predestination.
His doctrines were influenced by and elaborated upon the Augustinian as well as other Christian traditions. Numerous Reformed, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches look to Calvin as the chief expositor of their beliefs, and have spread throughout the world.
He was a tireless polemicist and apologetic writer that generated much controversy. Calvin also exchanged supportive and cordial letters with numerous reformers, including Heinrich Bullinger and Philipp Melanchthon. He wrote commentaries on confessional documents, most of the books of the Bible, and numerous other theological treatises.
John was originally trained as a humanist lawyer. Around 1530, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church. After some religious tensions erupted in widespread deadly violence against Protestant Christians in France, he fled to Basel, Switzerland, where he published the first edition of Institutes in 1536.
That same year, he got recruited by William Farel to join the Reformation in Geneva, where he regularly preached sermons throughout the whole week. But the governing council of the city resisted implementation of their ideas, and both William and John got expelled. At Martin Bucer’s invitation, John headed to Strasbourg, where he became the minister of a church of French refugees. He continued supporting the reform movement in Geneva, and then in 1541 he got invited back to lead the church of the city.
Institutes of the Christian Religion is John’s magnum opus. It was written as an intro to the Christian life, it remains the best articulation of Reformation principles and is a marvelous intro to biblical Christianity.
The book is a vindication of Reformation principles by one of the finest scholars of the Reformation. Calvin, at the age of 26, published numerous revisions of the work. It’s a seminal piece in Christian theology which altered the course of Western history and which still gets read by theological students today.
It covers a broad range of theological topics from doctrines of church and sacraments to justification by faith alone. The tome vigorously attacks the teachings of those that Calvin thought unorthodox, especially Roman Catholicism, to which he believed he had been strongly devoted to before his conversion to Protestantism.
The overarching theme of this book, and his greatest theological legacy, is the idea of God’s total sovereignty, especially in election and salvation.
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John Calvin: F.A.Q
When was John Calvin Born?
John Calvin was born on February 11th, 1509.
When did John Calvin die?
John Calvin died on April 27th, 1564 at 55 years old.
Where was John Calvin Born?
John Calvin was born in Noyon, Picardy, France.
What was the first book John Calvin wrote?
The first book written by John Calvin was Institutes of the Christian Religion, published in 1536.
What was the most recent book John Calvin wrote?
His most recently released work was Twelve Minor Prophets on March 16th, 2019.
How many books has John Calvin written?
John Calvin has written 100 books excluding contributions to anthologies. 80 books in the Calvin's Complete Commentary On The Bible Series, 3 books in the Praying Through the Prophets Series, 4 books in The Crossway Classic Commentaries Series, 11 books in the John Calvin Sermons, 3 books in the Non-Fiction Books.