John Calvin

Although Calvin was against the notion of celibacy, he did not marry for a long time. Ultimately in August 1540, urged by his friends, he married Idelette de Bure. She was a widow with two children from her first marriage.

On 28 July 1542, Idelette gave birth to their son, Jacques; however, he did not live long. Some also believe that they had one or two daughters, who also died in infancy. Idelette also died on 29 March 1549 after a long illness and Calvin was much grieved by the loss. He never married again.

Calvin died on 27 May 1564. He was then 54 years old. To avoid fostering a new saint-cult, which he abhorred, he was buried in an unmarked grave in the Cimetière des Roisin the very next day. Later in the 19th century, a stone was added to a grave, which was believed to be his.

John Calvin was born as Jehan Cauvin on 10 July 1509 in Noyon, a town located in the Picardy region of France. His father, Gérard Cauvin, was the apostolic secretary to the Bishop of Noyon and also the proctor in the Chapter of the diocese and the fiscal procurator of the county.

His mother, Jeanne Le Franc, was noted for her beauty and piety. John was their second surviving son. His elder brother was Charles and younger, Antoine. His father wanted all of them to join the church and brought them up accordingly.

Calvin’s mother died four or five years after his birth. Shortly after that, his father remarried and he was sent to live with the Montmors, an influential family in the neighborhood.

He had always been an exceptional child. When he turned twelve, he was employed as a clerk by the Bishop. This was also the time when he received his tonsure.

Later in 1523, he was sent to Paris to study theology. Here he entered the Collège de la Marche and studied Latin under Mathurin Cordier/ Corderius. On completion of the course, he entered the Collège de Montaigu to study philosophy.

At Geneva, he was persuaded by evangelist William Farel to stay back and assist him in reforming the churches of that region. It is not known what his position was at the time of joining; but it is certain that he was made a ‘reader’ very soon and elected a pastor sometime in 1537.

However in 1538, both Calvin and Farel fell out with the city council and left Geneva for Basel. Subsequently, Calvin was invited to lead a church for the French refugees in Strasbourg, a position he took by September 1538. Shortly after that, he was granted citizenship of the city.

On 13 September 1541, Calvin once again returned to Geneva on the invitation of the city council. Here he put forward a few proposals for reform. One of them was to provide religious education to the townspeople, in support of which the city government passed the Ordonnances ecclésiastiques.

On his advice, the city council also established four groups of church officers: pastors and teachers to explain the scriptures, doctors to instruct believers in the faith, elders to administer the church, and deacons to look after the charities. In addition, a consistory of pastors and elders was also formed to see that the citizens conform to God’s law.

He also proposed a wide range of disciplinary actions. It covered everything from the abolition of what they called Roman Catholic superstition to taking steps against dancing, gambling, swearing as well as enforcement of sexual morality and regulation of taverns.

John Calvin is best remembered for his reform works. During his tenure, Geneva not only grew into a center of Protestantism, but he was also the inspiration behind the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland, Puritan Movement in England and Reformed Church in the Netherlands.

He is also remembered for his seminal work, ‘Institutio Christianae religionis’ (Institutes of the Christian Religion). First published in 1536 in Latin, the book was updated several times by Calvin. Today it is widely read by theological students for references on the system of doctrine adopted by the Reformed churches.