John Calvin, was a theologian/ecclesiastical statesman, but was also known for being a journalist for his time and is widely credited as the most important person in the second generation of the protestant reformation, even today. Being born on July 10, 1509 in France, John Calvin was a law student at the University of Orleans when he first joined the cause of the Reformation. In 1536 he published the landmark text Institutes of the Christian Religion, his hope with the text was to standardize the theories of the Protestantism. John Calvin was the successor of Martin Luther as the preeminent Protestant theologian but unlike Luther, Calvin was known for his intellectual, unemotional approach to faith, and his religious teachings emphasized the sovereignty of scripture. He lived in Geneva briefly until he was forced to leave by the anti-protestant authorities in 1538, but was then invited back to Geneva in 1541. Upon returning to Geneva he became an important spiritual and political leader. Using Protestant principles, he established a religious government and in 1555 he was given absolute supremacy as leader in Geneva. John Calvin’s government punished dissent against his view of Christianity with execution. During his first 5 years of his rule in Geneva he had a number of people that he had either executed or exiled. 58 people were executed and 76 were exiled for their religious beliefs. The way John Calvin ruled would be seen as harsh, he even banned all other art besides
As a Protestant, Calvin believes that the authority lies in Scripture alone, so he would naturally agree with what the Scripture is saying. Another example of Calvin trying to get rid of sinful things is the Geneva Consistory he set up to monitor the private morals of his citizens in Geneva. Calvin is
Martin Luther Martin Luther was one of two of the greatest leaders of the reformation along with John Calvin. The Reformation was the period in the 16th century (1571-1648) where the was a cultural upheaval the divided the European catholic population. Not only did it create a cultural upheaval it created political and intellectual disruption. Luther believed that the Catholic church was corrupt, his 95 Theses was a list of 95 arguments about the catholic church which he wanted to resolve.
He was very similar to Martin Luther in terms of their beliefs. Along with Zwingli, was John Calvin who was a French protestant prominent in the reformation. One main event during this time was when King Henry VIII demanded the current pope at the time to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon due to the fact that she hadn’t yet given birth to a son and he believed she was cursed. He thought that all of England’s stability relied on him having an heir to the throne. The pope denied the annulment ultimately causing King Henry to become enraged and he declared himself authority of the church.
Calvin has opposing views to the (hand me down) aspect of the Catholic religion. Calvin believes that the pastors are not sent forth with a licentious and lawful authority but have a duty to the church and must be faithful to their
Martin Luther, a German professor and monk, made a large impact on society in the fifteen hundreds. His new ideas of Christianity changed the concept of how religion was viewed and practiced in the 16th century. Within his Ninety-five Theses, he questioned the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and brought to light the corruption surrounding the church while stating how Christianity should be practiced in different ways rather than what is being taught. It is important to understand his stances on religion to explain how different groups reacted to his ideas. While some parts of Europe accepted his ideologies into practice, others reject Luther for many different reasons.
John Calvin was a French Theologian who and was the leader of the Protestant Reformation (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras). He first had studied to become a priest then became fascinated with theology and started to study it (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras). The church taught that if you are not a part of God than you will not go into heaven. John Calvin believed that all people are flawed and corrupt so because of this they can not understand or take part in his salvation (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras). John Calvin’s moral was everyone should live a moral life and hope that God will save them (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras).
The Protestant Reformation began with a movement made by a monk simply to criticize and challenge the actions of the Church. From the disapproval of selling indulgence to the demand of equality, multiple forces have sparked the inception of the Protestant Revolution. Martin Luther’s decision to take public stand against the Church was revolutionary to the society. A movement for religious reforms, known as the Protestant Reformation, was born. Luther’s beliefs were soon adopted by and appealed to every levels of society.
Among the religions and beliefs during the 16th century, there were different opinions on how to run society and the government. Martin Luther and John Calvin were two leaders in the Protestant Reformation who wanted change in the Catholic Church. Although Luther and Calvin were similar in the political authority and ecclesiastical, they differed on religion and society. Luther and Calvin were both Protestants who believed the Catholic Church was corrupt due to the selling of indulgences and the preaching of salvation.
John Calvin John Calvin was an important aspect in the reformation for multiple reasons one being that he was a leading figure by publishing the Institutes of the Christian Religion which he hoped to regulate Protestantism. He also became a valued spiritual and political leader in which he put together a religious government. Later given absolute supremacy as the leader in Geneva. He was a man who instituted numerous positive policies. He did a superb job of what he was trying to accomplish, he banned all art other than music which ended up creating Geneva the center of Protestantism, which is what he was shooting for initially.
The five landmarks in the Protestant Reformation that were significate were Martin Luther , the 95 theses, the printing press, the translation of the bible into German, & Calvinism. The Roman Catholic Church was overrun with ambitious individuals who sought power and control. These landmarks were all significant in reforming the Roman Catholic Church in its beliefs and practices. Martin Luther is the primary source for beginning the Protestant Reformation. Luther publicly criticized the Catholic Church and its authority.
John Calvin is considered one of the most important people in regards to the Protestant Reformation during the early-mid 1500’s. He was a pastor that took his job seriously and wanted to influence people to go beyond conformity and to try to grasp who God truly is, not just who others preached that He is. He encouraged thinking, not conformity. This new ideology, of course, brought about conflict between the widely prevalent Roman Catholicism of that day and Calvin’s personal conviction. The doctrinal differences mentioned in the prayers were part of that conflict.
In 1536 an Institute had given Calvin a reputation for the Protestant leaders, while Calvin spent the night in Genevalate, the preacher and reformer of Guillaume was creating Protestantism in the town. He persuaded him to continue to help in this line of work, his influence has not only persevered in the Church of England, where Calvin was greatly respected among those Puritans who were unfortunately separated from the Anglican Establishment, but also persisted in the Reformed churches of France, Scotland, Hungary, Germany, and the Netherlands. The latter was formulated into their own personal churches, Congregational or Presbyterian, which is what eventually brought Calvinism to North America. Even in today’s modern society these wonderful churches, along with the authentic Reformed Church and German Evangelical, recognize John Calvin as one of their founding fathers.
New ideas about religion, politics, and culture, swept across Europe in the sixteenth century. The cultural norm began changing in ways that have affected even modern day society. People began questioning powers, especially in church. A major part of the Reformation was the call to purify the church. Many important and notable people drove this cause, and they acted as reformers.
These ideas prompted many Catholics into finally correcting the church themselves and seeking Reformation. Martin Luther became the leading figure of the Reformation because he had openly challenged the authority of the Pope and attacked the practice of indulgences in his “Ninety-Five Theses” letter. Several other prominent Theologians such as John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli seized upon Luther’s beliefs and Reformation swept across 16th century Europe, leading eventually to