AP US History A: Unit 1 - Calvinism in the Colonies

[MODERATECALVINISM]

Colossians 3:15

*Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

[alt7310]

Calvin never had any power to put anyone on trial in Geneva. Servetus had already been sentenced to death by the Roman Catholics, not so much for his opinions about the trinity, but rather for his outrageous rants, and was fleeing them. He believed he might find safety in Geneva. Once Calvin discovered Servetus had arrived in Geneva, Calvin reported him to the civil authorities. The civil authorities sentenced him to death by burning. Calvin pleaded with them to reduce the sentence to hanging.

[alt7310]

To the section of his Institutes covering predestination, Calvin gives this heading, “Concerning the eternal election of God by which He has ordained some to blessedness and others to damnation” (III.21). McNeill says, “Calvin goes beyond Augustine in his explicit assertion of double pre-destination, in which the reprobation of those not elected is a specific determination of God’s inscrutable will” (In Calvin 2006, p.lviii).

[alt7310]

I'm sorry, but I just have to respond to this video. You obviously know very little about Calvin, and have never read any of his works. In Calvin's work Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God, Calvin sets forth one of the most comprehensive accouns of double predestination that exists. Calvin scholars almost universally agree that Calvin believed in double predestination.

[dlgoyette]

@alt7310 "In his theology, Calvin sought to hold in balance the full range of Biblical teaching, arranged in a coherent pattern but not with absolute logical precision....Calvin's successor at Geneva, Theodore Beza, placed far more importance on the doctrine of double predestination than had Calvin." - Jaroslav Pelikan, Yale University; Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religion

[alt7310]

@dlgoyette You said double predestination was "branded" as Calvinism. My point is that your description is unfair, because Calvin DID believe in double predestination.

[dlgoyette]

@alt7310 Thank you for your coments. More than once in the lecture I mention that predestination was introduced by Calvin and that Beza made it central to Calvinism. I am simply echoing Armstong and Pelikan's point that predestination was not central to his teachings during his lifetime. I never said he didn't believe in double predestination. I have added clarifying annotations. Let me know if these fairly clarify the point. I appreciate your line of questioning.

[alt7310]

@dlgoyette Thank you for clarifying. To be honest, I don't know about Pelikan, but I have read Armstrong. She is, of course, not a Calvin scholar. But I think she deals with Calvin more fairly than she seems to deal with other movements. It would be good if you could put another note on your video saying that Servetus was not, in fact, "sentenced to death by Calvin". Rather, he was sentenced to death by the city authorities, though Calvin certainly supported this decision.

[RedBeetle]

The Protestant Work Ethic was a result of Martin Luther's re-discovery of the doctrine of Justification By Faith Alone (Sola Fide). The corollaries of Sola Fide are individualism and the Priesthood of All Believers. Salvation is between God and the individual. The Catholic hierarchy is by-passed. Work is no longer viewed as a punishment for Adam's fall, but a form of prayer--a way of showing gratitude for salvation. The believing farmer pleases God, but the rich unbelieving priest does not.

[dlgoyette]

Thank you for your comments and insight into Calvin's teachings.

[RedBeetle]

John Calvin taught absolute predestination, that is, double-predestination. A simple reading of the first three books of the "Institutes Of The Christian Religion" shows this easily. You might also read Calvin's book: "Calvin's Calvinism." If that's not enough, then read Calvin's book "Secret Providence." He also published an entire series on election and reprobation. Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther both taught the doctrine prior to Calvin. Luther's "The Bondage Of The Will" is classic.

[RedBeetle]

Miguel De Servetus wasn't executed by John Calvin. He was arrested by the council of Geneva for attempting a coup d'etat. His case was decided by other Swiss cantons, and he was found guilty, but not for any theological views. Calvin attempted to mitigate the sentence, but he was on bad terms with the Catholic-leaning council of Geneva, so they burned Servetus slow. Why? Servetus was already being hunted by the Inquisition before coming to Geneva. He was captured, but escaped to Geneva.

[dlgoyette]

I will make a point to study the Servetus case more. Yale University's Jaroslav Pelikan is my source for the assertion about Calvin's role. The passage reads "Calvin was responsible for Servetus' arrest and conviction, although he preferred a less brutal form of execution."

[dlgoyette]

Pelikan also notes that Beza "wrote in defense of burning the anti-Trinitarian Micheal Servetus" and "Beza's book (De Jure Megistratum) overthrew the earlier Calvinist doctrine of obedience to all civil authority and became a major manifesto of Calvinism."

[dlgoyette]

In your readings have you encountered any mention of Beza, as the cheif pastor of the Geneva Church after Calvin's death, influencing or shaping Calvanist teachings toward a more intolerent form of Protestantism? Did not Beza, Calvin, and the Catholic cantors all have their reason for silencing Servetus?

[dlgoyette]

I am not a theology major, so your insights would be welcomed here as I am nonetheless very interested. Such discussion is beneficial for my students as they can evaluate the interpretations for themselves and benefit from your close study of Calvinism.

[RedBeetle]

Yes, both Protestants and Catholics sought for Servetus to be silenced. Of course, some wanted only to refute Servetus. I know I do not have to remind you how Catholic, secular, and Calvinist historians all have different historiographical methods. I look at history from a Calvinist perspective, but then I am a Calvinist. I don't expect a Catholic or a secular historian to paint Calvin in a favorable light, but this is not always the case. Have you ever read historian Page Smith?

[RedBeetle]

Luther and Calvin had begun to teach a separation of church and state, religious freedom, and freedom of speech, but change was not always quick. The Calvinist Dutch Republic managed to enact these civil liberties. Have you read Luther's early tract "Temporal Government: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed?" (1523). Luther argues, "Heresy can never be restrained by force...heresy must be opposed and dealt with other than with the sword." The ideas must first be introduced, then established.

[RedBeetle]

Here is another quote from Luther:

"How he believes or disbelieves is a matter for each individual, and since this takes nothing away from temporal authority the latter should be content to attend to its own affairs and let men believe this or that as they are able and willing, and constrain no one by force" (Selected Writings Of Martin Luther, Volume 2, "Temporal Authority: To What Extent It should Be Obeyed?," page298).

Does this relate to our 1st Amendment? Had Samuel Adams read Luther?