God Called Him

Canadian Presbyterians name churches after John Calvin and claim to be his theological descendants, so it is worth asking: Who was John Calvin?
He was born in Noyon, Picardy, northwest of Paris, on July 10, 1509, the youngest of five (or maybe seven) children. (And at the start of Calvin's story we confront the problem that makes telling his story challenging. Many things about Calvin we do not know, in part because of the 500 years between his time and ours, but more significantly despite being a prolific writer Calvin wrote little about his own life.) His father was the financial administrator for the cathedral chapter of Noyon; his mother, a pious woman, died when Calvin was four or five years old. Recognizing the boy's academic ability his father enrolled him in the University of Paris when he was 14 years old (at the time the normal age to start university) anticipating Calvin becoming a priest. Calvin started his university education just as Martin Luther's writings were creating waves within the church. Calvin would have been aware of the debate between reformers and anti-reformers which led at times to the advocates of reform being burned at the stake.
In 1528 Calvin's father had a falling out with his employers which culminated in his excommunication, and he decided Calvin should become a lawyer. So Calvin moved to Orleans and later Bourges to study. But Calvin, now in his 20s, remained engaged by the theological debate. Nearly 40 years later, he described his transformation into a reformer as a gradual process. We know little about this process except that Calvin was publicly aligned with the reformers by the end of 1533.
On All Saint's Day, 1533, Nicholas Cop, a friend of Calvin's and the rector of the University of Paris, gave the address at the opening of the academic year. In it Cop made clear his reform sympathies. Scholars debate what role Calvin played in drafting Cop's speech, some arguing he was the author. The ire the speech caused forced Calvin to lay low under the protection of Louis du Tillet, canon at the cathedral of Angouleme. Calvin also read voraciously from du Tillet's well-stocked library, including some early theological writings. Calvin, together with most reformers, believed the church needed to return to its original commitments and patterns, so they turned to the writings of leaders from the church's first five centuries for insights into the renewal of the church.
By the end of 1534, it was clear France was too dangerous for high profile reformers and in January 1535 du Tillet, Cop and Calvin all found their way to Basle, Switzerland, a city which welcomed reformers fleeing persecution. In exile and within the stimulating theological environment of Basle, Calvin wrote the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion in less than eight months. Published in March 1536, when Calvin was 27 year old, the Institutes are a skillful mixture of biblical material, early church writings (often quoted from memory given Calvin's limited access to theological resources), and theological reflections from the first generation of reformers. Calvin was to spend the rest of his life revising and expanding the Institutes; the 1559 edition was five times longer than the first edition. The 1536 edition opened with a letter to the king of France defending the reform movement and appealing for religious freedom in France so the exiles could return. The Institutes was an instant best seller.
Calvin passed through Geneva later in 1536, visiting Guillaume Farel, a pastor who was leading the reform of Genevan church life, along with the city council. Farel compelled Calvin to stay in Geneva to help bring order and stability to the reforms. At first his only task in Geneva was to lecture on the Bible during mid-week gatherings of the church community. Gradually Calvin grew more comfortable in functioning as a parish minister. But he had much to learn about the pastoral role. As a result of his and Farel's unwillingness to bend on church worship and congregational life matters such as the frequency of communion (Calvin wanted it at least monthly), the Geneva city council removed Farel and Calvin as ministers in 1538 and asked them to leave the city.
Calvin went to Strasbourg where he ministered to French-speaking refugees fleeing the religious persecution. In Strasbourg, Calvin met and married Idelette de Bure, a widow with two children. The marriage was a loving one as is evident from Calvin's letters to friends. Calvin and Idelette had a son, Jacques, who did not survive infancy. On the death of his son, Calvin wrote, "Certainly the Lord has afflicted us with a deep and painful wound in the death of our beloved son." Idelette's health declined through the late 1540's, a source of concern to Calvin. Following her death on March 29, 1549, Calvin wrote, "I am trying as much as possible not to be completely overwhelmed by grief."
In 1541 after three productive years as a parish minister in Strasbourg, Calvin received an invitation to return to Geneva. Given his previous experiences in the city, he was reticent, but hearing the call of God in the invitation he returned. For the next 23 years he poured himself into the life of Geneva as he sought to reform its religious life. Calvin Calvin died on May 27, 1564, and at his own request was buried in an unmarked grave, the site of which is still unknown.
Many of the changes in Calvin's life took place as the result of situations beyond his control. In those changing circumstances he trusted in the providence of God, even when that was hard to see. God had called him, and in response Calvin responded, "My heart, Lord, I give you, promptly and sincerely."