{"id":10581,"date":"2020-08-04T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T09:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reasons.org\/3-things-you-may-not-know-about-john-calvin-the-person\/"},"modified":"2020-08-04T09:00:10","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T09:00:10","slug":"3-things-you-may-not-know-about-john-calvin-the-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/christianity\/history\/3-things-you-may-not-know-about-john-calvin-the-person","title":{"rendered":"3 Things You May Not Know about John Calvin the Person"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"post-norm\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-sm-8 col-sm-offset-2\"><!-- CONTENT BEGINS --><\/p>\n<p>French-born theologian John Calvin <span>(1509\u20131564) <\/span>was one of the great voices of the Protestant Reformation. <span>He is often called the greatest systematic theologian of the Reformation and is the most influential figure in the entire Reformed theological tradition. His monumental book <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Institutes-Christian-Religion-John-Calvin\/dp\/1598561685\/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3SRAGXULGHXFN&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=john+calvin+institutes+of+the+christian+religion&amp;qid=1595884154&amp;sprefix=john+calvin+institutes+%2Caps%2C226&amp;sr=8-2\"><i>Institutes of the Christian Religion<\/i><\/a><span> has been called one of the ten books that shook the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Yet Calvin is also considered one of the most controversial theologians in the long history of Christendom. His views on the doctrines of election and predestination were and are off-putting to Christians and non-Christians alike but they were not much different from other influential theologians like Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther. Calvin is also criticized for his involvement in how Reformed leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, addressed <a href=\"https:\/\/calvin.edu\/centers-institutes\/meeter-center\/files\/resources-page\/TheServetusControversy.pdf\">those who rejected the Christian faith<\/a> at the time of the Reformation.<\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the controversy and given his stature and influence in church history, there are three things you may not know about John Calvin as a person. I hope these details might make you reflect upon Calvin with a sense of historical perspective and empathy. <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Calvin as a reflective introvert was reticent, awkward, and didn\u2019t make friends easily.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Unlike Luther, whose bold, talkative, and charismatic personality sparked the juggernaut called the Protestant Reformation, Calvin was a second-generation reformer (twenty-six years younger than Luther) who was quiet, shy, and reflective. His reserved personality no doubt contributed to his reputation for being cold, cerebral, and unsociable. Yet the people who knew him well, such as his famous student Theodore Beza, spoke of his graciousness and his genuine concern for those who suffered. And despite his fiery temper<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">,<\/span> Calvin found common cause with other significant leaders of the Reformation such as Philip Melanchthon, Heinrich Bullinger, and Martin Bucer.<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>Calvin was classmates with Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A little known fact of history is that two of the greatest figures of the Reformation clash between Protestants and Catholics in the sixteenth century, John Calvin and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ignatius_of_Loyola\">Ignatius of Loyola<\/a> (1491\u20131556), went to school together at the University of Paris. (Talk about having a distinguished list of alumni\u2014Catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas had also studied at the University of Paris some three centuries earlier.) As part of the Catholic Counter-Reformation (a direct response to the Protestants), Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus\u2014popularly known as the Jesuits. It was the Jesuits who provided a strenuous Catholic critique of Calvin\u2019s Protestant theology. One can only wonder if these two brilliant and powerful men, in the midst of historical tumult, ever desired to get together to reminisce about<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"caret-color: #0000ff;\"> <\/span><\/span>their school days together.<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>Calvin\u2019s heavy beard may have reflected his challenge to authority.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As we see in paintings, virtually all of the leading Protestant Reformers sported heavy beards. While we don\u2019t know the exact reason for this, some have suggested that beards were intended to contrast with the common practice of Catholic priests and monks being <a href=\"http:\/\/johnwhitgiftsthoughts.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/great-beards-of-english-reformation-and.html\">clean-shaven<\/a>.<sup> <\/sup>So when Calvin is featured in paintings with a beard resembling the members of the rock \u2018n\u2019 roll band ZZ Top, it is possible that he and his Protestant compatriots are evidencing their rebellion to the authority of the Church of Rome<span>\u2014a tradition that some contemporary Calvinists have carried on. Rebelling against authority appears to be a human custom.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We All Have Feet of Clay<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is inevitable that a leader will be scrutinized more than most people. In evangelicalism today we hear a lot about the debate between the theological schools of Calvinism and Arminianism. In light of this, Calvin is often thought to be a contentious figure. But do any of these points cause you to think differently about John Calvin the man?<\/p>\n<p>No human being is greater than any other. Yet God has called certain people to carry out his purposes in this world. Those people, including you and me, come with gifts, talents, and flaws.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reflections: Your Turn <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Have you read any of John Calvin\u2019s works? Which of the three points above do you find most engaging? <span>Visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reflectionsbyken.wordpress.com\/\">Reflections<\/a><span> on WordPress to comment with your response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For more on the life and thought of John Calvin, see chapter seven of my book <a href=\"https:\/\/support.reasons.org\/purchase\/classic-christian-thinkers-an-introduction\"><em>Classic Christian Thinkers: An Introduction<\/em><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT ENDS -->\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover three surprising personal facts about John Calvin that offer fresh insights into his role in the Protestant Reformation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_person_authors":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":"","_classifai_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_scheduled":false},"categories":[63978],"tags":[70604,70760,70606],"discipline":[64083],"reading-level":[64149],"class_list":["post-10581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","tag-christian-worldview","tag-historical-criteria","tag-christian-faith","discipline-church-history","reading-level-advanced-deep-dive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - 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From humble beginnings, Christianity has shaped entire civilizations, influencing culture, law, and society. Its history is marked by opposition, transformation, and resilience.\r\n\r\nEarly Christians endured intense persecution, yet Christianity later became the dominant faith of the Roman Empire. What caused this dramatic shift? And how did Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions emerge? Let\u2019s explore the key events, leaders, and struggles that defined Christianity and continue to shape the world today.\r\n\r\n\u00a0","parent":63972,"count":82,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":63978,"category_count":82,"category_description":"How did a small group of persecuted Jesus followers become the world\u2019s largest faith? From humble beginnings, Christianity has shaped entire civilizations, influencing culture, law, and society. 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