HIST 126: The Age of Reformation

The Church in Geneva

I.                 Organization

A.    Compromise between Calvin and the Council

B.     Establishment of the four orders of offices

C.     Establishment of the Consistory

�    Definition: the Consistory was the principal organ for the administration of disciplinary correction.

�    Makeup: included 12 elders and 5 pastors, all presided over by one of the members of the Little Council.

�    Characteristics: the Consistory was simultaneously a secular and ecclesiastical institution, whose main duty was to regulate moral life, daily behavior, and doctrinal orthodoxy.  In practice, it was a highly active ecclesiastical police.

�    Process: if the Consistory found faults that violated civil law, as opposed to ecclesiastical law, the perpetrator would be turned over to the Council.  Remember, one of the compromised we talked about was that the Church was not to have direct civic authority.

�    Implication: Calvin’s Geneva was a theocracy (that is, it was run by laymen who upheld the teachings of the Church) not a hierocracy (that is, a state ran by ministers).

II.              Calvin’s Theory of Education – Application

�    Introduction: Calvin’s ultimate aim was to create a model Christian community.  His plan was to turn Geneva into the example after which other communities could be shaped.  In order to create such a society/community, Calvin was convinced, education was indispensable.  The idea was to reform daily life and religious life concurrently.

�    Calvin saw the Church’s main function as being the education of the flock, for two major reasons: 1) to instruct people to lead a life in keeping with Christian virtue and values; 2) because education was needed to gain the knowledge of God and self of which we spoke in class.

�    In order to forward his educational agenda, Calvin wrote a new catechism, which became the basis for Protestant educational programs.  He also wrote several tracts in which he explained the specifics of his educational plan and, as part of the great emphasis he placed on reforming education within Geneva, founded the College de la Rive and the Geneva Academy, whose 1^st rector was Theodore Beza (we’ll talk more about him below, as he spearheaded the expansion of Calvinism into France).

�    The specifics of education:

1.      based on daily sermons, lectures in theology, and the religious instruction of children;

2.      formal education should start at a young age;

3.      it should stress disciplined behavior, cleanliness, and promptness (which taught one to control the body and lead to the improvement of the spirit);

4.      its curriculum was typical of Renaissance thinking, in that it included the study of Latin, but added study of the Psalms in the vernacular (in this case, France), as well as physical exercise;

5.      the schools were to be maintained by the citizens;

6.      all citizens would be obliged to send their children to school, which was made easier by:

7.      the fact that poor children would attend school with the financial backing of the city.

III.            The Appeal of Calvinism

�    Calvinism appealed to many, as made clear by the fact that it became the most widespread version of the Reformed Faith.  Its appeal differed from person to person and area to area, but here are some general possibilities:

1.      Its straightforward call to follow Christ;

2.      the logic and intensity of Calvin entire Biblical theology;

3.      his personal commitment and involvement gave many a sense of confidence and security that they had lacked under the Catholic Church;

4.      the general sense of camaraderie which was engendered by a common set of goals and a strong organizational plan;

5.      Calvin’s idea or regeneration and justification resulted in action, particularly in “the call”;

6.      the call was viewed as more democratic, as it forwarded the ideal of mutual responsibility, and which would in turn do away with greed and sloth;

7.      Calvinism’s moral code served as a clear and practical rule for life.

�    The issue here is that the clear theology, organized implementation, and democratic feel of Calvinism fit both the spiritual and civic needs and desires of European at this particular point in time.

II.              The Spread of Calvinism

�    This section goes and in hand with the above, in that it was the strong appeal of Calvinism, and its success within Geneva, which made others interested in its possibilities. 

�    Calvinism was the first Protestant form to become international.  It spread from Switzerland to France, Scotland and England, the Netherlands, Germany, and Eastern Europe.  Of all these, the most important areas to the history of Calvinism were France and Scotland, upon which the last part of this lecture concentrates.

�    Beyond the individual appeal of Calvinism, it was able to spread internationally because:

1.      Calvin’s theology was a complete, (almost) fully worked-out system which could fully take the place of Roman theology;

2.      Calvinists embraced an active missionary style (or zeal, even) of the type presented by the early Church;

3.      the founding of the Geneva Academy, from which many Calvinist leaders sprung.

For the section on Calvinism in France, Scotland, and other areas, access the text copies available through our course’s electronic schedule.