John Calvin: The Influence Of John Calvin On The Reformation Of The Early Church

Abstract

There have been so many religious scholars that Christian church has seen who have contributed in the growth of religion. John Calvin can also be seen among one of the scholars who played a significant role in the reformation of early church. Calvin's work provides an opportunity to understand the development of church since its early times. Calvin has been preaching his ideologies to different parts of the Europe in his time and today his work can be seen as a significant source to identify the modification and changes in early church. This paper aims to understand the work of John Calvin and examine its influence on the reformation of early church.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Discussion4

Calvin's Theology5

About the Father5

About the Son5

About the Spirit5

About the Church6

Calvinism6

Origins and Characteristics7

Five Points7

Conclusion8

References9

John Calvin: The Influence Of John Calvin On The Reformation Of The Early Church

Introduction

The church has seen many notable figures in its history who contributed in the development of various theological theories and religious ideologies (Reymond, 2004). John Calvin was also one of them who determined the course of the history of the Church by leaving a trace of his convictions and the strength of his work. In fact, the spiritual heritage given by Calvin was not limited to France or Switzerland where he spent most of his career, but has expanded and continues to expand in Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, and to a lesser extent in Russia and Ukraine. His prodigious work in the service of the proclamation, exhibition and dissemination of the Christian faith was made in the middle of very troubled times, which can be seen as difficult or violent in relation to the political and the religious aspects (Parker, 2007). The time of the Reformation in Europe in the sixteenth century was a time of great change, not only political and religious, but also intellectual and artistic.

Discussion

John Calvin, born in 1509 in Noyon about 100 km north of Paris, France, was the son of Gérard Cauvin and Jeanne Lefranc. He was excellent in his studies and deeply religious in his youth. His early studies were for the ecclesiastical career and his initial training was received at the Collège de la Marche and the Collège de Montaigne (Parker, 2007). Calvin's father was a lawyer and in 1523 sent his son, who was then 14 years, the University of Paris to study humanities and law. At the urging of his father, who claimed that John Calvin would pursue law, he enrolled at the universities of Orleans and Bourges.

The young Calvin was soon to be sent to Paris at the age of eleven, and about a year later, he entered the College Montaigu, who was part of the University of Paris. In this college plan and discipline were very hard where students were not allowed to talk to each other in Latin even between classes (Wright, ...