July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564
Theologian and Pastor
From Noyon, France
Served in Geneva, Switzerland
"A perfect faith is nowhere to be found, so it follows that all of us are partly unbelievers."
Born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, France, Jean Calvin was raised in a staunch Roman Catholic family. The local bishop employed Calvin's father as an administrator in the town's cathedral. The father, in turn, wanted John to become a priest. Because of close ties with the bishop and his noble family, John's playmates and classmates in Noyon (and later in Paris) were aristocratic and culturally influential in his early life.
At the age of 14 Calvin went to Paris to study at the College de Marche in preparation for university study. His studies consisted of seven subjects: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Toward the end of 1523 Calvin transferred to the more famous College Montaigu. While in Paris he changed his name to its Latin form, Ioannis Calvinus, which in French became Jean Calvin. During this time, Calvin's education was paid for in part by income from a couple of small parishes. So although the new theological teachings of individuals like Luther and Jacques Lefevre d'Etaples were spreading throughout Paris, Calvin was closely tied to the Roman Church. However, by 1527 Calvin had developed friendships with individuals who were reform-minded. These contacts set the stage for Calvin's eventual switch to the Reformed faith. Also, at this time Calvin's father advised him to study law rather than theology.
By 1528 Calvin moved to Orleans to study civil law. The following years found Calvin studying in various places and under various scholars, as he received a humanist education. By 1532 Calvin finished his law studies and also published his first book, a commentary on De Clementia by the Roman philosopher, Seneca. The following year Calvin fled Paris because of contacts with individuals who through lectures and writings opposed the Roman Catholic Church. It is thought that in 1533 Calvin experienced the sudden and unexpected conversion that he writes about in his foreword to his commentary on the Psalms.
For the next three years, Calvin lived in various places outside of France under various names. He studied on his own, preached, and began work on his first edition of theInstitutes of the Christian Religion, an instant best seller. By 1536 Calvin had disengaged himself from the Roman Catholic Church and made plans to permanently leave France and go to Strasbourg. However, war had broken out between Francis I and Charles V, so Calvin decided to make a one-night detour to Geneva.
But Calvin's fame in Geneva preceded him. Farel, a local reformer, invited him to stay in Geneva and threatened him with God's anger if he did not. Thus began a long, difficult, yet ultimately fruitful relationship with that city. He began as a lecturer and preacher, but by 1538 was asked to leave because of theological conflicts. He went to Strasbourg until 1541. His stay there as a pastor to French refugees was so peaceful and happy that when in 1541 the Council of Geneva requested that he return to Geneva, he was emotionally torn. He wanted to stay in Strasbourg but felt a responsibility to return to Geneva. He did so and remained in Geneva until his death May 27, 1564. Those years were filled with lecturing, preaching, and the writing of commentaries, treatises, and various editions of theInstitutes of the Christian Religion.
This article is not our work. It can be found here.
Benedict of Nursia480 - July 11, 543
Founder of 12 monasteries in Italy which would become the Rule of St. Benedict
Isidore of Seville560 - Apr. 4 636
Archbishop of Seville and often viewed as the last Scholar of the Ancient World
John Wycliffe1320 - Dec. 31, 1384
Theologian, Preacher, and Translator of the Bible into English
Joan of ArcJan. 6, 1412 - May 30, 1431
Defender of and Warrior for France during the Hundred Year War
Ulrich ZwingliJan. 1, 1484 - Oct. 11, 1531
Pastor, Theologian, and Leader of the Reformation in Switzerland
Thomas CranmerJuly 2, 1489 - Mar. 21, 1556 Leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury
Blaise PascalJune 19, 1623 - Aug. 19, 1662 Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Writer, and Philosopher
Jonathan EdwardsOct. 5, 1703 - Mar. 22, 1758
Pastor during the America's First Great Awakening
Isaac BackusJan. 9, 1724 - Nov. 20, 1806
Preacher who campaigned against state-established churches
John NewtonJuly 24, 1725 - Dec. 21, 1807
Slave Ship Captain turned Minister and Writer of "Amazing Grace"
Richard AllenFeb. 14, 1760 - Mar. 26, 1831
Preacher and Founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
William WilberforceAugust 24, 1759 - July 29, 1833
Politician who single-handedly abolished Great Britain's Slave Trade
William CareyAugust 17, 1761 - June 9, 1834
Missionary, founder of first college in India and founding member of Baptist Missionary Society
Charles SimeonSept. 24, 1759 - Nov. 1, 1836
Pastor and a Founder of the Church Missionary Society
John Henry HopkinsJan. 30, 1792 - Jan. 9, 1868
First Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont
George MuellerSept. 27, 1805 - Mar. 10, 1898
Founder of Orphanages and Schools through England
Alexander CrummellMar. 3, 1819 - Sept. 10, 1898
Founding pastor of St Luke's Episcopal Church in Washington D.C.
Annie ArmstrongJuly 11, 1850 - Dec. 20, 1938
Missionary and Founder of the Woman's Missionary Movement
Dietrich BonhoefferFeb. 4, 1906 - Apr. 9, 1945
German Lutheran Pastor, Theologian and Anti-Nazi Dissident
Lillian Hunt TrasherSept. 27, 1887 - Dec. 17, 1961 Missionary and Founder of the first Christian Orphanage in Egypt
Charles E. FullerApr. 25, 1887 - Mar. 18, 1968
Radio Evangelist and Founder of Fuller Seminary
Dorothy DayNov. 8, 1897 - Nov. 29, 1980
Journalist, Social Activist and Co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement
Jean DonovanApr. 10, 1953 - Dec. 2, 1980
Missionary to El Salvador volunteering to feed the poor during the country's civil war
Rich MullinsOct. 21, 1955 - Sept. 19, 1997
Musician, Composer and Music Teacher to Navajo children
Allan SandageJune 18, 1926 - Nov. 13, 2010
Astronomer who determined the first reasonably accurate values for the Hubble constant and the age of the universe
Jack HeaslipFeb. 21, 1944 - Feb. 21, 2015
Parish Pastor and notably influential to the band U2
John ChachaJan. 15, 1955 - Apr. 16, 2015
Missionary and Founder of Teamwork City of Hope in Tanzania