five hundredth

Some love from different perspectives for John Calvin (1509-1564), who was born 500 years ago in Noyon, a small town in France:

1. Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), who became prominent for his opposition/modification to the tenets of Calvinism, and left us a lasting legacy until today, might want to have a first say:

“After the Holy Scriptures, I exhort the students to read the Commentaries of Calvin. . . . I tell them that he is incomparable in the interpretation of Scripture; and that his Commentaries ought to be held in greater estimation than all that is delivered to us in the writings of the ancient Christian Fathers: so that, in a certain eminent spirit of prophecy, I give the pre-eminence to him beyond most others, indeed beyond them all. I add, that, with regard to what belongs to common places, his Institutes must be read after the Catechism, as a more ample interpretation. But to all this I subjoin the remark, that they must be perused with cautious choice, like all other human compositions.”

2a. Next, from Karl Barth (1886-1968), arguably the most influential Reformed theologian of the 20th century:

“John Calvin is a cataract, a primeval forest, a demonic power, something directly down from Himalaya, absolutely Chinese, strange, mythological; I lack completely the means, the suction cups, even to assimilate this phenomenon, not to speak of presenting it adequately. What I receive is only a thin little stream and what I can then give out again is only a yet thinner extract of this little stream. I could gladly and profitably set myself down and spend all the rest of my life with just Calvin.”  (in a letter to Eduard Thurneysen, 8 June 1922)

2b. After completing his theological study, Barth served as an assistant pastor to a German-speaking Reformed congregation in, well, Geneva from 1909 to 1911. And he preached often from the same pulpit from where Calvin had lectured and preached (St. Pierre Cathedral). Although, he remarked that Calvin would hardly have been pleased at the sermons he preached from his pulpit. (he was still embracing liberal theology at that time)

2c. There was even a work by Barth on Calvin: The Theology of John Calvin. It was the text of Barth’s lectures on Calvin (Die Theologie Calvins) in 1922 when he served as honorary Professor of Reformed Theology in Göttingen — a Lutheran city.

3. Finally, a word from Pope Pius IV (1499-1565), who preceded the culmination of Council of Trent in 1563, one year before Calvin passed away in 1564:

“The strength of that heretic [Calvin] consisted in this, that money never had the slightest charm for him. If I had such servants my dominion would extend from sea to sea.”