that the second student was jealous at not being the messenger. Calvin quickly dashed off a second letter to Viret containing the request that Viret pretend it was a valuable letter. Calvin encouraged congregational psalm-singing in the church at Geneva. Like Luther, he viewed music as a gift of God and personally put to music a number of the psalms. During the course of his ministry in Geneva, Calvin lectured to theological students and preached an average of five sermons a week (see p. 9).
Did you know? Calvin the teacher, Menno the preacher, Elizabeth the queen, and those unpronounceable French Protestants A momentous detour
An unmarked grave
Calvin gave strict instructions that he be buried in the common cemetery with no tombstone. He wished to give no encouragement to those who might make it a Protestant shrine. He continued to work even on his deathbed, though his friends pleaded with him to rest. He replied: “What! Would you have the Lord find me idle when he comes?” Calvin’s seal pictured a burning heart in a hand and was accompanied by this motto: “Promptly and sincerely in the work of God.”
John Calvin trained first as a lawyer; his first published book was an academic commentary on ancient philosopher Seneca. He meant to merely stop in the Swiss city of Geneva for a single night in 1536 (avoiding hostilities raging between the king of France and the Holy Roman Empire). But Guillaume Farel convinced him to stay, which he did for 25 years, becoming the city’s most famous person. Even so, he was not granted citizenship until five years before his death. Scottish reformer John Knox visited Geneva in 1554 and wrote to an English friend, “It is the most perfect school of Christ that ever was in the earth since the days of the Apostles.”
colleague, friend, and pastor
Although he never met Luther, Calvin esteemed him very highly. To Heinrich Bullinger (see p. 48), he wrote: “Even if he were to call me a devil I should still regard him as an outstanding servant of God.” Once when Calvin asked one of a pair of students to deliver a letter to his friend Pierre Viret, he noticed
we’re still here After the Reformed faith was out-
lawed in France in 1685, Huguenots continued to survive and even (as in this drawing) to mock the king.
Christian History
Reformer’s Memorial— Statue of William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox, Reformation Wall (1909), Geneva, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland / De Agostini Picture Library / A. Vergani / Bridgeman Images Protestant caricature of King Louis XIV (1638–1715), illustration from Les Heros de La Ligue ou La Procession monacale, conduite par Louis XIV, pour la conversion des protestants de son royaume, Paris, Chez Pere Peters, a l’Enseigne de Louis Le Grand, 1691 (mezzotint) (b/w photo), Dusart, Cornelis & Gole, Jacob (1660–1737) (attr. to) / Bibliotheque de la Societe de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Francais, Paris, France / Archives Charmet / Bridgeman Images
full of words Calvin (second from left alongside Farel, Beza, and Knox) wrote commentaries on nearly every biblical book as well as theological treatises. His correspondence fills 11 volumes.