John Calvin And Calvinism Flashcards
“A dog barks when his master is attacked…”
Finish the quote
“A dog barks when his master is attacked, I would be a coward if I saw that god’s truth was attacked and yet remained silent”
- John Calvin
Were did Calvin live whilst in exile?
Geneva
What is Calvin’s understanding of Christianity shaped by?
Structure and law
What movement influenced Calvin?
Pre reformation Renaissance humanism
Why did emperors and monarchs such as James I find Calvin’s teaching to be problematic?
Calvinist commentators made it explicitly clear that should one find themselves obeying orders from a tyrannical or idolatrous king, then in those circumstances revolutionary reform is necessary
- these beliefs saw the emergence of a church authority growing from within Calvin’s texts
What was Calvin’s objective for the state?
He’s clear that church and state are separate entities and that the civil state is not really a godly apparatus, however he believed that the state should enable godliness
What did Calvin create in 1541?
What followed this?
Calvin creates the ecclesiastical ordinance which introduces institutions within the city
- subsequently, institutions such as the Genevan consistory began to emerge - the Geneva consistory was a court which brought in key and pastor figures to regulate the moral discipline of the community
Why is this genevan consistory significant?
It shows Calvin’s progression in establishing his own system of law based on his interpretation of god’s word and the church - trying to rid society of sin and do god’s work on earth by utilising the medium of civic institutions
Why did tensions rise between civic institutions and prominent Calvinist figures?
Each body jostled for authority - excommunication became a powerful tool of moral discipline - which both authorities were keen to exercise - however Calvinist figures were cautious to handover such a powerful tool to the civic authorities
Calvin wanted to reeducate the people into the Protestant way and rid the world of Catholicism. How did he go about dissociating himself with catholic tradition?
Stain glass windows were remained from church halls
Attendance to church was an expectation meaning civic bodies would chase down absenteeism
In order to eliminate rival distractions taverns were shut down during holy hours
