69 - Servetus and Calvin's Late Life

we need to press on if we want to finish the subject of church history and well we're not finishing the subject of church history obviously our survey of it and I've had some some thoughts of expanding upon a couple of points maybe going back and expanding upon a few things that we did in the past that we didn't cover all deeply

I know that's going to Israel certainly makes me want to possibly do a little bit more on the

Jewish Roman War the destruction of Jerusalem in 8070 we didn't really cover that stuff and getting to visit

Masada has made me very interested in that stuff so we'll see we'll see we'll see if that happens or not but anyway we are looking had started looking and if you're visiting no this is not what we talk about every week a lot of people think if you're a reformed

Baptist this is pretty much the Bible study every week but we are looking at the life and ministry of John Calvin we've finally gotten there after weeks with Anabaptists and all sorts of other things we're looking at at Calvin and I believe we had mentioned some of the difficulties in his life for example his ill health his 27 year headache his wife was also in ill health the fact that he had a son born in 1542

Jacques was his name and he had lived only two weeks before passing away and then

I'd let herself dies March 29th 1549 and so these you know we saw with Luther that he likewise lost children it was it was really the rarity for you to have all of your children live to maturity in in that day so many diseases so many things that we take for granted have been banished from our experience that were still a regular part of things at that time which in many ways

I believe impacted the maturity of people then in that they lived in the light of their own mortality in a much greater sense than we do in our society

I think a lot of the truly silly things that consume our society today simply would not exist if we if we lived in light of the fact that this is a very short short life then we had mentioned that Calvin often took up the cause of many persecuted groups such as Waldensians that he had a large epistolary epistolary literature there's an entire collection of his letters that he wrote to people that is very educational very helpful in reading but then at the end of class last time we mentioned the name

I mentioned the meme that floats around and appears every once while my

Facebook feed something that's Sean won't know about very soon but and we'll forget about very quickly but it's one of those older cartoon type things of two older men arguing and it's a

Calvinist and Arminian and you know the Calvinist quotes John 6 and the Arminian quotes Matthew 23 and finally when when the

Calvinist says Romans 9 the Arminian cries out surveyed us and then the last panel says sorry

I panicked and it's funny because it's accurate it's funny because that's what happens and has happened many many times it is interesting to me how little most folks on both sides know about Miguel surveyed us you would think that we would all be experts on the subject of surveyed us

I know that back when I was introduced to reform theology and seminary it was right after right after I graduated from seminary well let me back up tell you the whole story my first introduction to the name

John Calvin was in a watchtower magazine talking about Miguel surveyed us and so you know that's not exactly the most positive introduction that you can have in that in that context right around the same time that I ran into I discovered that one of my fellow students at Grand Canyon was a hyper

Calvinist I didn't know what a hyper Calvinist was but I was talking to him about outreach we were doing to Mormons out in Mesa and he was like I don't know why you bother doing something like that if they're the elect they'll get saved and he was mocking the the outreach to Mormons out there so both at the same time was sort of a negative thing so the fact that I managed to get over that says something but anyway after I shortly after I graduated from seminary because the surveyed us stuff

I went to at that time they had these they used to have these things called public libraries filled with paper books

I mean I know we still have some books that we use for decoration and things like that but in fact they had these these they had these big things that you'd walk up to and they have these little drawers in them and you would pull these drawers out and you had to know the alphabet you had to know what letter went before what other letter and you would look things up in this they did not believe it or not this was this was before Google and it was it was the

Dark Ages I mean you show you show you show Millennials or the iGen or XGen or ZGen or whatever it is they're calling the post -millennial generation something called a card catalog and they'll go what do you store in that is

I mean they would be helpless in a in a library without the electronics today sadly just like sticking them in a car with a manual there's an extra pedal down there

I don't understand yeah anyway properly identified as the anti -millennial that anti -theft millennial device or whatever it is

I could never steal a car that has a manual transmission it but which

I sort of like it's not a good idea but I enjoyed the manual but nobody makes them anymore almost anyway so I went to the

Phoenix Public Library and used interlibrary loan that was another put paper books in envelopes and ship them across the

United States so you can read the book and ship it back Wow what a what a concept that was you mean it's not found in the first two pages on Google who needs it then you know that's that's how that's how it works today

I read everything I could get my hands on on Miguel Cervantes I just just read everything

I could to try to get a meaningful picture of this man and what happened in Geneva between Cervantes and and Calvin and even the biographies of Calvin that I had read tended to be surface -level and brief on on this particular particular issue so you'll probably get a little more information than you are accustomed to getting on this particular incident but that's because there's there's not a lot out there and what is out there for example since I did that a very rapidly anti Calvin attorney has written a book just turning over everything you can turn over to try to go after Calvin so even if you do obtain information very often it's exceptionally biased in its in its perspective so what is fascinating to me especially almost none of the accounts point to the fact that Calvin and Cervantes I wouldn't say had a lengthy relationship but had were aware of each other's existence for a lengthy period of time and in fact there's what any that's what this way if you ever read an account of this story that does not begin with the fact that Calvin risked his life in 1534 in other words the year of his conversion he risks his life to sneak back into Paris to meet with Cervantes who does not show up to the meeting then you're reading an account that isn't going to give you a balanced perspective and that's ninety nine percent of them right there on both sides that's to me you have to start there because Calvin was already in danger a friend of his had already been arrested his he was the authorities were looking at him there was a 1534 there was a great deal of persecution of non -catholics in France and Calvin has made a good escape but somehow and we're not sure that of the mechanisms or what

Cervantes had contact with him and asked to meet with him and Calvin risked his life to sneak back into Paris to meet with Cervantes and Cervantes never showed why we don't know but one thing we do know is

Cervantes was a brilliant but highly imbalanced man it is pretty clear that there are people who dance around on the razor's edge of genius and insanity you may know some people like that who on their better days just astound you with how insightful and their memories are incredible and and things like that and then the next day you're like okay you may be one of the smartest people

I've met but you're also loopy you just lack simple common sense and there are people who go back and forth you know today we call them bipolar or manic depressives or whatever else it might be we subscribe 47 ,000 different drugs for them but there are people go back and forth on that on that spectrum and Cervantes was a brilliant man he was a medical doctor but most people back then even if you had one particular seat when we think of a medical doctor we figure there's so much you know you got general practitioners and you have cardiologists and and and you've got all these fields of specialization and there's so much to know in so many of these areas that in our day a person who knows a lot in one area you would expect them to be pretty ignorant in almost any other area because it would take all their thinking just to stay up with their their particular area that's not how it was at this time in history you've heard of the

Renaissance man a Renaissance man was someone who had tremendous insight and knowledge all across the breadth of of man's area of knowledge at that time so you'd have people who could who could lecture and speak on medicine and history and and physics and astronomy and and the whole nine yards

Erasmus was like that because the the the the breadth of human knowledge was not nearly as wide as it is now and education was not so narrow and focused as it frequently is now so Cervantes is credited by some as one of the first people to identify the circulatory system the blood circulation system of the body in the

West he was a a brilliant physician in that area but like so many others that led to speculation in theology and philosophy as well because for most people back then astronomy or astrology was directly related to medicine and treating of people so I mentioned member a year ago or so now when we were talking about the great mortality which we call the black plague today but that's not what they called it then every treatise from everybody including

Christians Christians Muslims everybody everything that was written on the subject included astrological speculation as to this started when certain planets were in alignment and so you've got to do this that the other thing or whatever else it might everything included that because you're you're thrashing around for some kind of explanation as to why in the world this is happening and so Cervantes for him it would be natural to have a great deal of interest in other areas which included the subject of theology and in that area and of course when you're this smart you sort of figure you're smarter than everybody else and so if you're discovering new things about the physical body well why not discover new things about theology too and so people like this are not going to tend to be overly concerned about remaining

Orthodox and surveyed us did not he denied the doctrine of the

Trinity he denied the eternal existence of the Sun he was that's why the first place that I ever heard of him was in the pages of Watchtower because the

Watchtower was seeing you know sees surveyed us as a early proponent or at least a continuing proponent in history of their own perspectives their own beliefs because the

Watchtower denies Trinity and the eternal existence of the Sun as well not not in the exact same way that surveyed us did but close enough for government work and so obviously he had to write under a pseudonym when he began publishing his views which it you know makes sense he was living well actually he wrote under his real name but he lived under a assumed name so he he lived under the name

Michael Villanueva the Inquisition their own

Catholic Inquisition upon obtaining some of his writings condemned him without knowing who he was and put him on the list to be arrested and executed as soon as his identity could could be established now here's where things get a little weird and again if you ever run into articles or anything like that on this subject and it doesn't include this background information just move on it's not not worth the time to look at seemingly all the way back in Paris in 1534 surveyed us saw in Calvin an intellect equal to or greater than his own and sometimes people like that become obsessed stalker ish of someone that they feel is their equal or they may fear is their superior in intellect and surveyed us simply couldn't leave

Calvin alone he began writing to Calvin in Geneva and at first it was just be these letters and you know how this works it happens in social media pretty much every day you know the innocent questions which are not really questions they're actually hidden objections they're trying to set you up and Calvin responds and it does not take very long in this correspondence for Calvin to figure out who it is he is corresponding with he's heard of surveyed us he knows surveyed us is wanted by the

Inquisition and it doesn't take long before surveyed us is openly in their correspondence denying the

Trinity attacking survey attacking Calvin's theology etc etc in fact at one point

Calvin sends a copy of the Institute's to surveyed us who sends the volume back with the margins of the volume filled with insulting notes of correction and refutation okay that's kind of person we're talking about here all right we we don't know why but surveyed us what had a obsession with John Calvin so I don't know if it was you know one of those late -night theology discussion sessions or you know a day when the headache was really bad or just what but at some point

Calvin told certain intimate friends of his that he knew who surveyed us was where he was living and what name he was living under well everybody knew that surveyed us was a rank heretic and here's where sacralism comes back into the picture and this is why so few people today can in any meaningful fashion analyze what took place in regards to surveyed us in any type of fair fashion here was here was the problem if if Rome has condemned surveyed us as a

Trinity denying heretic and it's not just based upon rumors they've got his books and it's a fact he denies the

Doctrine of Trinity that makes you a heretic and that makes you an outlaw in a sacral society well if Rome has condemned him then if the

Reformers do not likewise condemn him what does that say about the

Reformers in a sacral context they don't really believe that the

Doctrine of the Trinity is all that important they're soft on the central aspects see those

Reformers are heretics too just like Rome has been saying all along and so what happens is a friend of Calvin's pleads with him to allow him to send documents to the authorities near where surveyed us lives because if word gets out that the

Reformer of Geneva knew where this heretic was and refused to give that information to the authorities even if it was

Roman authorities he denies the Trinity he's a rank heretic can't we all agree on anything

I mean allegedly we all agree on the Doctrine of Trinity right and so out of concern that this is what was going to happen pressure is placed upon Calvin and Calvin gives in and Calvin doesn't do it but this friend of his takes the documents that demonstrate that Michael Villanueva is actually

Miguel Cervedes where he's living and because if you're having correspondence it's a postman can find you so can the

Inquisition it's sort of like the postman can find you so can the IRS well IRS Inquisition about the same thing both start with an

I sort of the modern version of it so sorry if there's any way it works the IRS here sorry about that anyway but no one expects the

Spanish Inquisition and so Cervedes is is arrested he is tried and convicted by the

Inquisition rather easily done I mean Inquisition could convict you of anything but when you've published the books it's you know you're not going to not going to have much much chance but here's where things get interesting because honestly if that if he had been executed by the

Inquisition I don't know that any of us would have ever known of him other than a footnote somewhere in you know the biography of Calvin if that the night before he is to be burned he asks to use the outhouse he's dressed in a nightgown only and somehow he climbs up on the roof of the outhouse and jumps over the fence and makes his escape from the

Inquisition a night before he is to be executed smart guy like I said

I'm not sure how you get away wearing a nightgown but there you go but here's where the insanity part comes in you're free you've managed to live years under an assumed name you're a doctor so you can get work anywhere he could have simply

I mean he's a he speaks multiple languages he could have disappeared in the woodwork and lived a long and happy life as long as he wouldn't write books and send letters to Calvin right so what he could do guess what he does no he makes a beeline to Geneva he makes a beeline straight to Geneva I'm talking to stalker here okay he makes a beeline for Geneva and not only makes a beeline for Geneva but he attends the church where Calvin is preaching he wants he has decided he must take on his nemesis he must prove his intellectual superiority to the one man that he has been has obviously been living in his head rent -free by at this point for 20 years okay so he wants to be arrested he wants to he wants the final battle he just escaped the

Inquisition now he wants the final battle there's no other how else do you explain did he really think he was going to somehow find freedom in Calvin's Geneva that he was going to be accepted and loved just know he is there to be arrested and to then take on Calvin and I think he thought he could out argue

Calvin and end up getting Calvin executed instead of himself and maybe be the one that frees the

Reformation from the shackles of the Trinity and the traditions of Rome and blah blah blah blah blah so he is of course recognized and he is arrested and this is this is 1552

Calvin still has many enemies in Geneva at this time who serratus is a very very convincing speaker come to him and he enlists them immediately and for example has a because he's also very well trained in law he has a writ sent to the council that has ultimate authority over him

Calvin does not have ultimate Calvin's duty in the prosecution of surveyed us is thoroughly theological it is his job as the lead minister of the

Council of Ministers to provide the theological prosecution but Calvin is not in charge of this and he has a writ sent to the council to have

Calvin arrested and put in the same condition that he is in until the end of the trial and there are lots of people in the council go sounds like a good idea because there is enemies is they they want to get rid of this guy and this this might be the best shot that we have because this guy's brilliant that surveyed us is brilliant he can really talk up a storm and so they hope to discredit and embarrass

Calvin the council does not imprison

Calvin the possibility existed but they did not they didn't figure that was the best way handling both

Calvin and Farrell meet with surveyed us numerous times this may have been what surveyed us wanted though I think surveyed us wanted more to be public than then these types of conversations but surveyed us is unmoved by anything that is being said to him they do seek to warn him of the law in Geneva in regards this matter and surveyed us knew what the law in Geneva was regarding this matter knew what the law was everywhere in regards to this matter at this point in time in Europe Geneva writes to Philip Melanchthon Heinrich Bollinger and all the other

Swiss cantons to seek their advice and though their replies are carefully worded none of them right back and say religious liberty freedom they all recognize that Europe is now aware that Geneva has

Michael surveyed us that surveyed us has been condemned by the Inquisition that he escaped that that he is defending his anti -trinitarian heresy it wasn't just anti -trinitarian heresy ever there it was like a annihilationist or conditionalist and and there were other other things that again were similar to Jehovah's Witnesses he just didn't have any

Watchtower Wake magazines but Europe is now aware of this and so Europe is now looking what will will this be the first step toward abandoning the faith from Rome's perspective will they demonstrate they don't really believe that the

Trinity's definitional will they really demonstrate that they are they want to destroy Christendom will this be the first step toward anti -sacralism or an abandonment of sacralism even

Melanchthon who we know you know we talked about this was and you know

Luther's gone this point so Melanchthon is the head of the the Lutheran movement even

Melanchthon recognizes what has to be done in regards to surveyed us they all tell

Geneva that that's that's basically how they put it is your laws are just that's a nice way of saying it you know then that way you don't have to come out and say burn the sucker but they say your laws are just and this this is what needs to be needs to be done so surveyed us is convicted and sentenced not by Calvin who did not have any authority to either convict or to determine punishment he is sentenced by authorities to death by fire once again if you read an article that does not contain the next piece of information you're reading one of those articles that you waste your time reading

Calvin and the ministers of the Church of Geneva went before the council and asked them to administer death by the sword rather than by fire because you might think fire is quick it's not as especially if you use greenwood it can take 20 -25 minutes to be basically your roasted instead of you know the fire in a that you'd think of the just consumes the body suddenly it's a it's a low fire and you basically cook the person

I won't go any more graphic than that but you can go much more graphic than that and that's why for example

I mentioned if you if you did watch the radicals you saw them put a little packet around Michael surveyed us is neck that's the saddler most are

Michael Sadler's neck and I was gunpowder so that when they pushed him into the fire that would go off and kill him instead of just laying there roasting for a period of time so the swords faster beheading is pretty instant if you do it that way but even you know stroke through the heart is pretty much going to be pretty quick to their appeal is rejected so much for Calvin being in charge of everything the the council determined that since Rome was going to burn him they need to do the same thing and so on October 27th 1553 surveyed us is executed in Geneva still denying the eternal nature of Christ and the doctrine of the

Trinity I don't remember I'm pretty certain that it was feral that accompanied him continuing to plead with him even at the end

I don't know that Calvin was in attendance at the actual execution

I I could check on that but anyway there were very few executions in Geneva the law called for it but there were very few executions in Geneva but surveyed us is by far the most well -known and in comparison to what the

Inquisition was doing there there is almost nothing at all but given surveyed us you know most people didn't have a knowledge of who was being executed but surveyed us had written he was obviously a very clear a very brilliant individual and so his death is the beginning of a movement for some level of religious tolerance at least at first abandonment of the death penalty maybe just imprisonment or banishment or you know it's a slow process over time but it really does go back to that particular that particular incident and so that's 1553 you'll remember that I said that he would struggle he does not become for example a citizen of Geneva until 1559 and that pretty much starting in 1555

Calvin finally has some peace in in Geneva and it was partly due to the fact that when his enemies failed to use someone as bright as surveyed us to unseat him the resistance to him gave in and they basically left in so his enemies become discredited instead of him and so the rest of his life is lived primarily in peace there in in Geneva at this point

Calvin founds and runs his the Geneva Academy the equivalent of a seminary in essence and men from all over Europe and especially from England came and were trained in it this becomes absolutely central to the growth and founding of Puritanism in in England and why it's the

Puritans are a bunch of raving Calvinists is because of that Academy and the training that took place there is during these years that a guy who is even more interesting a guy whose life is fascinating but who was so zealous that he even gave

Calvin more of a headache John Knox from Scotland is in Geneva during this period of time and you know he's could go back to Scotland and be the reformer of Scotland and scare the

Queen half to death and scare of else after death scare Calvin half to death because he's a little bit on the rambunctious side shall we say on many things you know that some of the things that he said about the

Queen for example Calvin was just like no you know I mean even

Calvin's like restrain thyself brother like thy zeal is commendable but thy behavior is not in in King James English I would imagine but Knox is there and you know it's during that time period he says that at that time

Geneva was like heaven on earth it was the perfect Christian society well I doubt it was the perfect Christian society but with the enemies gone

I imagine it was quite the interesting place to to go we should recognize that also during this time a steady stream of missionaries are trained in the

Academy there in Geneva and they basically make a beeline into Italy to their deaths very little is said about this unfortunately and it's interesting

I hadn't heard much about it myself until my one trip to Italy amongst the reform there in Italy and know all about pretty much everyone who at that time period during Calvin's life of the next number of you know well into the next century

Geneva sent many men to martyrdom in Italy because Geneva is not far from Italy it's very close to the

Italian border and many men were trained there and then went to try to find found churches in Italy and almost inevitably suffered martyrdom as as a result and of course the same thing was true in sending men to the

Huguenots the reformed Christians in France where that's sending people home for for Calvin that was his home country he was a

Frenchman and so when people talk about Calvinism being the destruction of missions work wasn't true when

Calvin was alive when Calvin was teaching the people who were trained under Calvin were missionaries and went straight into the the jaws of death to proclaim the gospel in those in those contexts and so that's what's taking place in this particular point in time so we might yeah