The Reformation Episode 3: John Calvin and Theocracy

John Calvin is one of the major figures of the Protestant Reformation, famous for his doctrine of pre-destination. This episode covers his time in Geneva, and how he turned that city into a grim and terrifying experiment in theocracy. It is also the story of Protestants burning a heretic at the stake, in a bizarre moment of borrowing the very punishments that had been used to suppress them. This episode captures a dramatic moment as reformers struggle to redefine the roles of church and state.

[feralfoods]

i'm totally diggin' this series on the reformation. this channel needs to be discovered by people who enjoy history, the content is stellar! —thank you for all you do.

[tamaratyler]

Thank you so much
Eva! 💝I look forward to learning more! Fascinating! 🤔

[MarianLuca-rzkk]

Hello Frau Schubert. I kindly thank you for the lecture. You are a great explainer 👏.

[MarcLaroche-yczz]

I hope you’ll continue to offer us many more of these wonderful videos…

[wadeclyke]

Thank you for another great listen. It is a pleasure to listen to your podcast. So much information I never new.

[Jesusisking]

After literally months and months of studying Calvinism I have come to the conclusion that their view of the character of Christ is entirely different than mainstream Christianity.

In my wildest dreams I never knew after serving the Lord for over 38 years that there was a group of people out there claiming to be Christians who literally believe that man can choose anything except Jesus, that Jesus does not love everyone (salvation love), that Jesus did not die for everyone, and that God does not want everyone saved.

Can someone PLEASE explain how these people are truly brothers and sisters in Christ since their view of Christ is so contrary to clear biblical teaching? I just cannot wrap my brain around this.

[davidfoarde]

John Calvin “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” wow I never knew what a 💩 this guy was!!! Really had a strong reaction to this one. Great series, enjoying it very much so far

[christianmancino]

This was an excellent episode. I find it interesting how Catholicism somewhat is able to reconcile historical injustices with still having a place in modernity, the world in the past was just more violent and eventually got better. It is Protestants interestingly enough who make their identity “rejecting the past” but exclusively use this to address lofty theological issues without actually acting any nobler or holier.

[xwiirastusx]

Thank you for yet another deeply researched and detailed analysis. I would like to offer a theory of my own. Martin Luther was active within the Holy Roman Empire, he had a poferful supporter and sponsor in Prince Elector of Saxony, but he, in a way, also kept him in check. The Swiss Confederacy was never a part of the Holy Roman Empire, therefore there was a certain political dimension missing there, which allowed people like Calvin to run riot in cities which weren't under feudal control but weren't as well connected or politically astute as the Hanseatic League of the North.

[Tribecasoothsayer]

Geneva under John Calvin and his Council was such an awful theocracy very similar to SA, Yemen, Mauritania, Iran and so on.

[zamfrank]

Really enjoyed your talk on Calvin. You clarified Calvinism perfectly.

[Thunderdumpe]

Wow, I am blown away by the sheer contrast between this portrayal and 'the rest is history' podcasts portrayal of the same event and characters. I don't know exactly what it means, but the different framings are fascinating. Schubert contrasts a modern moral criticism of the events themselves against how they saw it, while Holland sees it as an early form of exactly the moral difficulties we find ourselves in at the moment.

[kgblankinship]

Schubert is a polymath, both a singer/songwriter and a historian. Refreshing. She makes a great story-teller and presenter, but I would like to see a lot more visuals. Otherwise, it comes across like a college lecture, but without the whiteboard.

[bobstine]

Roman Catholic dogma on the Trinity is that it is a mystery, and if you think you understand it you don't.

[bladdnun]

John Calvin reminds me of Erich Honecker. Vile.

[piushalg]

Luther was quite on the same page with Calvin. He denied free will. And without free will you have no proper agency in a meaningful sense. That is why we do not punish animals. And Luther also denied that good works played any role regarding salvation. He even wrote that only very few people would be saved.

[Tribecasoothsayer]

If all people are predestined, not only is God the author of sin, there is absolutely no reason for a church or religion of any sort. You could say that the “saved” would worship anyway by Calvin’s theory, but everyone feeling compelled to perform the worshiping so that they may be seen as saved Christians or rather convince themselves that they are saved are merely doing “works” that have no bearing on their salvation. Thus, those who are “truly saved” would conversely NOT go to church and worship. If any worship was to be done, they aught to do it completely in private and never talk about it if they truly believed they are among the chosen few 😂 Nor should they instruct or teach others about faith, because a truly saved person would already know and worship privately and others not chosen would not reap any benefits from the teaching.

[skcoll]

Dear Eva, I agree with you that the doctrine of predestination is confusing, but I would say that it is more controversial than confusing. It is controversial because there are a variety of views about God's Sovereignty ... "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated." (Ro.9:13). God is a God of merci and justice. Jacob received merci; Esau received justice. God is not unjust and He can not be. It is impossible for God to be unjust. God is not like men. God sees the heart! Jacob and Esau chose their path ...

[bktawiah]

Stephen Langton, a British scholar and Archbishop of Canterbury
introduced chapters to the in the 13th century.

Robert Estienne, a French printer and scholar, numbered the verses within the New Testament in 1551, and completed the whole Bible in 1555.

The Geneva Bible, with chapters and versus came out in 1560. It was definitely not the first...

[danocinneide]

Eva....The main duty of a priest is to offer sacrifice.