John Calvin

1245 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The contributions of John Calvin to Christianity

Born on July 10th, 1509 at Noyon in northern France; John Calvin would grow to be a key leader during the Protestant Reformation. Calvin's’ theological advancements would impact the Christian church for generations to come. Though John Calvin’s works are closely related to the development of Christian doctrines; his teachings (Calvinism) would also shape aesthetics in early modern Europe. While many Christians today disregard the cultural influence that Calvinism had on the world; early modern Europe demonstrates a variety of examples in which Calvinism inspired individuals in the fields of architecture and music.

Today, Christians who do not follow Calvinism believe that members of the Protestant Reformed tradition reject the creation of art. This general stereotype dates back even to the time of John Calvin. Author Voltaire exemplifies this in a claim that John Calvin was responsible for the Geneva’s hostility towards theater and art (Edgar 41). Notable French writer Oretin Douen, went as far to say that Calvin is, “an enemy of all pleasure and of all diversion, even of the arts and music” (Edgar 41).

However, apologetics such as the late theologian Abraham Kuyper defend the position that Calvinism promotes artistic works. Kuyper in his Lectures on Calvinism, states that art has a role to foster “proper mysticism.” In his lecture series Abraham Kuyper would continue to push the idea that art has a role in the church to gain a better understanding of God’s gifts to humanity. However, Kuyper believed that art that did not promote a deeper theological understanding of God would lead to an “art-intoxication” in society (Kuyper 142-170).

Before looking at how John Calvin’s teachings would impact early Europe, it would be bene...

... middle of paper ...

...of architecture and mathematics, DeLorme took a revolutionary approach to understanding the construction buildings.

As demonstrated by architects such as Philibert DeLorme, music was also an area that was heavily influenced by Calvinism in early modern Europe. The Calvinist has often been accused of prejudice against the arts: especially painting, sculpture, and music. It is hard to comprehend why individuals believe that Calvinist hold a grudge against the arts and music. On the contrary Calvinism has indeed made significant contributions to music theory. These developments in music have impacted composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a famous German composer and musician who composed most of his work during the eighteenth century. During his lifetime J.S. Back would eventually come to work for Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Kothen.

Show More
Related

  • Beethoven and Bach

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven both flourished in their compositions of classical music; however, their genre of music differed considerably. Bach was a German composer during the Baroque time era of western music which is estimated to have taken place during 1600 to 1750. It was during this time that he composed prolific church organ music which included such works as the Mass in B Minor, much scared choral music, and the St. Matthew Passion, as well as composing over a thousand works in nearly every musical genre except opera. On the other hand, Beethoven was a German composer whom began to emerge during the classical era of western music twenty years after Bach. This era took place throughout the years1750 and 1830. The large quantity of arrangements, over two hundred works in numerous musical genres composed by Beethoven was significantly influenced by his predecessors, onset of deafness, and his highly personal expression of intellectual depth. Such works include the first an...

    Read More

  • The Reformation Letters From John Calvin And Jacopo Sadoleto Summary

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Reformation debate letters from John Calvin and Jacopo Sadoleto illustrate the religious controversy of the sixteenth century. Sadoleto’s letter was addressed to the magistrates and citizens of Geneva, pleading them to come back to the Catholic church, as they had fallen to the ways of the Reformers. In his letter, Sadoleto painted the Reformers as ‘crafty’ and ‘enemies of Christian peace’ (30), never directly addressing them. Calvin does, however, address Sadoleto’s insinuations directly in his response. The two letters disagree when it comes to justification, Sadoleto believing that it comes by faith and works and Calvin, more so along the lines that faith is what really matters. Calvin successfully argues against Sadoleto’s premise and presents influential points, making his argument more convincing than his opponent’s.

    Read More

  • Protestant Reformation Dbq Essay

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1541, John Calvin was invited to Geneva to put his reformed doctrine into practice. Calvin’s Geneva became a centrum for Protestant exiles, and his doctrines rapidly spread to Scotland, France, Transylvania and the low Countries. Dutch Calvinism became a religious and economic force for the next 400 years. In 1559 Elizabeth I took the

    Read More

  • Differences Between Luther And Calvin

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Calvin's theology was similar to Luther's in many respects, but there were enough fundamental differences to result in a separate church. Probably the best known aspect of Calvinist theology regards predestination, which Calvin interpreted strictly; while there's some debate over the differences on this point between Luther and Calvin, there's no doubt that it became a distinguishing point among the followers of each. More significant were the differences in the relationship between church and state, with Calvin placing much more authority with the clergy and Luther placing the greater emphasis for church regulation with the prince. By the time Calvin was influential, the Protestants had already failed to reconcile doctrinal differences at Marburg in 1529, so the formation of Calvinist churches was just one more wrinkle in the Protestant revolution. Renaissance, “rebirth”, the period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in Classical scholarship and

    Read More

  • Johann Sebastian Bach Research Paper

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most famous German composers of his time. All of his work was mostly during the baroque era. The baroque period was from 1600 to 1750 and it is known to be one of the most diverse musical periods as opposed to the other classical music eras. It was in this era that “included composer like Bach, Vivaldi and Handel, who pioneered new styles like the concerto and the sonata.”(Classic FM) Johann Sebastian was born in the midst of the Baroque era as he was born on March 31, 1685 in Thuringia, Germany. Johann came from a family of musicians, which is how he himself became one as well. It was his father who showed him how to play his first instrument, which was the violin. His father was also a well-known musician in his town as he “worked as the town musician in Eisenach.”(Johann Sebastian Bach) It is known that Johann Sebastian went to a school that taught him

    Read More

  • Candide Chapter 1 Summary

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation.

    Read More

  • John Calvin's Argument Analysis

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    In I.17.1 of John Calvin’s work, Calvin argues that people do not need to worry about anything they do not understand because God takes care of everything. It is important to understand that this is not the beginning of Calvin’s Institutes of Christian Religion, because his points in chapter sixteen set the basis for his argument in this next section. Chapter sixteen on providence gives the foundation of

    Read More

  • Art History Research Paper

    2690 Words  | 6 Pages

    Van Eyck’s work of the Ghent Altarpiece was not simply a representation of symbols that alluded to Christianity. Van Eyck’s vivid sense of the actual world allowed him to be able to reconstruct reality along with its endless limitations. His audience was so extensively involved with his paintings that it may seem almost esoteric. T...

    Read More

  • Protestant Reformation Dbq

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Calvin produced the first defined the presentation on Protestantism, which was titled 'Institutes of the Christian Religion'. Sometime in 1522-1534, John had what he called a 'sudden conversion' and accepted Protestantism. The Town Council also accepted Calvin's Ecclesiastical Ordinances, which set up a theocracy in Geneva; a government based on Church rule. Calvin mainly believed in the absolute sovereignty of God, and the person's complete inability to contribute anything towards their own salvation. That second point is known as pre-destination.

    Read More

  • How the Reformation Affected 16th Century Civilization

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of his local monastery in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517, Europe was plunged in political and social turmoil. With only a few notable exceptions, a wave of political unity and centralization swept across the Western world. Papal power was perhaps not at its height, yet its corruption and increasingly secular values could be seen from St. Peter's in Rome to John Tetzel in Germany. Furthermore, in the economically prospering towns and cities, the middle class was facing an increasing volatile political situation with the growing national monarchies. All of these factors were to only catalyze the reactionary religious movement which would begin to sweep across Europe by the 1520's. The Protestant Reformation, as it would soon be called, set back years of national centralization by strengthening the aristocracy and dividing countries and regions religiously. Moreover, the strict religious and ethical guidelines of the new Protestant sects forever changed the culture of cities and town across Northern Europe; thereby bringing drastic social reform along with widespread religious fervor. In the first half of the sixteenth century, however, these Protestant movements were only beginning to form, yet their impact has had a lasting effect on the politics of Europe and the rest of the world well in the 20th century.

    Read More

  • Johann Sebastian Bach (1685- 1750)

    2289 Words  | 5 Pages

    Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, said to be one of the best organists of his time (Baroque Music). He was born in March 1685 in Eisenach, Thuringia as the youngest of eight children. His father Johann Ambrosius was also a musician and a court trumpeter for the Duke of Eisenach, and Director of the musicians in Eisenach (Baroque Music). Bach came from a family with a music talent, with his family members having held positions as organists, Cantors, instrumentalists in Thuringia.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast Religion during Reformation, Industrial Revolution, and World at War

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther inspired another thinker of the time that questioned the Church’s beliefs. That man was John Calvin. The Catholic belief during the Renaissance and Reformation was that one’s good deeds hel...

    Read More

  • Church Reform Essay

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Catholic Church’s corruption during the late Middle Ages further enabled church reforms due to the ever-increasing view of the loss of credibility within the church by both the laity and clergy. Thus implementing the ideas of reform. Martin Luther is considered the father of the reformation where he instigated the challenging for the church, papal authority, and changed how the people were allowed to worship. Carlstadt and Zwingli, much like Luther, practiced Evangelical traditions, however, they expanded further than Luther in regards to doctrine and practice. John Calvin on the other hand challenged some of the Evangelical and Reformed Traditions by various religious changes politically and socially. Lindberg examines the Evangelical

    Read More

  • Calvinism

    1927 Words  | 4 Pages

    Calvinism is the theological system of John Calvin who exerted international influence on the development of the doctrine of the Protestant Reformation (Warfield, 2004). Calvin and his followers marked by strong emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the depravity of mankind, and the doctrine of predestination. This system was developed as a biblical Christianity. It has stirred countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, England and America. Calvinist theology spread rapidly, and became the basis for many protestant denominations. These included the Swiss Reformed Church, The Dutch Reformed Church, The English Puritans, The French Huguenots, The Presbyterian and Congregational Churches, The Baptist Churches, and through them the Pentecostal Churches and Assemblies of God. Jansenism, a Catholic form of Calvinism, was condemned as heretical in 1653.

    Read More

  • The Protestant Movement And The Reformation

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some leaders of the Protestant movement were Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others who led the reformers who “broke from the Roman Catholic Church due to abusive ecclesiological structures and theological differences” (Library). Different churches chose what level of connection w...

    Read More

More about John Calvin

Open Document