John Calvins contribution to the church

John Calvin

"We must remember that Satan has his miracles, too."-John Calvin.1 Mr. John

Calvin was the leading French Protestant Reformer and the most important figure in

the second generation of the Protestant Reformation.2 He was a contributing catholic.

We see why and how he was suck a good religious man by his backround, biography,

and contributions to Christianity. He created a thing called "Calvinism"3 which helped

form Christianity. His life was certainly a remarkable one.

John Calvin's life started on July Tenth, 1509 in Noyon, in picardy, France.4 He

was born of two middle class parents. His father was a lay administrator in service of the

local bishop.5 So, in Calvin's early years he was immediatly exposed to Catholicism. His

native town was an old cathedral city whose bishop was its ruler and was at the same

time one of the twelve Peers of France.6 Calvin's mother died very soon in Calvin's life,

not much is known about her except she had a great reputation for piety.7 Calvin's life

started off with a lot of religion surrounding him. In the years that Calvin was alive

there were many govermental factors effecting his childhood as well. At the time of his

birth until 1525, the throne of Noyon was occupied by Charles de Hangest who

belonged to the nobility of the neighbourhood.8 A lot of his family members were

involved in Catholicism, such connections were not without effect upon young Calvin.

Growing up John Calvin was not an only child. His father married a young

bourgeois, Jeanne Lefranc, who bore him four sons, Charles, Jean (John), Antoine and

Francois. They also had two daughters, Marie and another whose name is unknown.9

Francois died at an early age, Charles became a priest and died excommunicated in

1537.10 Marie and Antoine followed the reformer to Geneua, where Antoine assisted

his brother in his literary work.11 Clavin's father had great amibitions for his sons and

especially for Jean, also known as John. John Calvin's father pressured his to study Law

but in 1531 his father died giving Calvin the freedom to resume his religious studies.