The title of the chapter
is The Spread of Calvinism,
with the following subheadings. Theodore Beza, The German Reformed Church, The French Reformed Church, The Netherlands, England, Scotland, Eastern Europe, Conclusion.
Theodore Beza. I
had not previously known that Theodore Beza was French, that like Calvin, he
had studied law, and that his initial desire was to be a private scholar. From
this chapter, I learned that Beza translated the New Testament into Latin and
edited nine additions of the Greek New Testament. His final addition was used
for the King James Version. It was news to me that Beza was more academic than Calvin. It is also news that he was one of the
earliest Reformers to teach the supralapsarian view of election and was an
early exponent of limited atonement. The author indicates Beza is frequently
cited as departing from Calvin in method, emphasis, and other matters.
The German Reformed
Church. I had never given much thought to Germany, erroneously assuming that
those who were not Roman Catholic in Germany were almost certainly Lutheran in
persuasion. Of course, I had some slight familiarity with the Heidelberg Catechism.
However, I am so unfamiliar with Christian history in Germany not directly related
to Lutheranism that I had not made the connection between the Heidelberg Catechism
and the German Reformed Church.
The French Reformed
Church. More familiar to me than the German Reformed Christians were the French
Reformed Christians, known as Huguenots. I am also familiar with the Saint Bartholomew’s
Day Massacre of French Huguenots instigated by the Roman Catholic clergy
members on August 24, 1572. Not mentioned by the author in his book is a
recollection of a stop my family and I once made in St. Augustine, Florida,
while on vacation, taking notice of a cemetery full of Huguenots murdered by
Spaniards at the behest of the French when Spain owned Florida.
The Netherlands. New
to me was the fact that many Anabaptists settled in the area because of the
relative freedom granted to them. Daniel points out the Dutch Reformed took the
lead in resisting Spanish imperialism in the Netherlands.
England. The
author’s mention of John Wycliffe (1330-1384) in this portion of the chapter
was no surprise to me, though I had never before heard of Thomas Bradwardine
(1295-1349). William Tyndale (1494-1536) is also mentioned. Daniel indicates
all three men were “strongly Augustinian.” I had not previously known of
Lutheranism’s influence in the early stages of the English Reformation,
followed by influence from the German and Swiss Reformed. During this time, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was
published, is one of the most read books in the English language for centuries.
During this time, many English Protestants sought refuge in Europe, with a
number moving to Geneva and studying under Calvin; some translated the Bible
into English and added helpful notes in the translation known to us as The Geneva Bible. It was the
Calvinists in England during Elizabeth I who pushed for further reforms of the
Church of England who were nicknamed Puritans.
An interesting anecdote to me in connection with The Geneva Bible is a book written by my good friend, the late Dr. I. D. E. Thomas (pictured). A Welch Baptist, Dr. Thomas served for many years here in Los Angeles as a Baptist pastor and as a professor at the California Graduate School of Theology in Glendale, CA.[1] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones mentored Dr. Thomas in London (Lloyd-Jones also mentored Dr. Peter Masters, the longtime pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle in London). Twenty-one years ago, Dr. Thomas approached me searching for a typist to transcribe his longhand manuscript of a book titled William Shakespeare And His Bible. I ended up typing the manuscript for him, finding the book tremendously interesting. Published by Hearthstone Publishing in Oklahoma City, I would recommend it to everyone interested in Shakespeare or teaching English. I doubt it is still in print. The Geneva Bible was the Bible William Shakespeare used and quoted in many of his plays.
Scotland. The
author points out that the Reformation started earlier in England but made
better progress in Scotland, John Knox being the most influential leader. The
Scottish reformers imitated Calvin’s ecclesiology and established
Presbyterianism in the Scottish churches. I find it very interesting that the
author included the title of a treatise written by John Knox, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. In
his work Knox argued that it was a judgment of God to have female rulers.
Eastern Europe. I was aware that Eastern
Europe was dominated by Eastern Orthodox churches, such as the Greek Orthodox Church,
the Russian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Romanian
Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Reformed churches were established
in Romania, Hungary, and Bohemia, with their churches surviving today after the
ravages of the Catholic Inquisition, Nazism, and Communism.
Conclusion. “The Reformed faith spread quickly in the sixteenth century but faced challenges as
it developed its own theology distinct from Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anabaptism.”
