On Tuesday, April 23, 1538 the town council of Geneva made up of two hundred members voted to depose both William Farel (1489-1565) and John Calvin (1509-1564) giving them three days to leave town under threat of arrest. What would incite such a move directed at one of the most influential Reformers of the 16th century? Where did Calvin go? What were the events leading to his exile? And what prompted him to return to Geneva after the three happiest years of his life pastoring French refugees in Strasbourg? What lessons can be gleaned from these events?
The next two articles will trace the developments leading to John Calvin’s first pastorate in Geneva, as well as the circumstances surrounding his banishment in 1538. This first article will focus upon three key reasons that made Calvin’s first stint as pastor less than ideal. Political, ecclesiastical, and personal elements regarding Calvin himself are some of the reasons that ultimately led to his exile. It is important from the very onset, however, to recognize that these unfortunate circumstances turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Under intense pressure to reluctantly return to Roman Catholicism following Calvin’s departure, the town council humbly called Calvin back three years later in 1541 to pastor. He pastored in Geneva until his death in 1564. Geneva’s three years without Calvin made her more appreciative of him once he agreed (reluctantly, howbeit dutifully) to return.
In order to understand Calvin’s expulsion from Geneva we need to properly grasp the broader context that God’s sovereignty placed him in with regard to the political and religious situation in Geneva. Many false caricatures have made Calvin appear as stubborn, dictatorial, and thoroughly unwilling to make important concessions, that if he would have made, would not have resulted in his expulsion. While it is true that Calvin was young (only 27 years old) and pastorally inexperienced when he was hired by the town council, it is (I believe) unfair to suggest that Calvin himself, his theology, or his initiatives were the heart of the problem. It is more accurate to understand his banishment as the result of factors completely out of his control.
There are at least three reasons that made Calvin’s first term as pastor in Geneva end in him being deposed:
Political Context
First, the political context with respect to Geneva was tedious to say the least. In the early 16th century, the House of Savoy controlled Geneva with a Prince-Bishop presiding as the Savoy representative. The Bishop was more or less a puppet of the House of Savoy. Geneva was eager for independence and took advantage of the geographical advantage of the Swiss Cantons to the their north, Fribourg and Bern. With the House of Savoy lying to the south of Geneva, a convenient geographical advantage existed for Geneva to seek alliances with her neighbors to the north. This triple headed alliance would be too strong for the House of Savoy to defeat especially with Bern’s rising influence in the region. But the goal for Geneva – it should be maintained and not forgotten – was to have complete independence. Any alliance was only a means to an end, the end being both political and religious autonomy.
Meanwhile, as Fribourg and Bern courted Geneva into an alliance, Lausanne, located in the canton of Vaud on the Northeastern shore of Lake Geneva, gained their own independence in 1525 and joined Bern in a Protestant alliance of their own. Bern’s growth in strength created a threatening situation for Duke Charles III of Savoy who tried even harder to regain the loyalty of Geneva. But Genevan exiles–working behind the scenes–successfully negotiated an alliance between Geneva, Fribourg, and Bern in February of 1526.
What this meant for Geneva was liberation, both politically and religiously. Once freed from the domineering thumb of the Duke of Savoy, Geneva implemented its own government in 1527 consisting of a large and small council. The General council was made up of two hundred, which effectively replaced the ruling powers of the Duke. The little council consisted of twenty-five members sixteen of which were appointed by the General council.[i] This made the larger council effectively in control of the membership of the little council.
The new self-governance of Geneva meant that she could structure both the legal and religious realms of Geneva. Once the Roman Catholic priests were exiled there were no official ministers or religious authorities whatsoever. William Farel arrived on the scene more as a crowd motivator reminding the people of Geneva the freedoms they could have once there was no Bishop or priests in town. The town was controlled by the new town council for a short period with no competition from religious leaders.
Ecclesiastical Circumstances
Second, these ecclesiastical circumstances gave rise to a hotbed of religious confusion, rebellion, and eagerness to do away with any church authority. The House of Savoy sought to regain Geneva by attacking the city in 1530. However, Geneva’s northern friends, Bern and Fribourg, came to her defense as expected. For its part, Bern was now Protestant and pressured Geneva to do the same through a series of strategic religious riots and the promotion of iconoclasm. This resulted in a radical atmosphere bordering on civil unrest. Meanwhile, Fribourg would have no such participation in the Bernese and Genevan Protestantism, remaining loyal to Roman Catholicism. But Protestantism was the new wave in Switzerland, with Geneva, Bern, Basel, and Zurich all leaving the Roman church.
Geneva was the last of these cities to separate, hiring William Farel to lead their Reformation. Farel was a master at working the crowds, holding public disputations and preaching in St. Pierre’s Cathedrial. In August 1535, Farel convinced the large council to mandate the stoppage of holding mass. By the next December, the Roman clergy of the city were given two options: convert to Protestantism, or go into exile.
The momentum started by Farel, along with the initial success of the two hundred member council running the town, resulted in the bold move of Geneva to separate from the paternal guidance of Bern. Sensing that Bern was trying to control rather than lead, Geneva broke away as an independent, collapsing the alliance with her only remaining partner, Bern.
Two months before Calvin came to Geneva (May, 1536), the city legally swore an oath “to live according to the gospel and the Word of God”. Desiring to maintain peaceful relations, Bern recognized Geneva’s quest for independence. Genevan autonomy was gained, but without an organizing Reformer. Farel was good at stirring up the crowds, but needed help with order and structure for the Reformation in Geneva to succeed. In Farel’s mind and heart, God’s answer was found in John Calvin whose unexpected arrival in Geneva one evening was rooted in a simple desire to get a good night’s sleep before continuing his journey toward his intended destination of Strasbourg the next morning.
Personal Constitution
Third, Calvin’s personal constitution helps us understand his expulsion from Geneva. As Geneva sought her independence, it is important to understand that Calvin was more focused on his native France. He dedicated his first edition of The Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536) to King Francis I with a letter pleading for the religious toleration of Protestants in France. B.B. Warfield suggests that Calvin published his first edition of the Institutes in March of 1536 (See The Literary History of the Institutes in the Memorial Edition of the Institutes published by the Philadelphia Presbyterian Board of Education in 1909). He turned 27 of that same year, and intended to pursue his writing endeavors in relative peace. In fact, he never intended to set foot in Geneva. He had set his own course for Strasbourg, fleeing his native France to fight on behalf of the Reformation with his pen, in seclusion, with his books by his side. Hearkening back on his providential layover in Geneva, Calvin said:
“Being of a rather unsociable and shy disposition, I have always loved retirement and peace. So I began to look for some hideout where I could escape from people...My aim was always to live in private without being known. But God has so moved and turned me around with all kinds of changes that he has never let me rest anywhere. In spite of my disposition he has brought me into the light and made me get involved, as they say.” [ii]
Farel had other plans for Calvin. Upon receiving word that the young scholar was in Geneva, Farel went to see him. Upon finding him, Farel first pleaded with Calvin to stay in Geneva and help him with the reform of the city. But when it became clear that Calvin was committed to a life of scholarship out of the limelight, Farel told him God would curse his studies in Strasbourg. Calvin viewed Farel’s words as dreadful, as if they had come directly from God Himself. Calvin himself reminisces, “Farel kept me at Geneva not so much by advice and entreaty as by a dreadful adjuration, as if God had stretched forth his hand upon me from on high to arrest me.”[iii] Thus, Farel persuaded Calvin to stay in Geneva. Farel found his man.
Once Calvin agreed, Farel sought to convince the town council that Calvin would be a worthy assistant in his efforts at reform. How could they not be excited to have the brightest up and coming theologian of the day? But unfortunately, they were apparently not as thrilled as Farel. Their prejudice against Calvin was partially rooted in rumors that it might be in Geneva’s best interests to be annexed to France. Such a notion made the town council shutter since she had just broken away from the Roman Catholic Church, and desired above all to be self-governing. Furthermore, France was a Roman Catholic dominated country. Calvin’s French heritage made Genevans view him with suspicion from the very beginning. But this would only be the beginning of a tumultuous relationship between the Reformers, Calvin and Farel, and the town council.
The Farel Factor
Farel and Calvin were polar opposites in many ways. Farel was fiery and outwardly passionate. Calvin was more stern, reserved, and spoke slow and deliberate in his preaching due to his severe asthma. Farel effectively stirred up the crowds with his preaching, while Calvin was more of a teacher. They both worked together and helped balance each other to a degree. But it is important to remember that it was Calvin who assisted Farel, not Farel who assisted Calvin. Originally, Calvin was not even hired as an official minister. Would things have gone differently if Calvin was leading instead of Farel? Perhaps not. We’ll never know.
In the next article, I will highlight the various attempts at reform that both Calvin and Farel implemented, including how these various attempts collided with the interests of the town council.
[i] Carter Lindberg, The European Reformation, 256.
[ii] B.A. Gerrish, Reformers in Profile, 151-152.
[iii] Lindberg, 255.