John Calvin and Michael Servetus

Much myth, fiction and ignorance surrounds the events that transpired surrounding the notorious heretic, Michael Servetus, and John Calvin’s role in his life or death.

When many folks think of John Calvin, we think of him as the great theologian, and that’s it. And of course, Calvin was a great theologian. B.B. Warfied once described Calvin as the “theologian of the Holy Spirit” and in some ways that description is very apt. As the reason that Calvin was such a good preacher, despite his natural timidity, was that he believed he was never alone in the Pulpit. But what we often don’t think about, from the lense of looking at him historically, is that above anything else, day to day, day in day out, week in, week out, year in, year out. John Calvin was a pastor, and had the heart of a pastor. He performed weddings, baptisms, he ministered to his flock regularly, visited the sick and counselled the afflicted as well as preaching five different sermons a week to his flock. People who were on their death beds, Calvin would go visit them daily, to minister to them, and sometimes read the Psalms to them, and comfort them in their fears and suffering. Calvin thoroughly believed that we ought to weep with those who weep, and he practiced that throughout his life as a minister. As the words of one of his own letters demonstrate:

We ought to weep with those who weep. That is to say, if we are Christians, we ought to have such compassion and sorrow for our neighbours, that we should willingly take part in their tears.and thus comfort them.

Some example of Calvin as a Pastor and that demonstrate his pastors heart are thus:

He had a friend who after his conversion, went to Roman Catholic France to share the Gospel, as a Protestant. His friend was captured in France by the papists, and sentenced as a heretic to be put to death. Calvin wrote these words to his friiend as he awaited execution.

My dear and beloved brother,

distressed as I am on account of your danger, and trembling as I do, while at the same time, exhorting you to persevere and to trust. This letter, is a living image of my heart, and it shows all its inward emotions. I pray that it will speak to you, no less clearly, that I could, were I present and a partaker of your troubles. And certainly if the worst should happen, it would be my wish to be united with you in heaven instead of surviving you.

Another letter to another pastor, who had lost his wife and was bereaved, when the Black Death claimed her life:

How deep a wound, the death of your wife must have inflicted upon your heart, I judge this from my own feelings, for I remember how difficult it was for me seven years ago to get over a similar sorrow… Our principle source of consolation, consists in this, that by the good, and admirable Providence of God,that things which we consider adverse, somehow contribute to our salvation….We defraud God, unless each of us lives and dies, in utter dependance, upon his sovereign and good will

Now we come to Michael Servetus. Michael Servetus was the most renowned heretic in Europe of that day. He was captured by the Roman Catholic Church in France and sentenced to death but he managed to escape. One day, as Calvin is preaching at Geneva, who should walk into the palce of Worship, but Michael Servetus. And of course, Servetus was then arrested in Geneva, beause he was wanted throughout Europe as the most notorious heretic, for denying the Deity of Christ, and writing books arguing his beliefs.

But Calvin far from is often depicted, being the cruel tyrant of Geneva and far from having anything to do with putting Michael Servetus to death, when Servetus was imprison while on trial, Calvin was a frequent visitor to Servetus in his prison cell, trying to win him for Christ. Calvin spent many hours, trying to win the most notorious heretic of Europe, for Christ!

When Servetus was put on trial, Calvin’s sole part in the whole affair was as an expert witness to testify against Servetus’ theology. He had to affirm that Servetus was indeed denying the Deity of Christ. And who better fitted for the job in Geneva than that of John Calvin? Calvin had no powers to make any decisions as far as law enforcements, or sentencing. He was a pastor not a magistrate or judge. Calvin himself was driven out of Geneva by the powers of Geneva, as Calvin was no a power at all, he had no authority in that way whatsoever,. The only other thing John Calvin had any hand in as far as Servetus, was to plead on Sevetus behalf, for a more humane way of Servetus being putting to death than the order of execution had sentenced. Again, he was not acting against Servetus but for him and with great compassion, no matter that Servetus was the most renowned heretic in Europe.

The day Servetus was to be executed. Calvin again visited him in his prison cell, and one last time tried to win him for Christ. But to no avail. But please before you tar John Calvin with the name of being the man who murdered Michael Servetus or had any hand in his fate apart from extending him great compassion and his pastors heart wanting to win him for Christ please make sure you have all the facts, as all the above is not beyond being researched and found out, Calvin’s letters is a good place to start, rather than settling for the anti John Calvin writings that are out there as the truth about the matter.

One last intersting thing as far as Calvin and Servetus. 16 years before Servetus was sentenced to death, Calvin was in Roman Catholic France, as a very young man. A price was on Calvin’s head because of his protestantism, and he was a fugitive there.. He could not walk about freely anywhere without fear of being captured and being put to death as a heretic. However, Michael Servetus was also in France at the same time. And he and Calvin exchanged letters. And Michael Servetus in one letter, asked Calvin to meet him in France, so that they could discuss the Deity of Christ, face to face. At the risk of his life, by going out in public, in case he was captured by the Papists and sentenced as a heretic, John Calvin agreed to meet Servetus. He went to the agreed place at the agreed time, even knowing he was putting his life at risk to do so, so that he might win him for Christ. Calvin kept his end of the bargain and kept the appt, however, Servetus failed to show.

But in one of Calvin’s letters, he refers to this, when he writes:

16 years ago, I spared no pains at Paris, to gain Servetus for the Lord.

Would someone who had taken so much pains over trying to gain Michael Servetus’ sould for Christ and clearly demonstrated NOTHING but that of a Pastor’s heart towards him, , even at peril of his own life, really have as is often purported, “murdered Michael Servetus.”

There is only one logical conclusion to make. A resounding NO!