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Martin Luther And John Calvin

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John Calvin, was a theologian/ecclesiastical statesman, but was also known for being a journalist for his time and is widely credited as the most important person in the second generation of the protestant reformation, even today. Being born on July 10, 1509 in France, John Calvin was a law student at the University of Orleans when he first joined the cause of the Reformation. In 1536 he published the landmark text Institutes of the Christian Religion, his hope with the text was to standardize the theories of the Protestantism. John Calvin was the successor of Martin Luther as the preeminent Protestant theologian but unlike Luther, Calvin was known for his intellectual, unemotional approach to faith, and his religious teachings emphasized the sovereignty of scripture. He lived in Geneva briefly until he was forced to leave by the anti-protestant authorities in 1538, but was then invited back to Geneva in 1541. Upon returning to Geneva he became an important spiritual and political leader. Using Protestant principles, he established a religious government and in 1555 he was given absolute supremacy as leader in Geneva. John Calvin’s government punished dissent against his view of Christianity with execution. During his first 5 years of his rule in Geneva he had a number of people that he had either executed or exiled. 58 people were executed and 76 were exiled for their religious beliefs. The way John Calvin ruled would be seen as harsh, he even banned all other art besides
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