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The Life and Work of John Calvin and Galileo Galilei Essay

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John Calvin was born July 10th, 1509, in Noyon, Picardy. He was raised up in a staunch Roman Catholic family. Early in his life, Calvin’s father was employed by the local bishop as an administrator at the town’s cathedral. With this newly acquired job, John Calvin’s father wanted Calvin to be a priest. Due to the fact that his family had close ties with the bishop and his noble family, Calvin’s classmates in Noyon were aristocratic and culturally influential in his childhood. At the age of fourteen, Calvin set off for Paris to study at the College de Marche. This helped him prepare for university study. At the College de Marche, he studied seven subjects: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Towards the …show more content…

A year later, Calvin ran away from Paris. Reason being, his “friends” wrote papers and gave lectures opposing the Roman Catholic Church, which frightened Calvin. For the next three or so years, John Calvin lived in several places outside of France. This included him using a dozen or so names; changing it from place to place he traveled. He traveled alone, studying by himself, preaching, and beginning work on the Institutes of the Christian Religion, which turned out to be an instant best seller. By 1536, he had stopped work in the Roman Catholic Church, and made plans to leave France for good. He planned on leaving France and heading over to Strasbourg. However, due to the war between Francis I and Charles V, Calvin decided to make a detour to Geneva. Calvin was a huge success in Geneva. Farel, a reformer, invited him to stay in Geneva. Farel also threatened Calvin’s life with God’s anger if he chose not to stay. After deciding to stay in Geneva, thus began a long relationship with the city. Due to theological conflicts, Calvin was asked to leave the city, where he began as a lecturer and preacher. In 1538, he left the city of Geneva, and headed off for Strasbourg. In 1541, Calvin, who was now working as a pastor to French refugees, was requested to come back to Geneva by the Council of Geneva. So, in 1541, Calvin returned to Geneva. He remained in Geneva until his death on May 27th, 1564. Those last several years were plentiful with lecturing,

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