John Calvin and John Knox were leading figures in the Protestant Reformation. They helped spread protestantism throughout Western Europe.
When Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517, the Protestant Reformation was born. Various protestant sects sprang up all across Western Europe. Roots of modern Christian religions, such as Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Calvinist, Congregational, and Baptists, all trace their roots to the Protestant Reformation. Two leading protestant reformers were John Calvin of Geneva and John Knox of Scotland.
John Calvin
John (Jean) Calvin (1509-1564) brought Protestantism to Switzerland. Born in France, Calvin was inspired by Martin Luther’s ideas and beliefs concerning Christianity. In 1536, Calvin published the Institute of the Christian Religion. In it, he outlined his ideas about God, salvation and human nature. One of Calvin’s most important ideas was that of predestination, or the idea that God has known since the beginning of time, who He will save. Calvin believed strongly that men and women were sinful by their very nature, and that people cannot earn salvation.
John Calvin was invited to Geneva, to held spread the Reformation. There, he established a theocracy, a government controlled by religious leaders. Calvin enforced a set of strict rules. People were not allowed to wear brightly colored clothes, nor play cards. Those who disagreed with the rules were excommunicated or worse, burned at the stake. Over time Calvinism, as the religious sect is called, has softened its harsh teachings.
John Knox & Presbyterianism
John Knox (1514-1572) was one of John Calvin’s most inspired students. A rough-and-tumble Scotsman, Knox’s fate would be forever entwined with the romance and mystery of the tragic Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he helped push into exile.
John Knox fled England where he had been living, after Mary Tudor (Mary I/Bloody Mary) ascended the English throne in 1533. He traveled to Geneva, where he met the zealous Protestant reformer, John Calvin. Upon the accession of Elizabeth I, a Protestant, Knox made plans to return to England, and help further establish the Protestant Reformation. Elizabeth, however, had other ideas. It was no secret that Knox abhorred female rulers, and even went so far as to publish his thoughts in a book- First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (1558). Elizabeth had quite enough on her hands without throwing a zealous woman-hater into the mix. She banned Knox from setting foot in England.
Never one to be easily deterred, Knox set his course north, for his native Scotland. Despite the fact that Scotland had large Catholic population in the Northern Highlands, as well as a Catholic Queen, and a Catholic Regent, John Knox was welcomed by many Scotsmen, including the Earl of Argyll, who became his most powerful supporter. Knox capitalized on the disdain for Marie de Guise, who acted as regent for her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. Many Scots believed the French noblewoman put the interests of France ahead of those of Scotland. People hated the French troops that occupied Edinburgh. It was not hard for Knox to gather followers, as anti-French (and therefore anti-Catholic) sentiment was running high.
When Marie de Guise died unexpectedly of Dropsy in June, 1560, Knox and his followers quickly moved to established Presbyterianism, a version of Calvinism, as the official religion of Scotland. It was at first called the Church of Scotland. The tenets of Presbyterianism spread out of Scotland to the rest of the British Isles and North America via Scottish Immigrants. Today there are hundred of sects of Presbyterianism all over the world.
