In the two years leading up to John Calvin’s first tenure at the city of Geneva, he spent his exile in Basel, Switzerland from 1534 to 1536. During his time at Basel, Calvin published his first edition of the Institutes of Christian Religion.
In the year of 1536, France granted a temporary amnesty to those who originally fled the general persecution in Paris. Therefore, Calvin returned to gather his belongings and to take along with him his brother Antoine and his sister Marie. Upon gathering his belongings and family, Calvin set-off for Strasbourg to continue his life of literary production, which he always intended to do. However, due to a war taking place in eastern France between Charles V and Francis I, troop movements blocked the road to Strasbourg. Consequently, Calvin providentially detoured to the city of Geneva with the intention of staying only one night in the town.
During John Calvin’s stay in Geneva a gentleman by the name of William Farel discovered that the young Calvin was residing at a particular lodge for the evening. At the time, Farel was considered the leader of the Reformation in Geneva, and passionately vied for Calvin to stay for the accomplishment of the work needed to be done in the city. However, Calvin himself argued with Farel in that he was not the man cut out for the work. Calvin and Farel’s exchange is best summarized by E.M. Johnson, who observed,
You, John Calvin, insist on the importance of your studies, but I declare in the name of Almighty God, that his curse will come upon you if you refuse your help in this work, for then you will be seeking your own interests, instead of the honor of Christ.
Calvin, reflecting upon this event in his commentary on the Psalms, acknowledged,
Farel, who burned with an extraordinary zeal to advance the gospel, immediately learned that my heart was set upon devoting myself to private studies, for which I wished to keep myself free from other pursuits, and finding that he gained nothing by entreaties, he proceeded to utter an imprecation that God would curse my retirement, and the tranquility of the studies which I sought, if I should withdraw and refuse to give assistance, when the necessity was so urgent. BY this imprecation I was so stricken with terror, that I desisted from the journey which I had undertaken.
In fact, Calvin once commented that “Master Farel kept me in Geneva, not so much by advice and exhortation as by a dreadful adjuration, as if God from on high had extended his hand over me to stop me.” Due the decree of God and the insistence of Farel, the course of Geneva and the world would forever be changed.
There was much work that needed to be done and there was much worked accomplished in the city of Geneva during Calvin’s first tenure. In year of 1536, Calvin composed a catechism of Christian doctrine, while William Farel wrote a Confession of Faith for the church of Geneva. These measures were officially adopted in the year of 1537 and led to the promotion of education amongst the youth, the reformation of marriage customs, the encouragement of psalmody, and the restraint of vice. Even though these measures positively influenced Geneva, it was these same measures, namely, disputes over excommunication and the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper that would eventually lead to the exile of both Calvin and Farel in the year of 1538.
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