John Calvin

Born in Noyon, France, John Calvin received a humanist education and trained as a lawyer before his conversion to the Protestant cause around 1533. Forced to flee France, he intended to live quietly as a scholar until William Farel's dramatic appeal conscripted him into building Geneva's Reformed church. His first attempt ended in exile after three years, but he returned in 1541 and remained until his death, transforming the city into an international center of Reformed Protestantism. Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, expanded through multiple editions from 1536 to 1559, became the most systematic exposition of Protestant theology, organizing Christian doctrine around God's sovereignty, Scripture's authority, and the believer's union with Christ. His biblical commentaries covered nearly the entire Bible with careful attention to the original languages and historical context.