Varia

108

Supplementa Calviniana, VIII

John Calvin

Sermons on the
Acts of the Apostles

edited by Willem Balke
and Wilhelmus H. Th. Moehn

LIBRAIRIE DROZ S.A.

11, rue Massot

GENÈVE

2014

SUPPLEMENTA CALVINIANA

Sermons inédits

Iussu Corporis Presbyterianorum Universalis 
– World Alliance of Reformed Churches – 
(Presbyterian and Congregational)

moderante James I. McCord †
edidit Erwin Mülhaupt †

adiuvantibus Willem Balke, Georges A. Barrois, Jean Daniel Benoît †, Erik A. De Boer, Max Engammare, Bernard Gagnebin †, Francis M. Higman, Elsie A. McKee, Henri Meylan †, Wilhelmus H. Th. Moehn, Barnabas Nagy †, Thomas H. L. Parker, Rodolphe Peter †, Hanns Rückert †, Lewis Thorpe †

Volumen VIII

Sermones in Acta Apostolorum, cap. 1-7

Ad fidem librorum Genavensium ediderunt
Willem Balke et Wilhelmus H. Th. Moehn

MENTIONS LÉGALES

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FOREWORD

Calvin’s work in Geneva began with a sermon preached in St. Pierre on September 1,1536. Throughout a career that included the production of theological volumes, polemical tracts, widespread correspondence, and voluminous commentaries on most of the Books of the Bible, Calvin remained first of all a preacher of the Word of God. Beza has estimated that he delivered some two hundred and eighty-six sermons every year.

Dr. Gagnebin has narrated the story of how Denis Raguenier and his corps of secretaries transcribed Calvin’s sermons as they were preached and of the history of these manuscripts in the succeeding years. Although many of Calvin’s sermons are included in the CORPUS REFORMATORUM, no attempt was made to edit and publish the entire collection until the 1930s, when Professor Hanns Rückert of Tübingen, in collaboration with the Neukirchener Verlag der Buchhandlung des Erziehungsvereins, began the publication of the sermons on II Samuel. Unfortunately this project was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and it was not until 1954 that a plan was drawn up which would enable the work to continue. The Alliance of the Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian Order met then in Princeton, New Jersey, and adopted the following resolution : “That a Committee be appointed to explore the possibility of editing and publishing the unpublished manuscripts of Calvin’s Sermons, now deposited in the library of the University of Geneva.”

A committee was organized, and scholars from Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, and the United States were invited to participate in this undertaking. More than fifteen volumes are scheduled to follow Professor Rückert’s initial work on II Samuel, each containing a scientific text of the sermon and critical notes. During the years of preparation and in all things connected with the publication of the sermons the Committee of the Alliance has received the generous help and encouragement of the Neukirchener Verlag as well as the interest and support of certain laymen in the United States and England and certain officials of the German government. It becomes me to express to them the deepest appreciation and, at the same time, to venture the hope that through these sermons the voice of Calvin will be heard by this generation.

Jas. I. McCord †
Chairman, Calvin Publication Committee

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to express our gratitude to the large circle of persons who have given us their support.

First, we would like to make a special mention of the late James I. McCord of Princeton, New Jersey, for his personal interest in this work. We further regret the decease of Rodolphe Peter of Strasbourg, and Richard Stauffer of Paris, both of whom actively shared our interest in the study of Calvin’s sermons.

The work on this volume started in the early seventies with a group students at the University of Groningen under the direction of Willem F. Dankbaar. A few years after his retirement Willem F. Dankbaar asked Willem Balke to succeed him as editor.

In 1988 the

Gereformeerde Bond in de Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk

awarded Wim Moehn a grant for two years so that he could devote a part of his time to this work as well as spend time in Geneva. Later Wim Moehn became an assistant researcher at the University of Utrecht, where his work progressed significantly. He has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to this edition, and he will soon defend his dissertation on Calvin’s homiletics at the University of Utrecht.

The Genevan scholars and staff members of the Institute for Reformation History have been especially helpful. Without them it would have been impossible for us to complete this task. We would like to mention Irena Backus, Alain Dufour, Max Engammare, Olivier Fatio, Francis M. Higman and Thomas Lambert. In connection with the collation of our text with the Genevan manuscript, we would like thank Olivier Fatio, Francis M. Higman and Max Engammare for their invaluable aid. Thomas Lambert was willing on our request to look for special topics in the

Registres du Consistoire.

Additionally, we would like to thank the librarians and staff of all of the libraries we have consulted.

We have to thank many scholars who were willing to answer our questions : G. Ascha, Utrecht ; C. Augustijn, Amsterdam ; J.P. Boendermaker, Amsterdam ; R. van den Broek, Utrecht ; Alexandre Ganoczy, Würzburg ; R.G.W. Huysmans, Utrecht ; Robert M. Kingdon, Madison, Wisconsin ; M.M. de Kroon, Münster ; C. van Leeuwen, Utrecht ; Virginia Reinburg, Boston, Massachusetts.

Among our debts of gratitude, an outstanding one is to Heiko A. Oberman, Tucson, Arizona, who had read our entire manuscript and offered significant suggestions for the improvement of this edition.

Last but not least we mention with respect Lydia Verburg, Breukelen, who did all the translation work, and Herbert van Vliet, ccc care and skill in making the manuscript camera ready. And finally, we thank the directors of Neukirchener Verlag for their co-operation.

Amsterdam

 / 

Utrecht

,

August, 1994

Willem Balke

Wilhelmus H.Th. Moehn

INTRODUCTION

Historical Setting

The period during which Calvin was preaching on the Acts can hardly be called peaceful.

1

In Geneva Calvin had to deal with a magistrate, who wasn’t well-disposed toward him. During the elections of November 1548, a group of opponents headed by Ami Perrin had become a majority. On 10 February 1549, Perrin was chosen as first mayor. Although the policy of the new magistrate was not aimed at a systematic opposition, Calvin and his supporters did have to deal with a government which felt that the church and especially the Consistoire had too much power at the magistrate’s expense. Calvin, for his part, complained about the lack of diplomatic skill of the Genevan government.

2

In France, the Reformation was heavily opposed by King Henry II, who had succeeded Francis I in 1547. The institution of the

Chambre Ardente

on 8 October 1547 and the several edicts directed against the “heretics” led to a flood of refugees.

3

A number of prominent persons chose Geneva as their new asylum : amongst others Laurent de Normandie, Theodore de Bèze and the family Budé.

In the political arena there were negotiations about the renewal of an earlier treaty of Francis I with the Swiss Cantons. Eleven cantons (all cantons which had remained Catholic) had signed this renewal in Solothurn, but the Protestant cantons headed by Bern and Zürich had not joined. The syndics Roset and Perrin tried to persuade Bern to accede to this treaty, so that Geneva would be able to enter as well. In September the delegates of the eleven cantons passed through Geneva on their way to Paris for the ratification of the treaty ; they were entertained in a very grand manner. The next day, Roset and Perrin returned ; they had achieved nothing in Bern. Bern was prepared to join the treaty, but only on condition that Henry II add a special clause for Bern, in which France would guarantee the possession of the territories Bern had conquered in Savoye. When the French cabinet did not agree, the negotiations were aborted and Geneva’s hope for protection of the Swiss cantons went up in smoke.

Calvin was very interested in the course of these negotiations. He recognised the danger of an approach between the French King and Emperor Charles V. Calvin was also very concerned about the city of Geneva. “If I only would have to take care of my own life and my own situation, I would go elsewhere immediately. But when I consider the importance of this remote corner for the expansion of the Kingdom of Christ, then I am very rightly involved in trying to protect it.” Calvin hoped most of all that the contacts between the Swiss Cantons and the French King would result in a decrease of the persecutions in France.

5

On 20 May, Calvin appeared before the Council at the instigation of Farel and asked permission to go to Zürich for consultations.

4

At the end of May or at the beginning of June Calvin and Farel were in Zürich, where not only the

Consensus Tigurinus

was discussed, but also the accession of the Protestant cantons to the treaty with France. It was to no avail because Bullinger continued his fierce opposition.

6

In his personal life as well, Calvin was not spared from ordeals. On 29 March his wife Idelette the Bure passed away. As to his health, he was continuously battling attacks of heavy colds and migraine.

Notwithstanding all these circumstances Calvin developed an enormous literary activity. Commentaries on the letters to the Hebrews, to Titus, to the Thessalonians and the letter of James are produced. In the spring of 1550, the fifth Latin edition of the

Institution

appeared. In the fall of that year, the reformator is working on the revision of the

Bible d’Olivétan.

7

In addition to that publication, the discussion with Bullinger about the Lord’s Supper is completed in 1549 with the

Consensus Tigurinus.

Finally Calvin writes three texts, devoted to the Augsburg Interim, astrology and the

scandales

.

8

Working as a teacher and pastor must have cost him a lot of time. In his lectures, Calvin was dealing with the prophet Isaiah and the book of Genesis. During the weekly bible discussions, the so-called “congrégations”, the Gospel of John was discussed. As preacher he attended the meetings of the Consistoire and the Vénérable Compagnie des Pasteurs ; he performed marriages, delivered sermons on Sunday mornings and afternoons, and daily, but only on alternating weeks. Next to this he had a gigantic correspondence.

In September 1549, Jean Ferron, preacher in Geneva, was dismissed on the charge of sexual offences. Great effort was necessary to fill this vacancy from the Council.

9

Yet Calvin himself wrote in a letter to Farel, that he was ashamed by Farel’s praise of his activities, because he was aware of his laziness and slowness : “God give that I make some progress each day while I am dragging myself along.”

10

Calvin and the Liturgical Year

The question of the feast days, on which the Council took a decision in the fall of 1550, is sufficiently important to merit a separate discussion.

11

Even before Calvin arrived in Geneva, those church holidays that were no Sundays had been abolished. Farel and Viret wished to honour Sunday only as the Lord’s Day and not acknowledge any human institution. In 1538 the feast days were re-established by the Council, under political pressure from Bern. This concerned Christmas, the Circumcision Day (1 January), Annunciation Day (25 March) and Ascension. Calvin and Farel asked the Council to postpone the decision on this matter until Whitsun so that the members of the synod, which met in Zürich, could be able to voice their opinion first. In order to maintain liturgical unity Calvin and Farel were willing to comply by the ceremonies, as long as Bern would acknowledge that the Genevan rituals were not unbiblical and as long as the feast days not be made equal to Sunday by an extreme prohibition of labour or work, so that everybody would be free to go about their daily business after the service.

12

However, the government ruled that they desired “vivre selon les ceremonies des Messieurs de Berne”

13

and that the preachers would not be allowed to bring public life into their sermons.

In the conflict over the jurisdiction of the State over the church that now evolved, both Calvin and Farel ascended the pulpit on Easter (21 April 1538), in spite of the ban on their preaching, but they refused to serve the Supper. Then the Council decided to banish them. The four feast days mentioned above were established and labour on these days was prohibited. In addition, the shops were to be closed. When Calvin returned in 1541, he did not abolish these days, because he did not consider the ceremonies to be a primary issue. On this matter he says as follows : “At my return I could have destroyed in one moment all what had been decided in my absence, with approval of the majority, but I kept silent. The only thing that I had to mention is that it was wrong to celebrate the day of Christ’s circumcision while forgetting the day of His death. That has been brought about by ignorant people who have no judgement.”

14

“While the people were also celebrating the day of the conception of Christ under the name of a Mary festival, I fulminated each year against this unbelief. Because the French call this day in their language the feast of Our Beloved Lady in March, and this day is very holy for them.”

15

In 1543, Calvin corresponded with the preachers of Montbéliard on this matter. They had asked Calvin for advice concerning the Lutheran ceremonies, which the Duke of Württemberg wanted to introduce. Calvin admonished them : “Concerning the refusal of the feast days, it is my wish that you will be more firm : not in a way that you battle against everybody without distinction, but only against that (feast days) which do not contribute in any way to edification and which do clearly show unbelief at first sight. And you have a good basis to oppose this. Because in the papacy the conception and ascension of the virgin Mary are celebrated with great pomp. What else could a servant of Christ do, when he ascends the pulpit on these days, than to ridicule the folly of those persons who first thought of such days.”

16

“On the issues of the bell ringing and the feast days, we feel that you can better bear these little follies than to vacate the place where the Lord has put you. Only you should not agree to them, keep the privilege to admonish the superstitions originating from them, and do that zealously. There are mainly three main issues here : first, making a distinction between one day and the other ; second, that there is a Christian service established on these feast days, and thirdly, that not only for the honour of God – which would be also Jewish by itself – but also for the honour of people certain days will be set apart.”

17

It seems that also the social aspect is important in Calvin’s view.

On 11 November 1550 Calvin appears before the Council and speaks about “la diversité du peuple quant aux festes, à cause que aulcuns ouvrent leurs boutiques, les aultres non, qui est une division scandaleuse.” Calvin does not propose to abolish the feast days – instead, he addresses the issue of social abuse. The Council decides to abolish the feast days immediately. Three days later the decision is ratified by the Deux Cents and subsequently the decision is taken before the Conseil Général. In this matter all feast days came to be abolished by the Genevan government. The only day celebrated by a repose from labour was Sunday

18

and “the feast day in honour of the birth of Christ was replaced to the next Sunday”.

19

This meant as well that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, which always took place on 25 December, was transferred to the next Sunday. In 1541, the

Ordonnances Ecclesiastiques

recorded the practice of the time.

20

The decision of the Council of November 1550 was added in the

Ordonnances Ecclesiastiques

in 1561.

21

According to Calvin this decision to abolish the feast days was taken without his knowledge and not on his initiative. If...