Geoff Ashley writes:
In August of 1553, Michael Servetus was arrested for the crime of
heresy in Geneva, Switzerland, home of the reformer John Calvin. Two
months later he was executed. To read many internet articles, Calvin
systematically stalked and slaughtered any person who dared oppose him.
This picture of Calvin painted by his critics is a caricature greatly
distorting the truth.
Before harshly judging Calvin a heartless tyrant, let us first hear the facts of the case. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Heresy was a capital crime in Geneva. Unlike the modern, Western
separation of church and state, the world Calvin inhabited was one in
which no such division existed. To be guilty of theological error was to
be guilty of criminal offense. This political system existed as the
norm for the vast majority of the world. Indeed, all the Protestants and
Roman Catholics who were consulted at the time agreed with the
execution.
2. Calvin was not the ultimate authority in Geneva. He certainly was
no dictator as he is often portrayed by the misinformed. The magisterial
council (who formally decided the case) opposed Calvin (who was not a
citizen of Geneva) and used the trial to demonstrate their authority
over him. Calvin did not have final power to condemn or save Servetus. Continue at John Samson
