John Calvin

From Wikireligion

John Calvin (July 10, 1509 – May 27, 1564) was a French theologian. His teachings are the basis of the theology Calvinism. He is infamous for his role in the execution of Michael Servetus.

Calvin's Life

John Calvin was born with the name Jean Chauvin in Noyon, France, to Gérard Cauvin and Jeanne Lefranc. In 1523, Calvin's father, an attorney, sent his fourteen-year-old son to the University of Paris to study humanities and law. By 1532, he had attained a Doctor of Laws degree at Orléans. In 1536, he settled in Geneva. After being expelled from the city, he served as a pastor in Strasbourg from 1538 until 1541, before returning to Geneva, where he lived until his death in 1564.