On this date in 1509, John Calvin, or Jean Chauvin, was born in Noyon, Picardie, France. His father was a lawyer who sent young John to the University of Paris at the age of fourteen to study theology. He later changed his area of study to law. Sometime during his university studies, Calvin was exposed to Protestant ideas, and he became a proponent of those ideas to the point that he was forced to flee France along with his mentor, Nicholas Cop, Rector at the University of Paris. He went to Basel, then to Geneva, then to Strasburg, and back to Geneva. He pastored, helped govern, and wrote theology in these places, especially in Geneva, until his death in 1564.

Calvin said:

There is not one little blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make men rejoice.

God . . . makes us rich with the river of his grace . . . so that those things which men call fortuitous events, are so many proofs of divine providence, and more especially of fatherly compassion, furnishing ground of joy to the righteous.

Interesting facts about Calvin (from Wikipedia and other sources):

Calvin took only one meal a day for a decade, but on the advice of his physician, he ate an egg and drank a glass of wine at noon.

Calvin, knowing the benefits of business, was instrumental in founding and developing the silk industry in Geneva.

At the age of twenty-six, Calvin published the first edition of his Institutes of the Christian Religion .

Calvin’s cousin, Pierre Robert, was a translator of the Bible into the French language.

For kids:

This fictionalized biography by Joyce McPherson stays close to the facts of Calvin’s life while adding in some dialogue to make the story come alive. The book includes many of the most important people in Calvin’s life, including Nicholas Cop, Mathurius Cordier, Pierre Viret, William Farel, and Martin Bucer.

Do you have something to say about Calvin, his life, his influence, or his teachings? Add your link to the list, and we’ll celebrate this great teacher and pastor together.