Historia ya Matengenezo ya Kanisa na Makanisa ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 3: Yohana Calvin na Geneva: Mwalimu, Mchungaji na MjiHistory of the Reformation and Reformed Churches — Unit 3: John Calvin and Geneva: Teacher, Pastor and City

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Kwa kuwa vitu vyote watoka kwake, na kwa yeye, na kwake yeye. Utukufu una yeye milele. Amina." (Warumi 11:36, SUV)"For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kufuatilia hatua kuu za maisha ya Yohana Calvin kutoka Noyon hadi Geneva, Strasbourg na kurudi Geneva.1. Trace the main stages of John Calvin's life from Noyon to Geneva, Strasbourg and back to Geneva.

2. Kueleza kitabu Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo) na vitabu vyake vinne.2. Describe the Institutes of the Christian Religion and its four books.

3. Kueleza Kanuni za Kikanisa za mwaka 1541 (Ecclesiastical Ordinances), huduma nne, na kazi ya Baraza la Kanisa (Consistory).3. Explain the Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 1541, the four offices, and the work of the Consistory.

4. Kueleza ukosoaji mkuu dhidi ya Calvin na Geneva, ukiwemo kisa cha Michael Servetus, na kutoa jibu la Reformed.4. State the main criticisms of Calvin and Geneva, including the case of Michael Servetus, and give the Reformed answer.

5. Kueleza jinsi Geneva ilivyokuwa shule ya wachungaji, kimbilio la wakimbizi na kituo cha misheni za Reformed.5. Explain how Geneva became a school for pastors, a refuge for exiles and a center of Reformed missions.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kipindi hiki kimeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Reformed. Tunamheshimu Calvin kama mwalimu mkuu wa kanisa, lakini hatumchukulii kama mtakatifu asiyestahili kukosolewa. Alikuwa mwenye dhambi aliyeokolewa kwa neema, kama sisi. Pale yeye na mji wa Geneva walipokosea, tunasema hivyo. Pale wakosoaji wanapomwakilisha vibaya, tunawajibu. Mwalimu pekee asiyekosea ni Maandiko, na Calvin angekuwa wa kwanza kusema hivyo.This unit is written from inside the Reformed tradition. We honor Calvin as a great teacher of the church, but we do not treat him as a saint beyond criticism. He was a sinner saved by grace, as we are. Where he and the city of Geneva did wrong, we say so. Where critics misrepresent him, we answer them. The only infallible teacher is Scripture, and Calvin would be the first to say so.

Mfaransa Ambaye Hakutaka Kuwa MwanamatengenezoA Frenchman Who Did Not Want to Be a Reformer

Yohana Calvin alizaliwa mwaka 1509 huko Noyon, kaskazini mwa Ufaransa. Baba yake alifanya kazi katika kanisa kuu la huko na alitaka mwanawe aingie katika huduma ya kanisa. Calvin alisoma Paris kisha sheria huko Orléans na Bourges. Alikuwa kijana mtulivu na mpenda masomo aliyefundishwa kwa njia ya wanaumanisti (humanist), maana yake kusoma kwa makini maandishi ya kale katika lugha zake za awali. Kitabu chake cha kwanza kilichochapishwa kilikuwa ufafanuzi wa kazi ya mwandishi Mrumi Seneca.John Calvin was born in 1509 in Noyon, in northern France. His father worked for the cathedral there and wanted his son to enter the church. Calvin studied in Paris and then law at Orléans and Bourges. He was a quiet, studious young man trained in the humanist way, which meant close reading of ancient texts in their original languages. His first published book was a commentary on a work by the Roman writer Seneca.

Wakati fulani akiwa katika umri wa miaka ya ishirini, Calvin alifikia imani ya kiinjili. Anatuambia kidogo tu kuhusu hilo. Akitazama nyuma, alisema kwamba Mungu alimleta kwenye moyo unaoweza kufundishika kwa uongofu wa ghafla, ingawa hatoi tarehe wala kueleza jinsi. Wanahistoria wamejadili wakati wake, na hatuhitaji kulitatua. Tunachojua ni kwamba Calvin alikuwa mfuasi wa Injili na kwamba, kwa sababu hii, hakuweza tena kuishi salama Ufaransa. Katika miaka ya 1530 serikali ya Ufaransa ilikuwa ikiwatesa wainjilisti. Calvin aliondoka nchini na kuhamahama kati ya miji kadhaa, hatimaye akafika Basel huko Uswisi.At some point in his early twenties Calvin came to evangelical faith. He tells us only a little about it. Looking back, he said that God brought him to a teachable heart by a sudden conversion, though he does not give a date or say how. Historians have debated the timing, and we do not need to settle it. What we know is that Calvin became a follower of the gospel and that, for this reason, he could no longer live safely in France. In the 1530s the French crown was persecuting evangelicals. Calvin left the country and moved among several cities, eventually reaching Basel in Switzerland.

Mwaka 1536, akiwa bado kijana katika miaka yake ya ishirini, Calvin alichapisha toleo la kwanza la Institutes of the Christian Religion. Mwanzoni lilikuwa kitabu kidogo, kilichoandikwa kufundisha imani na pia kuwatetea wainjilisti wa Kifaransa waliokuwa wakiteswa. Alikielekeza, katika dibaji, kwa Mfalme Francis I wa Ufaransa, akieleza kwamba wale mfalme alikuwa akiwaadhibu hawakuwa waasi wala wazushi bali Wakristo walioamini Biblia. Hakuwahi kudhani kwamba kitabu hicho kingekuwa maelezo yenye ushawishi mkubwa zaidi ya theolojia ya Reformed.In 1536, when he was still a young man in his twenties, Calvin published the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. It was a small book at first, written to teach the faith and also to defend persecuted French evangelicals. He addressed it in a preface to King Francis I of France, explaining that those the king was punishing were not rebels or heretics but Christians who believed the Bible. He never imagined that the book would become the most influential statement of Reformed theology.

Farel, Geneva na UhamishoFarel, Geneva and Exile

Calvin alipanga kupitia Geneva akielekea Strasbourg na kukaa usiku mmoja tu. Huko Geneva mchungaji Mfaransa aitwaye Guillaume Farel alikuwa akihangaika kuliongoza Matengenezo machanga katika mji. Farel alimsihi Calvin abaki na kusaidia. Calvin alikataa, akisema alitaka kusoma. Farel kisha alimwonya kwa maneno makali kwamba Mungu angeilaani maisha yake ya utulivu kama hangesaidia. Calvin baadaye alisema alihisi kana kwamba Mungu ameweka mkono wake juu yake kutoka mbinguni. Alibaki.Calvin planned to travel through Geneva on his way to Strasbourg and stay only a night. In Geneva a French pastor named Guillaume Farel was struggling to lead the young Reformation in the city. Farel urged Calvin to stay and help. Calvin refused, saying that he wished to study. Farel then warned him in strong words that God would curse his quiet life if he did not help. Calvin later said that he felt as if God had laid a hand on him from heaven. He stayed.

Kipindi chake cha kwanza huko Geneva kilikuwa kifupi na chenye dhoruba. Calvin na Farel walijaribu kuleta nidhamu katika kanisa, ikiwemo kanuni kwamba wenye dhambi wasiotubu wasije kwenye Meza ya Bwana. Baraza la mji halikukubali kwamba kanisa linapaswa kuwa na mamlaka hiyo. Mwaka 1538 wanaume hao wawili waliamriwa kuondoka mjini.His first period in Geneva was short and stormy. Calvin and Farel tried to bring discipline to the church, including the rule that unrepentant sinners should not come to the Lord's Supper. The city council did not agree that the church should hold this authority. In 1538 the two men were told to leave the city.

Calvin alienda Strasbourg, ambako alikaribishwa na Martin Bucer. Miaka hii mitatu ilikuwa miongoni mwa miaka yenye furaha na manufaa zaidi ya maisha yake. Alichunga kusanyiko la wakimbizi wa Kifaransa, alifundisha Biblia, na alijifunza kutoka kwa njia ya Bucer ya kupanga kanisa. Pia alioa. Mke wake alikuwa Idelette de Bure, mjane mwenye watoto, nao walioana mwaka 1540. Calvin aliiona ndoa kuwa zawadi njema kutoka kwa Mungu, na kwa taarifa zote nyumba yake ilikuwa mahali pa upendo. Idelette alikufa mwaka 1549. Calvin alimwombolezea sana, na aliandika kwa upole kumhusu.Calvin went to Strasbourg, where he was welcomed by Martin Bucer. These three years were among the happiest and most useful of his life. He pastored a congregation of French refugees, lectured on the Bible, and learned from Bucer's way of organizing a church. He also married. His wife was Idelette de Bure, a widow with children, and they were married in 1540. Calvin regarded marriage as a good gift from God, and by all accounts his home was a place of affection. Idelette died in 1549. Calvin grieved her deeply, and he wrote with tenderness about her.

Mwaka 1541 baraza la Geneva, ambalo lilikuwa limeona kwamba linamhitaji, lilimwomba Calvin arudi. Alirudi bila kupenda. Alibaki Geneva kwa maisha yake yote yaliyobaki.In 1541 the Geneva council, which had come to see that it needed him, asked Calvin to return. He came back unwillingly. He remained in Geneva for the rest of his life.

Utaratibu Kanisani: Kanuni za Mwaka 1541Order in the Church: The Ordinances of 1541

Muda mfupi baada ya kurudi kwake, Calvin na baraza waliandika Kanuni za Kikanisa (Ecclesiastical Ordinances). Hizi ziliweka mpangilio wa kanisa huko Geneva. Zilieleza huduma nne zilizotegemea Agano Jipya:Soon after his return, Calvin and the council wrote the Ecclesiastical Ordinances. These set down the pattern of the church in Geneva. They described four offices based on the New Testament:

• Wachungaji, wanaohubiri, kusimamia sakramenti na kutunza roho.• Pastors, who preach, administer the sacraments and care for souls.

• Walimu (doctors), wanaofundisha Maandiko na kuwafunza wengine.• Teachers (doctors), who teach Scripture and train others.

• Wazee, wanaolinda maisha ya kusanyiko.• Elders, who watch over the life of the congregation.

• Mashemasi, wanaowatunza maskini na wagonjwa. Huko Geneva walisaidia kuendesha hospitali na kuwapa wahitaji.• Deacons, who care for the poor and the sick. In Geneva they helped run the hospital and provided for those in need.

Wachungaji walikutana pamoja kama chombo kilichoitwa Kampuni ya Wachungaji (Company of Pastors). Wachungaji na wazee, waliochaguliwa kutoka vyombo vikuu vya mji, waliunda Baraza la Kanisa (Consistory). Baraza hilo lilikutana kila juma kusimamia maisha ya kanisa. Liliwaita washirika waliokuwa katika dhambi ya wazi, iwe kwa ugomvi, ulevi, kupuuza ibada au mambo mengine, na kutafuta kuwaleta kwenye toba. Ndoa zilipaswa kuheshimiwa na familia kuwekwa katika utaratibu mzuri. Baraza la Kanisa lingeweza kuonya na kumzuia mtu asije kwenye Meza ya Bwana. Halikuweza kutoa adhabu za kiraia. Hizo zilikuwa za baraza la mji.The pastors met together as a body called the Company of Pastors. The pastors and the elders, who were chosen from the city's leading bodies, formed the Consistory. The Consistory met each week to oversee the life of the church. It called members who were in open sin, whether through quarrels, drunkenness, neglect of worship or other matters, and sought to bring them to repentance. Marriages were to be honored and families were to be kept in good order. The Consistory could admonish and could keep a person away from the Lord's Supper. It could not impose civil punishments. Those belonged to the city council.

Mfumo huu unategemea kanuni iliyo nyuma ya uongozi wa Presbyterian: kwamba Kristo amelipa kanisa lake maafisa, na maafisa hawa hawateuliwi na dola tu. Kozi ya 4 itaichunguza kwa kina. Huko Geneva uhusiano kati ya kanisa na baraza haukuwa wazi kila mara, na Calvin alitumia miaka mingi katika mgogoro na wale waliotaka kuweka mamlaka ya nidhamu mikononi mwa raia.This system rests on a principle that lies behind Presbyterian government: that Christ has given His church officers, and these officers are not simply appointed by the state. Course 4 will study it in detail. In Geneva the relationship between church and council was not always clear, and Calvin spent years in conflict with those who wished to keep the power of discipline in civil hands.

Institutes na Ufafanuzi wa BibliaThe Institutes and the Commentaries

Calvin aliendelea kuhariri Institutes kwa maisha yake yote yaliyobaki. Alikipanua kitabu hicho katika matoleo ya baadaye, na toleo la mwisho la Kilatini lilichapishwa mwaka 1559. Toleo la Kifaransa lilifuata mwaka 1560. Kufikia wakati huo kitabu kilikuwa kimekua hadi vitabu vinne, kikifuata mpangilio wa Kanuni ya Imani ya Mitume:Calvin continued to revise the Institutes for the rest of his life. He expanded the book in later editions, and the final Latin edition was published in 1559. A French edition followed in 1560. By then the book had grown to four books, following the order of the Apostles' Creed:

1. Kumjua Mungu Muumba.1. The knowledge of God the Creator.

2. Kumjua Mungu Mkombozi katika Kristo.2. The knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ.

3. Njia tunayoipokea neema ya Kristo, ikiwemo imani, toba, kuhesabiwa haki na kuchaguliwa.3. The way we receive the grace of Christ, including faith, repentance, justification and election.

4. Njia za nje ambazo Mungu hutuita kwazo katika jamii ya Kristo na kutuweka ndani yake: kanisa, sakramenti na serikali ya kiraia.4. The outward means by which God calls us into the society of Christ and keeps us in it: the church, the sacraments and the civil government.

Calvin alikusudia Institutes iwe mwongozo wa kusoma Biblia. Alikiandika, alisema, ili wanafunzi waweze kuelewa Maandiko kisha waende kwenye ufafanuzi kwa maelezo ya andiko. Pia alihubiri mara nyingi kila juma na kuandika ufafanuzi wa vitabu vingi vya Biblia. Njia yake ilikuwa rahisi na fupi: kueleza maana ya kifungu, kwa kuzingatia lugha za awali na mazingira, kisha kukitumia. Kwa hili alizipa makanisa ya Reformed kielelezo cha kuelezea na kutumia Maandiko. Lengo lake lote lilikuwa lile alilolieleza Paulo katika mstari mkuu: utukufu wa Mungu.Calvin intended the Institutes as a guide for reading the Bible. He wrote it, he said, so that students could understand Scripture and then go to the commentaries for the explanation of the text. He also preached many times each week and wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible. His method was plain and brief: explain the meaning of the passage, with attention to the original languages and the setting, and then apply it. In this he gave the Reformed churches a model for the explanation and the application of Scripture. His whole aim was the one expressed by Paul in the key verse: the glory of God.

Shule ya MatengenezoA School for the Reformation

Geneva ikawa shule ya ulimwengu wa Reformed kwa njia mbili.Geneva became a school for the Reformed world in two ways.

Wakimbizi na watu waliohamishwa. Waumini wengi walikimbia mateso huko Ufaransa, Italia, Uingereza na Scotland na kupata kimbilio Geneva. Walifundishwa, waliabudu, na wengi walirudi nchi zao kuongoza makanisa. Miongoni mwao alikuwa John Knox, ambaye hadithi yake tutaisoma katika Kipindi cha 5. Wachapishaji wa Geneva walitengeneza Biblia na vitabu vilivyotumwa nchi nyingine.Refugees and exiles. Many believers fled persecution in France, Italy, England and Scotland and found shelter in Geneva. They were taught, they worshiped, and many returned to their homelands to lead churches. Among them was John Knox, whose story we will study in Unit 5. Printers in Geneva produced Bibles and books that were sent to other countries.

Chuo (Academy). Mwaka 1559 Calvin alisaidia kuanzisha Chuo cha Geneva (Genevan Academy), na Theodore Beza kama mkuu wake wa kwanza. Kilifundisha wachungaji na viongozi wengine. Wanafunzi wake wengi walirudi Ufaransa na nchi nyingine, mara nyingi kwa hatari kubwa. Geneva pia iliunga mkono uimbaji wa Zaburi kusanyikoni. Zaburi za Geneva (Genevan Psalter) ziliweka Zaburi katika mashairi ya vina kwa Kifaransa, kwa msaada wa washairi kama Clément Marot na Theodore Beza, ili watu wa kawaida waweze kuimba Neno la Mungu.The Academy. In 1559 Calvin helped found the Genevan Academy, with Theodore Beza as its first rector. It trained pastors and other leaders. Many of its students went back to France and to other lands, often at great risk. Geneva also supported the singing of the Psalms in the congregation. The Genevan Psalter put the Psalms into metrical verse in French, with the help of poets such as Clément Marot and Theodore Beza, so that ordinary people could sing the Word of God.

Calvin hakuwa na nguvu. Aliugua kwa miaka mingi, na aliendelea kufanya kazi katikati ya ugonjwa. Alikufa tarehe 27 Mei 1564. Beza alikuwa mrithi wake kama kiongozi wa Kampuni ya Wachungaji, na kazi iliendelea.Calvin was not strong. He suffered from illness for many years, and he continued working through it. He died on 27 May 1564. Beza became his successor as leader of the Company of Pastors, and the work continued.

Ukosoaji Dhidi ya Calvin na GenevaCriticisms of Calvin and Geneva

Mchungaji anapaswa kuwa tayari kwa maswali yanayoulizwa na wakosoaji wa Calvin, na tunapaswa kuwasikiliza kwa haki.A pastor should be ready for the questions that Calvin's critics raise, and we should hear them fairly.

Pingamizi la 1: Calvin alikuwa dikteta aliyeifanya Geneva kuwa utawala mkali.Objection 1: Calvin was a tyrant who made Geneva a harsh dictatorship.

Waandishi wengine wameielezea Geneva kama "Roma ya Kiprotestanti" chini ya utawala wa mtu mmoja, na Baraza la Kanisa kama polisi wa maadili. Calvin, wanasema, alidhibiti kila kitu.Some writers have described Geneva as a kind of "Protestant Rome" under the rule of one man, and the Consistory as a moral police. Calvin, they say, controlled everything.

Jibu letu. Calvin hakushika wadhifa wa kiraia. Kwa miaka mingi hakuwa hata raia wa Geneva. Mji ulitawaliwa na mabaraza yake, ambayo mara nyingi aliyapinga na ambayo wakati mwingine yalimpinga. Nidhamu ya Baraza la Kanisa ilitumika kwa tajiri na maskini, na lengo lake kuu lilikuwa toba na kurejeshwa. Hata hivyo hatudai kwamba Geneva ilikuwa mji kamili. Sheria za siku hizo, kama za kila mji wa Ulaya, zilijumuisha adhabu za kiraia kwa makosa dhidi ya dini na maadili, na sheria hizi zilitekelezwa na baraza la mji, si na kanisa. Wanahistoria wanabainisha kwamba Geneva haikuwa ya pekee katika siku zake, lakini hilo si sawa na kusema kwamba kila kitu kilikuwa sawa. Kanisa lazima liwaite watu kwa Kristo kwa Neno, si kuwalazimisha kwa upanga.Our answer. Calvin did not hold civil office. For many years he was not even a citizen of Geneva. The city was governed by its councils, which he often opposed and which sometimes opposed him. The discipline of the Consistory was applied to rich and poor, and its main aim was repentance and restoration. Yet we do not claim that Geneva was a perfect city. The laws of the day, like those of every European city, included civil penalties for offenses against religion and morals, and these laws were enforced by the council, not by the church. Historians note that Geneva was not unusual in its day, but that is not the same as saying that everything was right. The church must call people to Christ with the Word, not force them with a sword.

Pingamizi la 2: Calvin alimuua Michael Servetus.Objection 2: Calvin killed Michael Servetus.

Hii ndiyo shtaka zito zaidi. Servetus alikuwa daktari na mwandishi Mhispania aliyekana fundisho la Utatu na kuandika dhidi yake. Alikuwa amehukumiwa na viongozi wa Kikatoliki huko Ufaransa, akatoroka, na akaja Geneva. Alikamatwa, akahukumiwa na baraza la Geneva, na kuchomwa moto tarehe 27 Oktoba 1553. Calvin alikuwa ameandika dhidi ya mafundisho yake, na aliunga mkono mashtaka. Miji ya Reformed ya Uswisi ambayo baraza liliishauriana nayo pia ilikubali kwamba mafundisho yake yalikuwa hatari.This is the most serious charge. Servetus was a Spanish physician and writer who denied the doctrine of the Trinity and wrote against it. He had been condemned by the Catholic authorities in France, escaped, and came to Geneva. He was arrested, tried by the Geneva council, and burned at the stake on 27 October 1553. Calvin had written against his views, and he supported the charges. The Swiss Reformed cities that the council consulted also agreed that his teaching was dangerous.

Jibu letu. Tunahitaji kusema mambo mawili pamoja. Kwanza, mtazamo wa karne ya kumi na sita kwamba dola inapaswa kuadhibu uzushi kwa kifo ulishikiliwa na Wakatoliki, Walutheri na Wa-Reformed kwa pamoja. Servetus alikuwa katika hatari kutoka pande nyingi, na hukumu ilitolewa na baraza la kiraia. Wanahistoria wanaripoti kwamba Calvin aliomba njia isiyo ya kikatili ya kunyongwa, ingawa baraza halikukubali. Pili, hatuitetei. Biblia inalipa kanisa silaha za Neno na za nidhamu, si upanga (2 Wakorintho 10:4). Makanisa ya Reformed baadaye yalilifanya hili kuwa wazi zaidi: Ungamo la Westminster linafundisha kwamba Mungu peke yake ndiye Bwana wa dhamiri, na mwishoni mwa karne ya kumi na nane Wapresbyterian wa Amerika walirekebisha sura juu ya hakimu wa kiraia kukana kwamba dola ina haki yoyote ya kutawala mambo ya imani. Calvin alikuwa sahihi kwamba Utatu lazima utetewe. Alikosea kuutetea kwa njia hii. Kosa hilo ni la Calvin na zama zake. Si la imani ya Reformed.Our answer. We need to say two things together. First, the sixteenth-century view that the state should punish heresy with death was held by Catholics, Lutherans and Reformed alike. Servetus was in danger from many sides, and the sentence was passed by the civil council. Historians report that Calvin asked for a less cruel form of execution, though the council did not agree. Second, we do not defend it. The Bible gives the church the weapons of the Word and of discipline, not the sword (2 Corinthians 10:4). The Reformed churches later made this clearer: the Westminster Confession teaches that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and in the late eighteenth century American Presbyterians revised the chapter on the civil magistrate to deny that the state has any right to rule in matters of faith. Calvin was right that the Trinity must be defended. He was wrong to defend it in this way. The error belongs to Calvin and his age. It does not belong to the Reformed faith.

Pingamizi la 3: Ukalvini ulisababisha ubepari na kupenda fedha.Objection 3: Calvinism caused capitalism and the love of money.

Mwanzoni mwa karne ya ishirini mwanasosholojia Mjerumani Max Weber alibisha kwamba mawazo ya Reformed kuhusu kazi na wito yalisaidia kuunda ubepari wa kisasa. Wazo hilo likawa maarufu.In the early twentieth century the German sociologist Max Weber argued that Reformed ideas about work and calling helped to shape modern capitalism. The idea became popular.

Jibu letu. Wanahistoria bado wamegawanyika kuhusu hoja ya Weber, na wengi wameikosoa. Calvin mwenyewe alionya vikali dhidi ya choyo, na mashemasi wa Geneva waliwatunza maskini mara kwa mara. Walimu wa Reformed walifundisha kwamba kila kazi ya uaminifu ni wito kutoka kwa Mungu, na sisi tunalifundisha hilo kwa furaha. Lakini hilo ni tofauti sana na kufundisha kwamba utajiri unathibitisha wokovu. Kozi ya 5 itarudi kwenye wito wa kazi na manufaa ya wote.Our answer. Historians remain divided about Weber's thesis, and many have criticized it. Calvin himself warned strongly against greed, and Geneva's deacons gave regular care to the poor. Reformed teachers did teach that every honest work is a calling from God, and we gladly teach this. But that is very different from teaching that wealth proves salvation. Course 5 will return to vocation and the common good.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji kijana katika kanisa la Presbyterian huko Mexico anaitembelea familia. Baba, ambaye ni mshirika wa kanisa la Kipentekoste, anasema, "Ninyi mnamfuata Calvin, mtu aliyemuua Servetus. Mnawezaje kumwamini mtu kama huyo?"A young pastor in a Presbyterian church in Mexico is visiting a family. The father, a member of a Pentecostal church, says, "You follow Calvin, the man who killed Servetus. How can you trust a man like that?"

Mchungaji hajitetei kwa hasira. Kwanza, anakiri kwamba shtaka hilo ni zito na kwamba Servetus alikufa kweli huko Geneva mwaka 1553. Pili, anaeleza ukweli kwa utulivu: kesi ilisikilizwa na baraza la mji, Calvin alisisitiza hukumu lakini inaripotiwa aliomba kifo cha upole zaidi, na zama hizo zilikuwa ambazo karibu kila serikali iliadhibu uzushi. Tatu, anasema wazi kwamba hatutetei kilichofanywa, na anaonyesha kwamba makanisa ya Reformed baadaye yaliandika katika maungamo yao kwamba Mungu peke yake ndiye Bwana wa dhamiri. Nne, anaeleza kwamba tunamfuata Kristo na Neno lake, si Calvin, na kwamba njia bora ya kumheshimu Calvin ni kusoma alichoandika, kuanzia mafundisho yake juu ya utukufu wa Mungu. Anamwalika baba huyo asome pamoja naye sura za kwanza za Institutes. Anamaliza kwa kuuliza hali ya familia, na anaomba.The pastor does not become defensive. First, he admits that the charge is serious and that Servetus did die in Geneva in 1553. Second, he explains the facts calmly: the trial was held by the city council, Calvin urged condemnation but is reported to have asked for a milder death, and the age was one in which almost every government punished heresy. Third, he says plainly that we do not defend what was done, and he points out that the Reformed churches later wrote into their confessions that God alone is Lord of the conscience. Fourth, he explains that we follow Christ and His Word, not Calvin, and that the best way to honor Calvin is to read what he wrote, beginning with his teaching on the glory of God. He invites the father to read the first chapters of the Institutes with him. He ends by asking how the family is, and he prays.

MuhtasariSummary

Yohana Calvin, aliyezaliwa mwaka 1509 huko Noyon, alikuwa mwinjilisti akiwa katika umri wa miaka ya ishirini, alichapisha Institutes ya kwanza mwaka 1536, na alivutwa kwenye kazi huko Geneva na Guillaume Farel. Alifukuzwa mwaka 1538, alihudumia wakimbizi wa Kifaransa huko Strasbourg chini ya Martin Bucer, alimwoa Idelette de Bure mwaka 1540, na alirudi Geneva mwaka 1541. Kanuni za Kikanisa ziliweka huduma nne (wachungaji, walimu, wazee, mashemasi) na kuanzisha Baraza la Kanisa kwa ajili ya nidhamu. Institutes ya mwisho ya mwaka 1559, yenye vitabu vinne, ikawa muhtasari wa kawaida wa mafundisho ya Reformed. Chuo cha Geneva, kilichoanzishwa mwaka 1559 na Theodore Beza kama mkuu wake, na wakimbizi waliopitia mjini, vilifanya Geneva kuwa shule ya ulimwengu wa Reformed. Wakosoaji wanamshtaki Calvin kwa udikteta, kwa kuuawa kwa Servetus mwaka 1553, na kwa kuzaa ubepari. Tunajibu kwamba Calvin hakushika wadhifa wa kiraia, kwamba kisa cha Servetus kilikuwa tendo la baraza katika zama ambazo uzushi uliadhibiwa na dola, na kwamba hatukitetei. Tunamheshimu Calvin kama mwalimu, lakini tunaungama kwamba Maandiko pekee ndiyo mamlaka yetu.John Calvin, born in 1509 at Noyon, became an evangelical in his early twenties, published the first Institutes in 1536, and was drawn into the work in Geneva by Guillaume Farel. Expelled in 1538, he served French refugees in Strasbourg under Martin Bucer, married Idelette de Bure in 1540, and returned to Geneva in 1541. The Ecclesiastical Ordinances set out four offices (pastors, teachers, elders, deacons) and created the Consistory for discipline. The final Institutes of 1559, in four books, became the standard summary of Reformed teaching. The Genevan Academy, founded in 1559 with Theodore Beza as rector, and the refugees who passed through the city made Geneva a school for the Reformed world. Critics charge Calvin with tyranny, with the execution of Servetus in 1553, and with fathering capitalism. We answer that Calvin held no civil office, that the Servetus case was the act of a council in an age when heresy was punished by the state, and that we do not defend it. We honor Calvin as a teacher, but we confess that Scripture alone is our authority.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), Vitabu vya 1 na 3 (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845), chanzo cha msingi.• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Books 1 and 3 (Beveridge translation, 1845), a primary source.

• John Calvin, Ecclesiastical Ordinances (Kanuni za Kikanisa, 1541), chanzo cha msingi.• John Calvin, Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541), a primary source.

• The Heidelberg Catechism (Katekisimu ya Heidelberg, 1563) na The Second Helvetic Confession (Ungamo la Pili la Helvetic, 1566), kwa ajili ya imani ambayo wanafunzi wa Calvin waliipeleka ng'ambo.• The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Second Helvetic Confession (1566), for the faith that Calvin's students carried abroad.

• The Westminster Confession of Faith (Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, 1646), sura ya 20, juu ya uhuru wa Kikristo na uhuru wa dhamiri.• The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapter 20, on Christian liberty and liberty of conscience.

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Theolojia ya Mfumo, 1872-73), kwa ajili ya maelezo ya kawaida ya Reformed juu ya mafundisho aliyofundisha Calvin.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), for a classic Reformed treatment of the doctrines Calvin taught.

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