John Calvin-Life,Legacy and Theology

JOHN CALVIN : LIFE, LEGACY AND THEOLOGY -
PROF. M. M. NINAN
Bucer found in Calvin a young man who needed to be coached back to wholeness in his ministry.
The problems in Geneva revealed a young man, maybe a hothead, but they were not unforgivable.
Left to fester, however, and they would limit severely Calvin’s future work. Bucer took it upon himself
to invite Calvin to Strasbourg to continue working on his publications. The two shared a love of books
and theology, and already Calvin’s writing style was showing the lucid brevity he would be known for.
Calvin agreed and came to live in Strasbourg, drawn both to Bucer and the libraries there. When he
arrived he was lodged in a home that shared a garden with Bucer and his family.
This relationship to Bucer is, it seems, part of the story in Calvin recovering from his setback.
Calvin not only conversed with Bucer on theology and worked on both an expansion of the Institutes
but also his Romans commentary, he also ate frequently at the Bucer table and witnessed for the first
time the intimate life of a Protestant family. Calvin later would remark how much he learned about life,
family, and leadership by living so closely to his mentor.
Martin Bucer who was the chief Pastor of the Strasbourfg Church was happy to have such scholars
and immediately contacted them and invited them to his church. Thus Calvin found refuge for the
next three years in the German Protestant city of Strasbourg. Strasbourg was the capital city of the
Grand Est region, formerly Alsace, in northeastern France. It's also the formal seat of the European
Parliament and sits near the German border, with culture and architecture blending German and
French influences.
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