The Battles Of The French Reformed Tradition -- By: Thomas G. Reid, Jr.

Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 02:2 (Spring 2016)
Article: The Battles Of The French Reformed Tradition
Author: Thomas G. Reid, Jr.


The Battles Of The French Reformed Tradition

Thomas G. Reid Jr.

Librarian and Registrar
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Introduction

When John Calvin died in 1564, the condition of the Reformed Churches in his native France gave solid reasons for optimism about their future. In over two thousand places, Reformed worship according to the Scriptures was conducted each Sabbath; churches were especially numerous in the southwest and south-central regions. The total number associated with these congregations approached two million souls, almost a fifth of the total population.1 French Calvinists were found in all strata of society, from the numerous peasants through the burgeoning middle classes on to the nobility and even to the royal family. The Psalms had been paraphrased into singable, metrical French by Clément Marot (1495–1544) and others, and had attained a popularity in one generation that is truly remarkable. In 1559, the national synod adopted one of the first clearly Calvinistic creeds, the Gallican or French Confession, the first draft of which had been authored by Calvin himself. This Synod also adopted a Rule of Discipline to guide the organization of the churches. The churches were organized into regional synods and a national synod, which met regularly. Reformed books were being printed in the language of the people, a language whose grammar and orthography had been greatly influenced by Calvin in his magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion.2 Professor Pierre Courthial writes, “The Reformed faith … manifested itself in every area of human existence – in theology and philosophy, in the sciences and the arts, in town and country, in family and professional life[,] as well as in politics. And it appeared in all social classes … “3 The Peace of Amboise of 1563 had brought a welcome relief from civil conflict. And by this time, French Protestants had acquired a nickname, Huguenots, an appellation first mentioned by Théodore de Bèze in a letter in 1560, but still a word of uncertain derivation.

The early years of the French Reformed churches had not proven to be easy ones, and, after Calvin’s death, the same situation prevailed. The young French Reformed Churches were unable

to build on their initial burst of growth, for they soon faced the first of six major battles which have confronted them in the past 450 years.

First, The Battle With Political Romanism

During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic usurpation of the Chris...

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