Switzerland's Christian heritage
Many people in Switzerland's history have upheld the Bible as the Word of God and believed in the doctrines of grace. Some were not born in Switzerland but came to live and work there. Lausanne Free Church stands where these men and women stood.
Here is a brief summary about some of these important people and events.
Early in the 12th Century there lived in Lyon, France a merchant named Peter Waldo. In around 1170 he employed a priest to translate the four Gospels from Latin into French. As he read the Gospels in his own language God opened his eyes to see that there is but one mediator between God and man – the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was soundly converted. He now understood that the scriptures should be his only guide as to faith and practice and therefore that the Roman Catholic Church was teaching many errors.
In 1177 he organized a society of men and women who were willing to make known these truths. They travelled around disguised as peddlers, making known the glorious good news of Jesus Christ. They visited not only southern France but also Switzerland. In Switzerland many were saved and formed themselves into groups who became known as the Waldenses.
Initially the Roman Catholic Church authorities were lenient. However when they saw the numbers who were believing this “new” teaching they felt threatened, so the groups were banned. The Council of Valencia even forbade men who were not priests from reading the Bible! Soon every kind of persecution was raised against Waldenses. Many were slain, thousands were tortured. The believers fled to the Alpine mountains for safety. Some say that the name “Waldenses” comes from the name of alpine valleys “Vallenses”. Here they were comparatively safe and were left undisturbed. In fact, for centuries small evangelical Christian churches survived in the mountains.
Few records were kept so we can not know how many there were but we do know that when the reformation occurred in the 16th century many believers emerged from the Swiss valleys calling those who had recently rediscovered Bible truths “brothers”. One writer wrote in 1526 that “they seemed to teach nothing but love, faith and the cross, showed themselves patient and humble in many sufferings, broke bread together and faithfully helped each other”.
Little visible remains of these groups on earth. Their full story will only be told in heaven.
The reformation of course started in Germany with Martin Luther rediscovering that great truth “the just shall live by faith”. However the new teaching soon spread to Switzerland and in particular to the northern, German-speaking part. Here it was led by Ulrich Zwingli.
Ulrich Zwingli was born in 1484. He was of lowly birth, but still well educated. Zwingli began to study the Bible and became convinced, like Luther, that many of the teachings of the Catholic Church were contrary to scripture. When a colleague of Tetzel (the infamous indulgence selling priest) began to sell indulgences in Switzerland, Zwingli made a protest, although not as boldly as Luther had done.
In 1519 Zwingli became a priest himself and was invited to become preacher in Zürich. This he did on the condition that he could preach the pure Gospel of Christ. Soon, this “new” teaching caused a great stir. It was well received. “Such preaching we greatly need” said one, “he tells us the way of salvation”. Many souls were saved and the city was transformed.
During a terrible plague that came to the city, Zwingli showed himself to be a true pastor. Despite the danger he remained, visiting the sick and comforting the bereaved. 2,500 died out of a population of 17,000. Finally he fell ill himself, but after being close to death recovered.
In 1522 Zwingli was plunged into conflict with the bishop of Constance over the subject of fasting during Lent. There was a great public debate. The people sided with Zwingli and his influence became widespread.
Luther and Zwingli agreed on many issues, but did differ on some important points including the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. Luther taught consubstantiation. Zwingli taught that nothing happened to the elements at communion – the service was simply a remembrance. One of the German princes called a conference in 1529 to try and bring about a resolution, but to no avail. With tears in his eyes Zwingli said “There are no people on earth with whom I would rather be in harmony with than with the Wittenbergers (followers of Luther)”. Sadly Luther would only receive them as friends not as brethren in the Church of Christ.
Soon after the Swiss believers organized themselves into a new religious organization called the Reformed Church. The Reformation made rapid progress in most of Switzerland, but some cantons remained staunchly Catholic. The Catholic cantons formed a league with Austria and a civil war appeared certain. However before a decisive battle was fought a compromise was arranged. Protestants in the Catholic cantons were promised toleration.
Sadly, the persecution continued and another civil war broke out. In 1531 an army of 8,000 Catholics invaded the canton of Zürich and a terrible battle was fought at Kappel. Zwingli did not fight. Instead he cared for the wounded and the dying. As he was tending others he was seriously wounded himself. When a Catholic soldier realized he was a Protestant, he killed him. Zwingli was only 47. The people of Zürich mourned, Luther was shocked. A great and faithful servant of Christ had departed, but a great work of reformation had been accomplished.
Just as the light brought by Zwingli was extinguished another even brighter light was about to arrive in Switzerland. And this light was going shine far beyond the borders of this beautiful country. The light from this man's writing would be seen over the world.
Four years after Zwingli's death a 26 year old French lawyer and bookworm named John Calvin arrived. He had fled the persecution of King Francis 1 in Paris and found refuge in Basle, a city of comparative freedom. We don't know when Calvin was converted but he came to Basle as one saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He had, in his own words been saved from the “depths of mire” of the superstitions of the papacy.
Initially Calvin had two occupations in Basle. He helped a certain Peter Robert on a translation of the Bible into French and he wrote a treatise on the Christian religion. The latter was published in 1535 under the title of Instruction in the Christian Religion. This book (and its later editions) is better known as The Institutes of Christian Religion. Its subject is very simple: the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves, yet its contents most profound.Itis one of the most influential Christian books ever written.
After spending a year in Basle, Calvin planned to move to Strasbourg in 1536. For political reasons he had to make a long detour south to get there. In doing so he had to spend one night in Geneva. William Farel, another French reformer who was already serving God in Geneva, heard of Calvin's arrival and immediately determined that Calvin would stay more than one night. Using the most forceful language Farel persuaded Calvin to stay.
Farel and Calvin were both powerful preachers of God's Word. However they wanted people not just to be hearers but doers of the Word. They introduced a strict discipline of what a Christian should and should not do. It was too strict for many, and this group (called the Libertines) persuaded the Council of Geneva to banish Farel and Calvin from Geneva after less than three years.
Calvin went to Strasbourg where he pastored a church for French refugees. Then, in 1541 he was persuaded to return to Geneva after some of Calvin's friends had regained control of the City Council. He was received back with great joy. Calvin threw himself into the work, preaching twice on Sundays and three times during the week.
Calvin's sermons and expositions of the Bible began to be printed and widely circulated. The influence of his writings soon spread throughout Europe. Calvin took up the mantle of leading the Reformation that Luther laid down when he died in 1546.
Calvin now became the rallying point for the Reformed faith and Geneva its unofficial headquarters. Many fleeing persecution found refuge there. Others came simply to grow in their knowledge and love of God. One such person was John Knox.
At this time a group of English and Scottish refugees prepared a new translation of the Bible into English. Calvin had an indirect influence on this version, which became known as the Geneva Bible. It remained in print for many years, only being eclipsed when the famed King James version was published in 1611.
Never had a city been organized so thoroughly for Gospel ministry. Almost the whole city would come together to hear the Word of God. Eight ministers and assistant ministers were appointed to conduct services three times on Sundays. In all there were 17 sermons a week for a city with a population of 13,000. There were fines for those who did not attend.
Education was a high priority: for the children and for young men. At the University 27 lectures were given each week. Every year scores of well educated believers graduated.
The lives of individuals were strictly controlled. There were rules about eating and drinking, buying and selling, dress and morals. Most accepted the regime with gladness. The city became thoroughly God fearing.
One sad event during this period concerned a heretic named Servetus. He denied the Trinity. When he was condemned by the Roman Catholic authorities he fled to Geneva for refuge. In Geneva he carried on teaching his heresy so was arrested and put on trial. He was defiant to the end, even accusing Calvin of being heretic and calling for his death. The Council found Servetus guilty and sentenced him to be burned alive. Calvin asked for a milder form of death but was overruled. Although Calvin was not on the Council and did not therefore have a direct say in the matter, he did nevertheless agree that heretics should be put to death. In this matter Calvin was not guiltless. We are reminded that no man, save the Lord Jesus, is perfect.
So Calvin laboured for a further 23 years in Geneva until his death in 1564. As one writer has said, “If Luther set up the foundation of the Reformation, Calvin was the master builder”. Even today his commentaries and sermons are highly valued, widely read and well used. As we read them we see a man who loves the Word of God and is faithful to explain its exact meaning and then apply it to our lives.
John Calvin still exercises a huge influence on Christians today. Many who hold to the Reformed faith actually call themselves Calvinists, in recognition of this. All Calvin sought to do was faithfully expound the Word Of God and point people to the only Saviour of Sinners: the Lord Jesus Christ. As Calvin wrote in his epistle to the reader in the last edition of the Christian Institutes “My most ardent desire has been to advance his kingdom and promote the public good.”
William Farel was born in the French Alps near Gap in 1489. This was in an area that had once been under the influence of the Waldenses. He was brought up a Catholic and was, in his own words “more popish than popery”. He went to Paris to complete his studies, concentrating on philosophy, theology and Hebrew.
God used these very studies to enable him to see the scriptures in a new light. Luther's teachings were being circulated and discussed. His beliefs were turned upside down and he came to a saving knowledge of Christ. He now saw the terrible errors of the Catholic Church and began a lifelong mission to draw people away from the darkness and superstition of what the Pope and the priests taught.
In 1521 he received a license to preach at Meaux, France. He was never actually ordained for the ministry, but became a roving Evangelist, travelling through eastern France, southern Germany and Switzerland. He never stayed long in one place and was more adept at bringing down rather than building up. The following are illustrations of the tenor of his work:
But Farel is most famous for the time he spent in Geneva. He first went there in 1532 and found a city full of strife and religious turmoil. It was still largely Catholic, but there were a few who had discovered the truths of the Reformation. He started by preaching in the private homes of those who were sympathetic, but soon he was too successful for to be kept secret. Persecution started so he had to flee the city.
Farel returned to Geneva in 1533, labouring with great courage. Gradually the city was turned from the Catholic faith to the Protestant faith, as the pure teaching of the Bible was made known. In 1535, the city Council passed a resolution declaring Geneva Protestant. However there was still much work to be done. The Catholic faith still had many in its grip. It was into this situation that the unsuspecting John Calvin arrived one night in 1536.
Calvin had no intention of staying. He was a quiet man who shunned controversy and just wanted to study in peace. But Farel had other ideas. As soon as he heard he was there he sought him out and pleaded with Calvin to stay. Calvin refused, and in exasperation Farel cried out: “I declare, in the name of God, that if you do not assist in this work of the Lord, the Lord will punish you for following your own interest rather than his call”. Calvin was so affected by these words that he agreed to stay.
Farel and Calvin now worked side by side to bring the city out of superstition and into the truth as found in the Bible. But there was great opposition, especially from a group called the Libertines. After 3 years both Farel and Calvin were banished.
When in 1541 Calvin was invited back, Farel did not join him, but they remained close and firm friends for the rest of their lives. Farel resumed his itinerant evangelistic ministry right into his old age.
In 1563 when Calvin was near to death, the aged Farel (now 74) travelled to Geneva to see his friend one final time. When Calvin died the following year, Farel wrote: “Oh. Why was not I taken away in his place, while he might have been spared for many years....thanks be to Him who gave me the exceeding grace to meet this man and to hold him against his will in Geneva”.
Farel himself died in September 1565 worn out by so much travelling, sufferings and old age.
Although we might question some of his methods, no-one can ever question his love for the truth, his courage, or his faithfulness to the One who loved him and gave His life for him. God used Farel to break down and Calvin to build up. Farel himself recognized this and in deep humility was happy that Calvin had the pre-eminent position, whilst he receded into the background.
Pierre Viret was born in the small village of Orbe, near Lausanne, in 1511. He was a bright child who benefited from a new village school. He developed an interest in the classics and theology which, in 1528, led him to study for the priesthood. He entered a college in Paris at about the time Calvin was leaving.
Whilst at college Viret was exposed to the new Protestant teaching of justification by faith. He left the university a changed man – changed not by education but by the work of the Holy Spirit. He was now committed to Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord.
On returning to Orbe, he found the village divided into Protestant and Catholic factions. Viret met Farel, who challenged Viret to become a minister of the Gospel and to preach in his native village. Viret initially said no, but in time accepted Farel’s guidance.
Viret was a wonderful preacher of the Gospel. He preached in love to win Catholic friends to Christ. He won the people of his village over to the Reformation. He was so effective that Catholic enemies tried to stab him to death. Later, Catholics poisoned his spinach. He survived, but forever afterwards suffered stomach problems.
For many years he worked in Lausanne and the surrounding area. Many were saved under is powerful and persuasive preaching. In Lausanne he taught theology at the academy founded in 1537, and persuaded Beza to become the professor of Greek in 1549.
In 1561 he moved to France, first to Nimes and later to Lyons. At Lyons he presided over the national synod of reformed churches in August 1563. However, shortly afterwards the Catholics regained control of that region. In 1565 Pierre received a notice telling him to leave. He went instead to Naverre where the Protestant queen Jeanne d'Albret appointed him head of the academy she had founded.
He died at the age of sixty in 1571.
Viret suffered many things in his life. His first wife and their children died of plague. His second wife and her two children also died of plague. These tragedies made him a sympathetic Pastor. Despite ill health, Viret preached countless sermons and wrote about fifty books.
He has been described as “the champion of the reformation in Vaud”. Truly the Lord did a mighty work through his faithful preaching and teaching of the Gospel.
Theodore Beza was born in Burgundy, France in 1519. After he had finished his education he settled in Paris in 1539 and soon gained a prominent position in literary circles. He published a collection of Latin poems which made him famous. He then fell ill, and during his distress God revealed to him his spiritual illness. Gradually he came to see that he was a sinner who needed to know the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. Once he was saved, he resolved to start a new life so he moved to Geneva, the centre of the Reformation, in 1548.
In Geneva, he was warmly welcomed by Calvin. On a visit to nearby Lausanne a year later he visited Viret who immediately had him appointed as professor of Greek at the academy there.
In 1557, Beza took a special interest in the Waldensians of Piedmont who were being harassed by the French government and on their behalf went to several cities. In the same year he travelled to Worms to try and secure support of the Evangelical German princes for the persecuted Christians in Paris.
In view of certain difficulties in Lausanne, Beza thought it best in 1558 to move to Geneva. There he was appointed to the chair of Greek at a newly established academy. For the next 6 years, Beza laboured alongside Calvin in the city.
When Calvin died in 1564, Beza was the natural successor. Beza proved an adept leader, carrying on the work and ensuring the doctrinal stance of Calvin was maintained. Throughout this time Beza maintained close links with the Protestants in France, being the Moderator of the general synod that met in 1571.
Beza wrote a number of books on theology and history. He also wrote several satirical books and a biography of Calvin. In 1565 and 1582 he published editions of the Greek New Testament incorporating his own translation.
Beza was active in teaching until 1597 and died in Geneva in 1605. Beza proved himself to be a perfect pupil of Calvin, standing shoulder to shoulder with him in his belief in the reformed faith.
John Knox was born and saved in Scotland. In 1555 he, fled to Geneva to escape the persecution of Mary, Queen of England. He spent four happy years in Geneva revelling in the teaching of Calvin and the Godly nature of the city. John Knox wrote in 1556: “Here exists the most perfect school of Christ which has been since the days of the Apostles on earth. Christ is preached elsewhere too; yet nowhere did I find that morals and faith have been improved more sincerely than here”.
Knox returned to Scotland in 1559 and started to contend vigorously against idolatry, urging everyone to repent and believe on the Lord. His preaching was powerful and many were saved. Scotland now began to experience a great reformation similar to that of Geneva.
John Knox died in 1572, leaving a lasting legacy of a strong reformed church in Scotland which, to some degree, still exists today in some parts of that country.
Recommended reading:
The Pilgrim Church by E.H. Broadbent
Sketches from Church History by S.M. Houghton
John Calvin by Emmanuel Stckelberger
The Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin
Banner of Truth publish a number of Calvin's sermons and commentaries in English.