Jean Calvin

Adrian Streete (University of Glasgow)
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John Calvin (also known as Jean Calvin, Jehan Cauvin, or Johannes Calvinus) was born in Noyon, a small town in Picardy, in 1509. He received his early education under the aegis of a local noble family, the Montmors, and was then sent up to the University of Paris by his father, Gérard, probably at the beginning of the 1520s. Calvin proceeded with a general course in Arts before going on to take his Master's degree in 1528. During this time, the young student was exposed to a number of important early sixteenth century intellectual currents. The intellectual climate of this period was characterised by a growing crisis of authority within the established Church with many groups pressing for reform of varying degrees. As a student, Calvin would probably have come into contact with the…

2028 words

Citation: Streete, Adrian. "Jean Calvin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 January 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=704, accessed 19 March 2024.]

704 Jean Calvin 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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