Calvin. History and Reception of a Reformation Week 5. Reading Calvin Today Sequence 3. Calvin, Object of Worship? Hello. We are standing in front of the "Wall of the Reformers." Like the tourists you see around me, we're going to take a look at this monument and find out what it's all about -- but we'll be going
much more in-depth than your typical tourist. I'd like to introduce you to Luc Weibel, who published, a few years ago, a very thought-provoking book about this monument, the International Monument to the Reformation. He's going to explain why this monument was built roughly a century ago. In the early 20th century, a group of Genevan citizens decided to pay tribute to Calvin in the form of a monument. At the time, democracy was already well-established and society was becoming more and more secularized. Thus it was out of the question to present Calvin as a man of the Church, as a theologian. The idea, rather, was to present him as the "father of the Genevan republic" and, of course, as the founder of the Academy. The Academy was founded in 1559 and went on to become the University of Geneva. It occupies a central place in this monument. Let's go over the monument part by part. The first thing we notice is that it features the four great Reformers:
Farel, Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox (from left to right). The people behind the monument's erection wanted to pay tribute not only to Calvin, but to other reformers as well -- i.e., to the entire "Calvinist movement" as it developed
throughout the world. The design and realization of the monument was governed by a committee. Its vice-president was Charles Borgeaud, a historian and jurist who taught at the University. Much of Borgeaud's academic work focused on the origins of democracy, which he traced to the Anglo-Saxon world. In a sense, the results of his research became the intellectual core of the project, which was then entrusted to a team of artists and architects. When you study the Wall as a whole, you notice right away that it has a common thread, and that this common thread is political: beginning with the 16th century and Calvin,
the Wall features a series of prominent statesmen. The Wall also features a series of historical scenes -- it was very important for Borgeaud that it convey the idea that the Reformation belongs not only to the
history of Geneva, but to the history of Europe as a whole. Thus he insisted that Europe occupy a central place in the monument. Still, everything started in Geneva, and the earliest date that appears on the Monument is 1534. This date refers to a specific event in Geneva's history, the baptism of a child, which is taken to symbolize the establishment of the Reformation in the city
through the creation of a new liturgical ritual -- the Reformed ritual of child baptism. The ceremony in question was presided over by Pierre Viret. Significantly, the scene also features a crowd in the background, which represents the first members of the Reformation, among whom are several women, including Claudine Levet,
who was reportedly one of the very first converts to Geneva's new faith. When explaining the meaning of this Swiss bas-relief, Charles Borgeaud underlined the presence of "the people." For him, the ritual depicted is not to be taken strictly as a religious event; it
also involves the community. For Borgeaud, the most significant thing represented here is the arrival of "a new actor in the history of society" -- the people. The people are also present in many other of the Wall's bas-reliefs and in particular, the Dutch bas-relief, which commemorates the revolt of the Protestants of Holland against the
King of Spain and their subsequent independence. The scene depicted in the Dutch bas-relief is the general assembly in which the United Provinces came together and adopted a Declaration of Independence. This Declaration is known for the famous phrase: "The subjects are not created for the Prince, but the Prince for the subjects." This phrase echoes the theories developed in Geneva by Theodore Beza, who had introduced the groundbreaking idea it conveys -- an idea in direct contradiction with absolutist
conceptions of monarchy -- in his book "The Right of Magistrates." Thus Dutch independence is represented as a crucial moment in history. Several other such events are represented in the Monument's numerous bas-reliefs, many of which are taken from
Anglo-Saxon history. Among these historical bas-reliefs, there is an American bas-relief which commemorates the arrival of the Mayflower in New England in 1620. The Puritans (who were descendants of Calvinism), hoping to escape persecution, decided to seek a better future in the New World. Before landing on New World soil, they agreed to sign a pact, the "Mayflower Pact," which served as a constitution of sorts for the creation of the new colony. A dissident named Roger Williams decided to create his own colony. In 1636, he wrote his own constitution, in which he set forth a new principle: freedom of conscience. As you can see, the book he is holding is inscribed with the words "Soul Liberty." Roger Williams, because of his liberalism, was probably Charles Borgeaud's favorite historical figure. When the artists commissioned for the Monument presented Borgeaud with preliminary mock-ups of some of the sculptures, the first one he examined was that of Roger Williams -- and he later kept
it in his home. Roger Williams is not very well-known as a historical figure. But right next to him is someone much more famous, and with whom he had some interaction: Oliver Cromwell. Why Cromwell? His inclusion may seem surprising at first, and it met with the disapproval of many. Indeed, not only a general, Cromwell is seen by some as a dictator. Yet he was the leader of the English revolution. In 1648, the Puritans -- i.e., English Calvinists -- seized power in England and instituted a republic. This republic was short-lived; the King soon returned to power. Yet Cromwell's revolution marked the end of absolute monarchy in England. In 1689 -- and this is the focus of yet another bas-relief -- an agreement was reached between parliament and the new king William of Orange (and Queen Mary) requiring that the monarchs
sign a sort of pact, or constitution, which included a document known as the Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights can be seen as a precursor to the Declaration of Human Rights. This series of English and American bas-reliefs, then, can perhaps be seen as a (friendly) message to our French neighbors, who see democracy as the birthchild of the French revolution
(a widely shared position, to be fair). The Monument seeks, perhaps, to suggest that the freedoms we associate with democracy in fact originated elsewhere, namely, in Protestant and Calvinist countries, and that it was in
those countries that these freedoms were progressively conquered and allowed to develop. Speaking of France, there is also a French bas-relief on the Wall of the Reformers. It depicts the signature of the Edict of Nantes at the end of the 16th century. With this Edict, Henri IV succeeded in pacifying France, ending the Wars of Religion and granting a measure of religious freedom to Protestants. Yet the Edict would later be revoked by Louis XIV. Thus it is more accurate to say that the situation in France, over the long term, evolved not towards increased freedom,
but towards absolutism. Protestants were no longer allowed to worship under their faith; many emigrated from France as a result, seeking refuge in various Protestant countries. In particular, many French Protestants fled to Prussia. The bas-relief on your screen depicts the arrival of these refugees in Berlin, where they were welcomed by the Elector of Brandenburg,
Frederick William. This German (or Prussian) presence on the Wall is perhaps surprising. We've seen that there is a strong relationship between political freedom and the Reformation. Prussia, however, was a military monarchy -- hardly a model of democracy. In a sense, this reflects how multifaceted Calvinism is. Indeed, as it happens, the dynasty that ruled over Prussia and Brandenburg was Calvinist. In 1909-1912, when the Wall was created, only one European head of state took any interest in the endeavor: William II, Emperor of Germany. In fact, William II was quite happy to learn that, among the statues on the Wall, three represented ancestors of his: the Frenchman Gaspard de Coligny; the Dutchman William the Silent (a.k.a. William of Orange), and the aforementioned Frederick William. Thus we see that Calvinism is multifaceted. Calvin himself was no democrat. Yet Calvin's heirs, taking to heart his insistence on the notion of responsibility -- each man is responsible not only for his own faith, but also for thinking for himself --, ultimately reached the
conclusion that tolerance and freedom constitute essential values. It is this process, then, that this Monument seeks to symbolize. At the time of its creation, there was a strong belief, a deep hope in the progress of humanity -- history seemed to be trending towards increased democracy, more freedom and
widespread education. The First and Second World Wars, of course, were soon to undermine this optimistic outlook. Today, we no longer share in the same optimism that characterized the early 20th century.
