Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a disciple of John Calvin and lived most of his life in Geneva. Beza succeeded Calvin as the spiritual leader of the Republic of Geneva.
Biography
Early life
Theodore Beza was born on 24 June 1519 in Vézelay, in the province of Burgundy, France. His father, Pierre de Bèze, bailiff of Vézelay, descended from a Burgundian noble family; his mother, Marie Bourdelot, was known for her generosity. Beza's father had two brothers; Nicolas, who was member of the cat=no of Paris, and Claude, who was abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Froimont in the diocese of Beauvais. Nicolas, who was unmarried, during a visit to Vézelay was so pleased with Theodore that, with the permission of his parents, he took him to Paris to educate him there.From Paris, Theodore was sent to Orléans in December 1528 to receive instruction from the German humanist. He was received into Wolmar's house, and the day on which this took place was afterward celebrated as a second birthday. Beza soon followed his teacher to Bourges, where the latter was called by Duchess Margaret of Angoulême, sister of King Francis I. At the time, Bourges was the focus of the Reformation movement in France. In 1534, after Francis I issued his edict against ecclesiastical innovations, Wolmar returned to Germany. Beza, in accordance with the wish of his father, went back to Orléans and studied law from 1535 to 1539. The pursuit of law had little attraction for him; he enjoyed more the reading of the ancient classics, especially Ovid, Catullus, and Tibullus.
He received a licentiate in law on 11 August 1539, and, as his father desired, went to Paris, where he began to practice. To support him, his relatives had obtained for him two benefices, the proceeds of which amounted to 700 golden crowns a year; and his uncle had promised to make him his successor. Beza spent two years in Paris and gained a prominent position in literary circles. To escape the many temptations to which he was exposed, with the knowledge of two friends, he became engaged in the year 1544 to a young girl of humble descent, Claudine Denosse, promising to publicly marry her as soon as his circumstances would allow it.
In 1548, Beza published a collection of Latin poetry, Juvenilia, which made him famous, and he was considered one of the best writers of Latin poetry of his time. But his work attracted unexpected criticism; as Philip Schaff says, "Prurient minds ... read between his lines what he never intended to put there, and imagined offences of which he was not guilty even in thought". Shortly after the publication of his book, Beza fell ill with plague and his illness, it is reported, revealed to him his spiritual needs. Following his recovery, Beza adhered to the Reformed faith, a decision which resulted in a condemnation from the parlement of Paris, the loss of part of his property and the need to leave France. He then resolved to sever his connections of the time, and went to the Republic of Geneva, which, with the Genevan Reformation, had become a place of refuge for adherents of the Reformation. He arrived in Geneva with Claudine on 23 October 1548.
Teacher at Lausanne
Theodore Beza was received in Geneva by John Calvin, who had met him already in Wolmar's house, and was at once married to Claudine. Beza was at a loss for immediate occupation so he went to Tübingen to see his former teacher Wolmar. On his way home, he visited Pierre Viret at Lausanne, who brought about his appointment as professor of Greek at the Academy of Lausanne in November 1549. Beza served as rector of the academy from 1552 to 1554.Beza found time to write a Biblical drama, Abraham Sacrifiant, in which he contrasted Catholicism with Protestantism. The work was well-received. The text of some verses includes directions for musical performance, but no music survives.
In 1551, Beza was asked by Calvin to complete the French metrical translations of the Psalms begun by Clément Marot. Thirty-four of his translations were published in the 1551 edition of the Genevan Psalter, and six more were added to later editions. About the same time he published Passavantius, a satire directed against Pierre Lizet, the former president of the Parlement of Paris, and principal originator of the "fiery chamber", who, at the time, was abbot of St. Victor near Paris and publishing a number of polemical writings.
Of a more serious character were two controversies in which Beza was involved at this time: The first concerned the doctrine of predestination and the controversy of Calvin with Jerome Hermes Bolsec and the second referred to the execution of Michael Servetus at Geneva on 27 October 1553. In defense of Calvin and the Genevan magistrates, Beza published, in 1554, the work De haereticis a civili magistratu puniendis.
Journeys on behalf of the Protestants
In 1557, Beza took a special interest in the Waldensians of Piedmont, Italy, who were being harassed by the French government. On their behalf, he went with William Farel to Bern, Zürich, Basel, and Schaffhausen, then to Strasburg, Mömpelgard, Baden, and Göppingen. In Baden and Göppingen, Beza and Farel made a declaration concerning the Waldensians' views on the sacrament on 14 May 1557. The written declaration clearly stated their position and was well received by the Lutheran theologians, but was strongly disapproved of in Bern and Zurich.In the autumn of 1558, Beza undertook a second journey with Farel to Worms by way of Strasburg in the hopes of bringing about an intercession by the Evangelical princes of the empire in favor of the persecuted brethren at Paris. With Melanchthon and other theologians then assembled at the Colloquy of Worms, Beza proposed a union of all Protestant Christians, but the proposal was decidedly denied by Zurich and Bern.
False reports reached the German princes that the hostilities against the Huguenots in France had ceased and no embassy was sent to the court of France. As a result, Beza undertook another journey with Farel, Johannes Buddaeus, and Gaspard Carmel to Strasburg and Frankfurt, where the sending of an embassy to Paris was resolved upon.
Settling in Geneva
Upon his return to Lausanne, Beza was greatly disturbed. In union with many ministers and professors in city and country, Viret at last thought of establishing a consistory and of introducing a church discipline which should apply excommunication especially at the celebration of the communion. But the Bernese, then in control of Lausanne, would have no Calvinistic church government. This caused many difficulties, and Beza thought it best in 1558 to settle at Geneva. Here he was given chair of Greek in the newly established academy, and after Calvin's death also that of theology. He was also obliged to preach.He completed the revision of Pierre Olivetan's translation of the New Testament, begun some years before. In 1559, he undertook another journey in the interest of the Huguenots, this time to Heidelberg. At about the same time, he had to defend Calvin against Joachim Westphal in Hamburg and Tilemann Heshusius.
More important than this polemical activity was Beza's statement of his own confession. It was originally prepared for his father in justification of his actions and published in revised form to promote Evangelical knowledge among Beza's countrymen. It was printed in Latin in 1560 with a dedication to Wolmar. An English translation was published at London in 1563, 1572, and 1585. Translations into German, Dutch, and Italian were also issued.
Events of 1560–1563
In the meantime, things took such shape in France that the happiest future for Protestantism seemed possible. King Antoine of Navarre, yielding to the urgent requests of Evangelical noblemen, declared his willingness to listen to a prominent teacher of the Church. Beza, a French nobleman and head of the academy in the metropolis of French Protestantism, was invited to Castle Nerac, but he could not plant the seed of Evangelical faith in the heart of the king.In the following year, 1561, Beza represented the Evangelicals at the Colloquy of Poissy, and in an eloquent manner defended the principles of the Evangelical faith. The colloquy was without result, but Beza as the head and advocate of all Reformed congregations of France was revered and hated at the same time. The queen insisted upon another colloquy, which was opened at St. Germain 28 January 1562, eleven days after the proclamation of the famous January edict, which granted important privileges to those of the Reformed faith. But the colloquy was broken off when it became evident that the Catholic party was preparing to overthrow Protestantism.
Beza hastily issued a circular letter to all Reformed congregations of the empire, and went to Orléans with the Huguenot leader Conde and his troops. It was necessary to proceed quickly and energetically. But there were neither soldiers nor money. At the request of Conde, Beza visited all Huguenot cities to obtain both. He also wrote a manifesto in which he argued the justice of the Reformed cause. As one of the messengers to collect soldiers and money among his coreligionists, Beza was appointed to visit England, Germany, and Switzerland. He went to Strasburg and Basel, but met with failure. He then returned to Geneva, which he reached on 4 September. He had hardly been there fourteen days when he was called once more to Orléans by D'Andelot. The campaign was becoming more successful; but the publication of the unfortunate edict of pacification which Conde accepted filled Beza and all Protestant France with horror.
Calvin's successor
For 22 months Beza had been absent from Geneva, and the interests of school and Church there and especially the condition of Calvin made it necessary for him to return, as there was no one to take the place of Calvin, who was sick and unable to work. Calvin and Beza arranged to perform their duties jointly in alternate weeks, but the death of Calvin occurred soon afterward. As a matter of course Beza was his successor.Until 1580, Beza was not only moderator of the Company of Pastors, but also the real soul of the Academy of Geneva which Calvin had founded in 1559. As long as he lived, Beza was interested in higher education. The Protestant youth for nearly forty years thronged his lecture-room to hear his theological lectures, in which he expounded the purest Calvinistic orthodoxy. As a counselor he was listened to by both magistrates and pastors. He founded the Academy's law faculty in which notable jurists such as François Hotman, Giulio Pace, Lambert Daneau, and Denis Godefroy, lectured in turn.