A Companion to the Reformation in Geneva

487 Pages·2021·54.152 MB·English

by  Jon Balserak

A Companion to the Reformation in Geneva
Brill’s Companions to the

Christian Tradition
A Series of Handbooks and Reference Works on the
Intellectual and Religious Life of Europe, 500– 1800
Edited by
Christopher M. Bellitto (Kean University)
volume 96
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ bcct
A Companion to the

Reformation in Geneva
Edited by
Jon Balserak
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Cover illustration: The Genevan Psalter title page from 1565. Courtesy of Bibliothèque de Genève.
The Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available online at http:// catalog.loc.gov
LC record available at http:// lccn.loc.gov/2021001701
Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/b rill- typeface.
issn 1871-6 377
isbn 978-9 0-0 4-3 7157-6 (hardback)
isbn 978-9 0-0 4-4 0439-7 (e- book)
Copyright 2021 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Contents

P reface viii
A bbreviations ix
L ist of Illustrations xi
N otes on Contributors xii
I ntroduction 1
Jon Balserak
part 1
Reforming Geneva
1 G overnment and Political Life during an Age of Transition
(1451– 1603) 27
Mathieu Caesar
2 A postle of the Alps
Guillaume Farel and the Reforming of Geneva 51
Theodore G. Van Raalte
3 A Long- Suffering Ministry
Calvin and the Continual Crises of Geneva, ca. 1535– 1560 75
William G. Naphy
4 T héodore de Bèze and Geneva 93
Hervé Genton
5 T he Pays de Vaud
First Frontier of the Genevan Reformation 118
Michael Bruening
6 T he Genevan Churches and the Western Church 140
Jon Balserak
vi Contents
part 2
Ministry
7 “ Docere et movere”
Preaching, Sacrament, and Prayer in the Reformed Liturgical System of
16th- Century Geneva 165
Christian Grosse
8 P astors and Ministry in Reformed Geneva 190
Scott M. Manetsch
9 E xpounding the Scriptures
The Sermons, Lectures, and Congrégations 213
Erik A. de Boer
10 R eligious Life in Rural Geneva 231
Graeme Murdock
11 ‘ Where today are the widows who have this honorable office?’
Calvin, the Diaconate, and Women 254
Elsie Anne McKee
part 3
Education, Discipline, and Control
12 T he Genevan Academy
Scrutinizing European Connections in the Time of Theodore Beza 277
Anja- Silvia Goeing
13 T he Consistory of Geneva 300
Jeffrey R. Watt
14 T orture and Punishment in Reformation Geneva 322
Sara Beam
Contents vii
part 4
Relationships and Developments
15 G eneva, Zurich, and the Swiss Reformed Churches 347
Peter Opitz
16 G eneva, the Italian Refuge, and Contact with Italy 369
Emanuele Fiume
17 G eneva, Its Printing Industry, and Book Trade 388
Jameson Tucker
18 B ishop in Exile
Francis de Sales, Annecy, and Reformation 409
Jill Fehleison
19 R eform under Siege
The Resilience of Geneva’s 17th- and 18th- Century Church 427
Jennifer Powell McNutt
S elected Bibliography 449
I ndex 471
Preface

It has been a pleasure working with Arjan van Dijk and Ivo Romein, both of
whom exhibit professionalism and friendliness in equal measure. Likewise
Chris Bellitto has been superb as series editor; always ready with a helpful bit
of guidance and direction. My thanks to Andrew Spicer for help with selecting
contributors. Two anonymous reviewers read the entire volume carefully and
provided extremely helpful feedback. Angela Jianu’s brilliant editorial work
removed a mountain of typos and other errors (those which remain are, of
course, mine). The many students whose brilliant questions, over the years,
prompted the choice of topic and the chapter themes for this volume are de-
serving of immense thanks here as well.
When Brill invited me to edit this companion (at the RefoRC Conference in
Copenhagen in May of 2015), the world was a very different place. As I write, we
are grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic, which completely dominates
the headlines both in terms of concerns about its treatment and also disputes
about how governments should handle it. We communicate with each other –
mostly from the safety of our homes – about social distancing, missed summer
holidays, and how we will handle online teaching this autumn. The experience
has been frightening and instructive and does not appear to be ending any
time soon.
Though it may seem somewhat out of place, in a volume such as this, to
acknowledge the unsung individuals who make up society, it also seems en-
tirely appropriate given the circumstances. Everyone associated with this book
has benefitted from the efforts of shopkeepers, nurses and caregivers, cleaners,
computer technicians, taxi drivers, grocery deliverers, and a myriad of others
who are, at this moment, marvels of bravery.
It is my hope that this volume will be of use to those who teach and study
all aspects of Geneva’s Reformation, that it will provide insight into the latest
research findings and encouragement as regards the issues that still need to be
addressed or revisited.
Jon Balserak
Chicago, Ill., USA, 8 September 2020
Abbreviations

aeg Archives d’État de Genève
ASTo Archivio di Stato di Torino
cb F. Aubert, H. Aubert, A. Dufour, K. Bovier, H. Genton, H. Meylan,
B.  Nicollier (eds.), Correspondance de Théodore de Bèze, vols 1– 43
(Geneva: 1960– 2017)
co G. Baum, E. Cunitz, E. Reuss (eds.), Ioannis Calvini opera quae supersunt
omnia, 59 vols, Corpus Reformatorum 29– 87 (Berlin: 1863– 1900)
cor M. Engammare et al., Ioannis Calvini opera omnia denuo recognita, et
adnotatione, critica instructa, notisque illustrate … (Geneva: 1994– )
cr K. Bretschneider and H. Bindseil (eds.), Philippi Melanthonis opera quae
supersunt omnia. 28 vols, Corpus Reformatorum 1– 28 (Halle: 1834– 1860)
ea Amtliche Sammlung der Ältern Eidgenössischen Abschiede, 22 vols
(Lucerne: 1839– 1882)
e- DHS Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, url: http:// www.hls- dhs- dss.ch
Inst. Institutes of the Christian Religion
irc Jean- Daniel Benoit (ed.), Institution de la religion chrestienne, 5 vols
(Paris: 1957– 1963)
npnf Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (eds.), Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers, 14
vols (Grand Rapids: 1956)
Œuvres François de Sales, Œuvres de Saint François de Sales, 26 vols (Annecy:
1892– 1932)
os Peter Barth, Wilhelm Niesel, and Dora Scheuner (eds.), Ioannis Calvini
opera selecta, 5 vols (Munich: 1926– 1952)
pc Archives d’État de Genève, Procès Criminels
pg J.P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca (Paris,
1857– 1866)
pl J.P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Latina (Paris,
1844– 1864)
rc Archives d’État de Genève, Registres du Conseil
rcc Paule Hochuli-D ubuis (ed.), Registres du Conseil de Genève à l’époque de
Calvin, 7 vols (Geneva: 2003– 2018)
rcp Robert Kingdon et al. (eds.), Registres de la Compagnie des Pasteurs de
Genève au temps de Calvin, 13 vols (Geneva: 1962– 2012)
R. Consist. Isabella M. Watt et al. (eds.), Registres du Consistoire de Genève au temps
de Calvin, 12 vols (Geneva: 1996– 2018)
R. Consist. Unpublished volumes of the Registres du Consistoire, 1551– 1609. Ar-
chives d’État de Genève
x Abbreviations
rqbe Die Rechtsquellen des Kantons Bern. Stadtrechte, 19 vols (Aarau-
Basel: 1945– 2003)
sc Erwin Mühlhaupt et al. (eds.), Supplementa Calviniana. Ser-
mons inédits (Neukirchen: 1936– )
sdge Émile Rivoire and Victor Van Berchem (eds.) Les sources du
droit du canton de Genève, 4 vols (Aarau: 1927– 1935)
tracts & letters Jules Bonnet and Henry Beveridge (eds.), Selected Works of John
Calvin: Tracts and Letters, 7 vols (Grand Rapids: 1983)
wa K. Drescher et al. (eds.), D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Ges-
amtausgabe, 123 vols (Weimar: 1883– 2009)
zw Emil Egli et al. (eds.), Huldreich Zwinglis Sämtliche Werke, 31
vols Corpus Reformatorum 88– 108 (Leipzig: 1905– 2013)