This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... number of letters written by Servetus, which Calvin gave him for this base purpose. "What a part for an apostle to play! Servetus, who well knew that in France they sent all innovators 1 Voltaire. to the stake, took flight while his cause was pending. Unhappily he passed through Geneva, where Calvin denounced ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... number of letters written by Servetus, which Calvin gave him for this base purpose. "What a part for an apostle to play! Servetus, who well knew that in France they sent all innovators 1 Voltaire. to the stake, took flight while his cause was pending. Unhappily he passed through Geneva, where Calvin denounced him."1 And yet Calvin was not the monster of intolerance he has been called. Shortly before the prosecution of Servetus, he wrote: "In a case where a man is simply heterodox, we do not consider that a sufficient reason for rejecting him; we must tolerate him and not drive him from the Church or expose him to censure as a heretic." Servetus was tried by the Council of Geneva, an elected body, quite independent of Calvin, and, indeed, hostile to his ideas: the indictment was drawn up by a member of the Anti-Calvinist party. On August 26, 1553, Calvin wrote to his friend Farel, who had endeavoured to get Servetus to retract: "I hope he will be condemned, but I desire that he should be spared the atrocities of the penalty." And on October 26: "To-morrow he will be executed: we did our best to change the manner of his death, but in vain.' The Council had, in fact, decided the day before that he should be burnt alive at Champel. He bore his punishment like a stoic. On November 1, 1903, the Calvinists of Geneva inaugurated a monument to his memory. The crime of his burning must be judged like those of the Terror. It was a fruit of the education in intolerance given to Europe by the Roman Church. 22. Voltaire remarks that certain letters of Luther breathe a spirit no more pacific than those of Calvin, to which the Protestants answer "that they believe it their duty to follow the doctrines of the primitive...
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