[Gutenberg 54226] • Servetus and Calvin / A Study of an Important Epoch in the Early History of the Reformation

On 16 February 1553, Michael Servetus while in Vienne, France, was denounced as a heretic by Guillaume de Trie, a rich merchant who had taken refuge in Geneva. On 4 April 1553 Servetus was arrested by Roman Catholic authorities, and imprisoned in Vienne.At his trial, Servetus was condemned on two counts, for spreading and preaching Nontrinitarianism, specifically, Modalistic Monarchianism, or Sabellianism, and anti-paedobaptism (anti-infant baptism). Of paedobaptism, Servetus had said, "It is an invention of the devil, an infernal falsity for the destruction of all Christianity.On 17 June, he was convicted of heresy, and sentenced to be burned with his books. In his absence, he and his books were burned.Calvin is to be regarded as the author of the prosecution. Nicholas de la Fontaine was a refugee in Geneva and entered the service of Calvin, by whom he was employed as secretary.There are a number of English books purporting to give an account of the life of Servetus, but most are a compilation of second-hand information or a translation wholly or in principal part from the French. Not one appears to have referred to the works of Servetus and his contemporaries.Such is the purpose of the work now presented to the reader.