Sermon for October 31st, 2021

Theodore Beza: In Calvin's Shadow

In July of 2019, I had the pleasure of visiting the city of Geneva, Switzerland--the city where the great reformed theologian John Calvin lived and worked. Near the heart of the city, there is a famous monument, often called the "Reformation Wall." (pictures).

The tall guy with the long arms (second from the left) is John Calvin. The one on the far right is John Knox, the founder of the Reformed church in Scotland, where Presbyterians come from. The guy on the far left is William Farrell (no relation to the modern comedian) and the guy just to the right of Calvin is someone you've probably never heard of--most people haven't. His name is Theodore Beza. He is often forgotten in the lists of the great reformers like Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, and Knox...but there's a good chance that without him, we wouldn't be celebrating or remembering any of them.

So who was Theodore Beza? He belongs to a long and somewhat distinguished company, along with these guys: (pictures). Yes, Theodore Beza was a sidekick. Specifically, he was John Calvin's sidekick, his right hand man, his student, biographer, and eventually his successor as the leader of the church in Geneva.

• called Aristotle the summum illum omnium Philosophorum principem, the highest prince of all philosophers.