Michael Servetus (1511-1553)

There was one tragic event during Calvin's tenure in Geneva which brought him not only heartache, but also condemnation. If Calvin is remembered for anything beyond his doctrine of predestination, it was his part in the trial of Michael Servetus. Servetus had been condemned to death in absentia throughout Catholic and Protestant Europe for his vehement denial of the Trinity. In an extraordinarily foolish move, Servetus, having just escaped from a Roman Catholic prison, decided to go to Geneva. He was recognized immediately and arrested.

Despite his angry denunciations of Calvin at his trial, Calvin visited Servetus in jail and earnestly sought to persuade him of his errors. Servetus dismissed Calvin with a laugh. The confrontation at Servetus's trial was not the first time the two men had encountered each other. Nearly twenty years earlier, Calvin jeopardized his life by returning to a hostile Paris in order to share the gospel with a young heretic named Michael Servetus. Years later Calvin wrote, "I was even willing to risk my life to win him to our Lord, if possible." But Servetus's erratic behavior was evident even then. After arranging this meeting with Calvin, Servetus did not appear.

When the sentence was passed upon Servetus, Calvin requested that the Genevan city government grant Servetus a more humane death. The judges remained adamant, and Calvin's request was denied. Servetus was burned at the stake in Geneva on October 27, 1553.