John Calvin

 John Calvin was a theologian in the Protestant Reformation who was born in France to a poor family in the year 1509. He was born with the name Jehan Cauvin, but it is John Calvin when translated in English. John was able to get a great education, even in his family’s poor condition. This was because John’s father broke the mold in the family and became a lawyer, allowing his to send young John to school. John learned Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and wrote his first book when he was 22 years old. He joined a Lutheran movement, but because of the persecution that followed him, he had to flee to a city called Basel. There he wrote another book, ‘The Institutes of the Christian Religion’, which was published in the year 1536.

 

John Calvin was on his way to Strasbourg with a couple of other reformers. The men stopped in Geneva to rest and eat. John saw that he needed to stay there in Geneva, where he could work as a pastor. He felt that God was calling him to help the people of the town by spreading the word of God. He stayed there and wrote the Four Principles, which were based on four principles that he found in the New Testament. The first of the Four Principals was that ‘It is the pastor’s duty to administer the Word and Sacraments.’ The second principal was that ‘It is the responsibility of the doctors and teachers to educate both adults and children.’ The third was that ‘It is the duty of the elders to watch over the daily lives of the people.’ And the fourth and last was that ‘It is the deacons job to run the social life on Geneva.’

 

In addition to working in Geneva, John Calvin also spent some time helping Martin Bucer work in Strasbourg. John struggled with poor health all of his life, and the huge amount of work he had did not help. His friends urged John to rest, but he refused, saying, “Would you have the Lord find me idle when he comes?” John pushed through everything that came his way and was productive in everything that he did. John Calvin died in the year 1564 in Geneva. He has influenced many people, and his teaches are widely known and appreciated. John Calvin was a great theologian and reformer.

Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was a French explorer born to a wealthy and respectable family in the year 1491 in Brittany, France.  He improved his position by marrying well.  He was a mariner, and enjoyed exploring South America, especially Brazil.  In 1534, King Francis the I of France gave Jacques Cartier a special commission to explore the north section of the New World.  He had hopes of finding riches and possibly a new route to Asia.  He set out in 1534 with 61 men and 2 ships.  He and his crew arrived in North America 20 days later, on the west coast of Newfoundland. They discovered and explored Prince Edward Island and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  A while later, Cartier returned to France with a report that the king was vey pleased with.  Cartier was sent by King Francis upon a second journey to North America, this time with 110 men and 3  ships.  Jacques captured two Native Americans and used them as guides, and in 1541, he began to search for riches such as gold, silver, and spices.  Cartier believed he had found gold and diamonds, yet instead of waiting to check with his guides, he loaded it onto his ship and returned to France to present to the king.  His riches turned out to be useless with no worth at all.  This ruined his reputation, and France lost interest in the New World for a while.  Cartier died in the year 1557.