Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Calvin's Seizure of Power

Chapter 1 Calvin's Seizure of Power On Sunday, May 21, 1536, the free citizens of Geneva were formally summoned to the main square by a blast of trumpets, raised their right hands, and agreed that henceforth they would all live "according to the Gospel and the sayings of God" . It was proclaimed in the former bishop's palace after a referendum (an ultra-democratic system that still prevails in Switzerland): the reformed religion is now the only legally sanctioned faith in Geneva—the faith of the municipality.A few years would suffice to expel the old Catholic faith from the town on the Rhône, to destroy it, to destroy it all.The last priests, priests, monks and nuns have been driven out of the monastery under the threat of the mob.All churches, without exception, were purged of idols and other "superstitious" tokens.And so at last came the festival of May to confirm this victory.From that day on, in Geneva, the Protestant Church not only predominated, but ruled entirely.

In Geneva, this radical and unchecked religious reformation was mainly promoted by a terrorist named Farel.He was a preacher, a moody man, mean in appearance, domineering and ruthless.Even good-natured Erasmus said: "Never in my life have I seen anything so presumptuous, so shameless." This "French Luther" exerted an overwhelming influence on the masses, and he Small, ugly, red-bearded, and disheveled-haired, his violent nature stirred up a storm of emotion among the mob when he yelled at them from the pulpit.Just as Danton was a revolutionist in politics, Farrier was a revolutionist in religious circles.He can connect the scattered and hidden nature of the crowd and ignite a fierce attack.Before the victory, Farrier once risked his life.A hundred times in the countryside he was stoned, imprisoned, and outlawed by the authorities everywhere, but he was a man of great energy, irrational, and governed by a single conviction.He uses violence to overwhelm his opponent's confrontation.With a small squad of stormtroopers as bodyguards, he entered a Catholic church lawlessly while the priests were celebrating mass at the altar.He squeezed onto the pulpit and loudly denounced the anti-Christian elements amid the cheers of his supporters.He organized a group of street bums for his use as a secondary force, inciting gangs of children to attack churches during worship hours, disrupting Catholic prayers with croaking, duck-quacking noises, and laughing.Finally, emboldened by the growing number of his followers, he mobilized his bodyguards for a final attack, instructing them to invade the monastery, tear down the icons from the walls, and set these "idols" on fire.This barbaric act of force was successful.Assuming that the majority is a mess, the active actions of the few, in a display of rare courage and readiness to use terror, can intimidate the majority.Catholics protested the riots and tried to get the city council to function, but they mostly stayed silent in church.At last the Bishop surrendered his diocese to the victorious Reformers, and fled without retaliation.

Now, however, in his triumphant days, Farrier has clearly revealed himself to be a typical uncreative revolutionary, capable of overthrowing the old order through impulse and zeal, but incapable of bringing about a living new one. order.He is a good player with insults but lacks organizational skills.He is a destroyer, not a builder.He can scold the Church of Rome, he can incite the foolish masses to hatred of monks and nuns, and he can break the letter of the law with the hands of the saints.And once that was done, he just gazed at the wreckage of his own creation in hopeless bewilderment, for he had no goal to look forward to.Now, when new principles were established in Geneva to replace the excommunicated Catholic faith, Farrier was a loser.His purely destructive spirit can only create a vacuum, because a street revolutionist is never the rational, constructive model, and once the destruction is over, so is his work, and someone else must take over. The job starts rebuilding the job.

Farrier showed indecision at critical moments.This is not an isolated phenomenon.Likewise, in Germany and other parts of Switzerland outside of Geneva, the reformist leaders were equally disunited, indecisive, and confused about the mission that history had given them.What Luther and Zwingeri originally planned was nothing more than to purify the existing Church, to direct faith in the authority of the Pope and the Municipal Council towards faith in the forgotten evangelical dogma.For them, the Reformation meant the beginning of a reformation of the Church, that is, of improving, purifying, and restoring the Church to its earlier integrity.Because the Catholic Church is stubborn and unwilling to budge, they need to work from outside the Catholic Church instead of working from within – and immediately.Because, when it becomes necessary to transition from destruction to production, the two will go their separate ways.Of course, nothing could have been more logical to Luther, Zwingeri, and other Reformation theologians than that religious revolutionaries, on the basis of a common cause and common practice, fought for the Protestant Church. Unite like brothers.But when in the course of history has there ever been a church that was logical and governed by nature?A worldwide, unified Protestantism no longer exists, and a whole host of offshoot denominations have emerged everywhere.Wittenberg in Germany could not hear a word from the theologian in Zurich, Switzerland, and Geneva abandoned the practice of Bern.Each city wishes to have its own Reformation in the manner of the Zurich, the Berne, or the Genevan.At every historical turning point, the nationalist arrogance of the countries of Europe foreshadowed the specific arrogance of the administrative districts.Luther, Zwingeri, Melanchthon, Busey, Karlstady, and others, now began to waste their energies in verbal disputes over tedious proofs and clues of theology.This energy is available to overthrow the great organization of the world church if only they are united.In Geneva, Farrier is helpless as he gazes at the ruins of the old order.This is really a typical tragedy. A person accepts the mission entrusted to him by history, but cannot bear the consequences of the duty imposed on him.

Victory was so unfortunate for Farrier.When he happened to hear that Calvin, the famous John Calvin, was on his way home from Savoy and was going to stay in Geneva for a day, he was very happy, and hurried to the hotel where Calvin was staying, and asked the Leaders give advice and help in rebuilding the church.Although Calvin was not yet twenty-six years old and was twenty years younger than Farrier, he already had an authority that could not be contested.Calvin, the son of a bishop, publican and notary, was born at Nosy, Picardy, and received a strict canon education (like Erasmus and Loyola) at the Montaigne College.He planned to be a missionary in his early years, and later he wanted to be a lawyer.John Calvin (or Chauvin) was exiled from France to Basel at the age of twenty-four for advocating Lutheranism.

Most exiles lose their inherent vigor as soon as they leave their country, but in Calvin exile worked to his advantage.In Basel, where the two main roads of Europe intersect, various forms of Protestantism meet and contend with each other.Calvin had great insight.A learned logician, he recognized the significance of this moment.More and more radical theories are splitting off from the core of gospel teaching.Pantheists and atheists, fanatics and zealots, began to de-Christianize and ultra-Christianize Protestantism.The terrible tragicomedy of the Anabaptism of Münster has ended in blood and terror.The Reformation, like its rival, the Roman Catholic Church, was in crisis of splintering into sects and substituting nationalism for world power.Confidently inspired by the Prophet, the twenty-five-year-old immediately saw what steps could be taken to stem the schism of the reformed faith.The new doctrine must be divinely embodied in a book, a schema, an outline; there needs to be a systematic elaboration of the creative principles of gospel dogma.Calvin was young, courageous, and in his prime.This obscure jurist and theologian understood the necessity of the matter from the very beginning.While the recognized leaders continued to wrangle over the details, he kept his eye firmly on the whole, writing the Principles of Christianity (1535) within a year.It was the first book to contain the principles of the teachings of the Gospel, and thus became a major guide and classic of Protestantism.

We can say without exaggeration that "Principles" can be listed as one of the ten to twenty books in the world that determine the course of history and change the face of Europe.It is the most important achievement of the Reformation since Luther translated the Bible.The book's inexorable logic and unwavering constructivity immediately influenced Calvin's contemporaries.The quality of the book makes it decisive.Religious movements need a genius to start and another genius to end.Luther, the demagogue, moved the rolling stone of the Reformation; Calvin, the organizer, stopped the rolling stone before it shattered.In a sense, therefore, it can be said that the Principia completed the Religious Revolution as the Napoleonic Code completed the French Revolution.Both summed up the past and decisively drew the final frontiers for revolution; both stamped legal form and stability on a stormy movement that lost momentum from the blazing momentum it had begun.In this way, arbitrariness becomes dogma.Autonomy leads to the birth of dictatorship.At the same time, religious zeal was severely restrained.Naturally, when a revolution is once under control, it loses most of its driving force.All this is what happened to the Reformation through the hand of Calvin.Henceforth, the Catholic Church, as a religiously unified and world-wide entity, had to confront the Protestant Church, which occupied the same position.

Calvin's extraordinary strength is manifested in his never paring down or modifying what he first elaborated.His book was reprinted several times with only additions, and his first decisive realization was never revised.Like Marx or Schopenhauer, at the age of twenty-five he had logically and carefully considered his philosophical ideas and reached his conclusions before he had gained any experience.During his lifetime, he was destined to explain the transplantation of his philosophy from the ideal world to the real world.He never changed an important word in his writings; never followed others; never made any compromise with his opponents.Those who deal with him either strike him down or are beaten by him; compromise is useless to him or to his enemies.Either you refuse to accept him, or you surrender unreservedly to him.

Farrier (whose greatness Farrier shows at this point) realizes this in the very first meeting.Although he was much older than Calvin, from that day on he attached himself unreservedly to Calvin.He made Calvin his leader and master, and himself a servant and slave of that master.For the next three decades, Farrier never dared to go against what his boss said.In every battle, in every event, he stood by Calvin's side, and promptly heeded Calvin's call to fight for him and help him.Farrier was the first believer who never questioned and criticized Calvin, and offered him self-sacrificing obedience.He is a fanatic subordinate who insists that it is the supreme duty of every believer to do so.Only once did Farrier make a request of Calvin.That was when they first met.He asked Calvin, as the only qualified candidate, to accept the position of religious leader in Geneva.And that master, with his outstanding ability, will establish the religious reformation, which Farel himself is powerless to do.

Calvin later revealed that he had long and stubbornly declined this amazing invitation.For those who would rather be followers of the spirit than the flesh, it will always be a question when they are invited to leave the circle of pure thought only to enter the dark and chaotic realm of political realism. Very big decision.A mysterious fear seized Calvin for a moment.He hesitated, wavered, said he was too young and inexperienced, and begged Farrier to leave him at peace in the world of books and questions.Finally Farrier, irritated by this obstinate refusal of the invitation, growled with the sublime force of an Old Testament prophet: "You defend the importance of your subject. In the name of Almighty God I proclaim , God will curse you if you refuse to help God work, and pursue earthly affairs instead of following Christ."

This stirring appeal moved Calvin and determined his career.He declared himself ready to establish a new order in Geneva.Once upon a time, he drafted the words and plans, and now he was going to put them into practice.After this, he no longer imprints his will on a book, he will impose it on a city and a state. The people know very little about the entire historical era in which they lived here.The all-important clamor did not attract their attention.And the pivotal moments of an era rarely receive the full attention of chroniclers.In the minutes of the Council of the City of Geneva dated September 5, 1536, we read that Farrier suggested that Calvin should be appointed "Preacher of the Bible," but the recorder did not bother to mention that Write down the names of people in the world.The Secretary of Records tediously recorded how Farrier suggested that "the Gaul"—the Frenchman—continue to work as a missionary.That's enough.Why go to the trouble of asking and recording the correct spelling of that person's name?It seems we are reading an unimportant resolution--a meager salary for the foreign missionary.For the City Council of Geneva does not believe that this matter is of greater importance than the appointment of a junior official who will perform his duties as obediently as any other clerk, like an usher, a bandmate, or an executioner. . Those honorable city executives are ignorant.They do not read theology in their spare time, and we cannot imagine any of them turning over Calvin's Principles of Christianity.If they were scholars, they must have been aware that they had ceded all power within the Church to "the Gaul," the French missionary.Calvin said at this meeting: "Here is a detailed description of the powers that the church confers on the missionaries. Because they are appointed as the administrators and announcers of God's will, they must take all kinds of dangers; To God and in the service of God. They have no doubt to rule over the highest and the lowest; they have no doubt to carry out the will of God on earth and destroy the kingdom of Satan, to defend the flock and destroy the wolf; they have no doubt Doubt admonishes and instructs the submissive, curses and destroys the rebellious. They can stretch and relax; they can wave lightning to crush thunder. All this is done according to the Bible." Calvin said, "The missionaries will undoubtedly Rule over the noblest and the humblest" was no doubt ignored by the members of the City Council of Geneva, because, if they had heeded it, they would not have entrusted unlimited power to a man who made such arrogant demands. people.No one ever doubted that the French émigré, whom they had appointed missionary to the Church, had from the very beginning made up his mind to be the lord of the borough.They gave him office, salary and dignity.But from now on their power will be exhausted.With irresistible energy, Calvin will seize the reins of power and relentlessly carry out his totalitarian ambitions.In this way, he transformed a democratic republic into a theocratic dictatorship. The first steps Calvin took reveal his far-sighted logic and betray his deliberate aim. "When I first came to this church," he later wrote, "religion was at a standstill in Geneva. People were preaching there, and that was all. They confiscated and burned icons, but it didn't deserve the name of the Reformation. Everything is out of order." Calvin, a natural organizer, abhors chaos.His nature is as precise as mathematics, and he abhors any irregularity and unsystematic.Anyone wishing to educate the people to accept a new belief must make the people aware of what they have already professed to believe.They must be able to clearly discern what is allowed and what is not.The spiritual kingdom, like the earthly kingdom, needs clear boundaries and laws.Within three months, Calvin submitted to the Geneva City Council a complete catechism manual.It includes a total of 21 principles of the new canon, which are very precise, popular and simple.This catechism and confession, so to speak, the Ten Commandments of Protestantism, was accepted in principle by the Municipal Council. But Calvin was not content to accept the doctrine half-heartedly. He insisted on the unreserved obedience of the people, even if it was a punctuation mark.In his view, it is still not enough to formulate the canon, since that may leave the individual with a degree of freedom as to whether and to what extent he will obey it.Calvin was never a man who tolerated liberty in matters of principle or in everyday life.In matters of religion and spirituality, he could not tolerate the slightest exchange of views with others on an equal footing; in matters of personal belief, he never made a truce.He believed that the Church had not only the right but the duty to demand obedience from all, by force if necessary, and to punish those who remained indifferent as savagely as they punished open defiance. "Others may think otherwise, but I myself do not believe that our duty is so narrowly confines that we think that when we preach the admonition we have done our part and can stand by Let things take their own way." Calvin's Catechism not only lays down the line of instruction for the true believer, but also systematically sets forth the laws of the Borough.He asked the city administration to force the free citizens of Geneva to take an oath to accept this confession publicly.They were brought before the elders in groups of dozens, just like elementary school children are brought before a teacher.They came to the cathedral, the catechism was read aloud to them by the secretary of the town, and they raised their hands and swore to accept it without reservation.Anyone who refuses to take the oath will be immediately expelled from the city.This clearly and forever shows that, from now on, no free citizen who is to live within the walls of Geneva dares to risk the slightest difference in matters of religion from Calvin's demands and views.In this administrative district, the time for demanding "Christian liberty," for religion as a matter of personal conscience, is over.Rational ideas triumphed over the ethos of the Reformation, law over spirit.Now that Calvin has entered the city, there will be no more freedom in Geneva.The will of the individual rules everything. Dictatorship is neither conceivable nor tenable without force.Whoever wants to maintain power must keep the tools of power in his hands: if he wants to rule, he must use the power of punishment.The resolution appointing Calvin did not authorize him to expel free citizens who violated the canon from Geneva.Members of the city executive council only appointed him as a "Bible Preacher", who could explain the Bible to believers; they only appointed him as a missionary, who could preach and guide all believers to the true faith.They think they still retain the right to torture.They, not Calvin or any missionary, were responsible for the actions of the free citizens.Neither Luther, nor Zwingeri, nor any other reformer had previously attempted to seize the powers retained in the hands of the municipal administration.Calvin, an authoritarian by nature, immediately set about making the city council an institution solely for the execution of his orders and decrees.Since he had no legal authority to do such a thing, he established himself by excommunication.In an instant, he turns the religious mysteries of the "communion" into a way to advance his personal power and put pressure on him to let go.For a while, Calvinist missionaries decided that only those whose moral conduct was satisfactory would take part in the Lord's Supper.If the missionaries refused to allow a man to partake of the Lord's Supper, that man was excommunicated and excommunicated.This new weapon is incredibly powerful.No one is allowed to speak to the person who made the mistake, and according to the schoolboys, no one has any more contact with him.No one can sell him or buy anything from him.Thus, what at first appeared to be a purely religious means, to be dealt with by the ecclesiastical authorities, became a social and commercial boycott.If, after the boycott had been announced, a man did not surrender and refused to publicly examine his crimes, Calvin treated him harshly and ordered him to be exiled.Although the most respected citizen, once Calvin loathed and became Calvin's enemy, he could no longer have a place in Geneva.Whoever openly disagrees with Calvin is as alive as he is dead. These fearsome powers allowed Calvin to wipe out anyone who would venture against him.With one stroke of boldness, like a flash of lightning in his hand, he gained unchallenged supremacy which the Archbishop of Geneva had never held.Within the Catholic Church there is an endless hierarchy of priestly authorities, from lower to higher to the highest, to whom appeals can be lodged before the Church directly decides to excommunicate its members.Excommunication is a supra-personal action, completely outside the arbitrary power of the individual.But Calvin had a clearer purpose and was more ruthless in exercising his will to power, and he easily forced missionaries and the Inquisition to take a stand on expulsion.He made this terrible threat of excommunication his constant punishment, and thus increased his personal power without limit.As a psychologist, he anticipated the effects of terror and the anxieties of those who feared the same fate.Calvin demanded a monthly communion, and the city council had difficulty changing it to a quarterly schedule.But Calvin would not allow that most powerful weapon—excommunication and subsequent excommunication—to be taken from him.Only by wielding this weapon will he be able to begin the fight he has always desired—the fight for totalitarianism. Dictatorship, rigid canons, and the inevitable increase in belligerence, these transitory advantages, have to be paid for by the rights of many; new laws inevitably impinge on ancient liberties; A considerable amount of time has passed.In Geneva, as the years passed, the public gradually became clear.The citizens approved of the Reformation, and as independent men they voluntarily assembled in the marketplace and raised their hands in acknowledgment of the new faith, but their republican pride made them resent the policemen who supervised them .They vehemently objected to being driven about the town like prisoners; vehemently objected to their being compelled to go to church and swear fealty to every decree issued by Lord Calvin.They disapprove of strict moral reform because they find themselves at risk of being disenfranchised, exiled for simply singing for fun after a drink; Master Wen or Master Farrier thought it was too extravagant.The people began to ask: Who were these people who had usurped such high positions?Are they Genevans?Are they the descendants of those ancient settlers who had helped create the city's greatness and wealth?Are they tried and trusted patriots who have been married or related to prominent families for centuries?No, they were newcomers, exiled from France, and received graciously by the people, who provided them with the necessities of life, shelter, and high office.The son of a publican from a neighboring country built himself a warm nest, and invited his brother and his brother-in-law; and now he dared to scold and insult the venerable free burgher.He, the French émigré, whom they had appointed to a new post, presumed to make laws as to who could and could not live in Geneva! In the early days of the dictatorship, before the spirit of liberty had been extinguished and the independent minds driven into exile, the forces of resistance persisted for a considerable time, displaying heightened passion.Some republicans in Geneva declared that they would not allow themselves to be treated "like pickpockets".All the inhabitants of the city, and above all those of the Rue d'Alemand, refused to take the oath of allegiance.They complained, and defiantly declared that they would never obey a poor Frenchman, never obey him, never leave their homes.Calvin did succeed in winning over small town councils, who were loyal to his cause and supported his edict of excommunication for those who refused to take the oath.But Calvin did not dare to risk such unpopular edicts, for the new election results made it clear that the majority of the free citizens of Geneva had begun to turn against his arbitrary edicts.In February, 1538, his most immediate followers no longer constituted a majority in the Municipal Council.In this way, the democrats in Geneva were once again able to assert their will against Calvin's authoritarian demands. Calvin went too far, too fast, on the road to adventure.Theoreticians in politics tend to underestimate the inertial power of the mind, believing that in the real world decisive reform procedures can be established as quickly as they envision them.Calvin found it necessary to go slowly until he could win the worldly powers for his support.He took a moderate approach because his position was not secure.The newly-elected city council still watched him closely, but not terribly against him.During this short period of watching, even his most fanatical opponents were forced to admit that Calvin's fanaticism was based on an absolute zeal for morality, and that the cause of the impatient man was advanced not by his own ambition but by The love of a great ideal.His comrade-in-arms, Farrier, was the idol of the youth and the mob, so the tension could easily have been eased as long as Calvin agreed to show some diplomatic tact in adapting his revolutionary demands in general to the less extreme views of the free burghers. Relax. But Calvin's gritty nature and steely rigidity were a hindrance in himself.All his life, this complete fanatic, at best, expressed his desire for reconciliation and did not want to go further.He will never understand the meaning of the golden mean.For him, there exists only one policy—his own.All or nothing: he must have supremacy, or give up all his claims.He never compromises.He was so absolutely sure of the correctness of John Calvin's position that he could hardly conceive that an opponent should believe that another course was correct;Later, the following statement became the maxim: Calvin's business is to teach and the others' business is to learn.Sincere, calm, and firm in his convictions, he declared: "God hath commanded me to teach, and conscience has made me firm." With a terrible and ominous self-aggression, he compared his views to absolute truth, saying: "How merciful is God, Show us good and evil." But the man was repeatedly tormented by a kind of mad obsession of his own, and the torment grew worse.He bristled when others who had the same confidence disagreed with him.The different views caused Calvin to have a nervous attack.His mental sensibility interfered with the bodily functions.When he was frustrated, he lost his appetite and vomited bile.The objection raised by his opponent is probably the most insightful.But Calvin's point of view is not that, he only cares about people who dare to hold different opinions, so they must be treated as enemies.They were not just the enemies of John Calvin, but the whole world and God himself. "The Hissing Serpent," "The Barking Dog," "The Beast," "The Rogue," "The Claws of Satan"—these are the neurotic lunatics who poured out the most important humanist and theologian of his day. notoriety.Whoever disagrees with Calvin devalues ​​the servant of God who represents "the glory of God."Even if the dissent was a purely academic matter, "Christianity" was immediately "threatened" as soon as it was discovered that anyone dared to declare that the missionary of St. Pierre was dictatorial.As far as Calvin was concerned, the point of contention was that the other denominations had to admit their mistakes and come over to Calvin's side.Calvin, in all respects, showed keen insight, but all his life he remained convinced that he alone was qualified to interpret the language of God, that he alone possessed the truth.It was this vain self-confidence, this prophetic self-promotion, this super paranoia that enabled Calvin to stand up in practice.It was a rigid composure, a cold and inhuman strength to which he owed his success in the political arena.Nothing but such a narcissism; nothing but such an extraordinary limitation of self-satisfaction that makes a man a leader in the field of world history.People are receptive to suggestions.This is not due to tolerance and justice, but only because bigots claim that their truth is the only acceptable truth, and their own will is the basic model of secular law. Thus, when Calvin found that the majority of the newly elected municipal council was against him, he politely begged him not to resort to savage threats and excommunications for the sake of public order, but to adopt the Bernese religion. He was not at all shocked when the more moderate views were met.A man as obstinate as Calvin would not give up so easily when it came to making the slightest concessions from him.It is impossible to compromise with such a person.Even when the city council was against him, he still demanded absolute obedience to his authority, taking lightly the rebellion against his representation of legitimate authority.He yelled from the pulpit, lashing out at the "little city council," declaring, "I would rather die than throw the body of God to the dogs to devour it."Another preacher declared in a public service that the municipal council was "a hodgepodge of drunkards," and thus Calvinists erected a formidable barrier against the authorities. The City Council cannot tolerate such a provocative confrontation.But in the beginning, they were content to send an inexorable implication, to the effect that the pulpit could not be used for political purposes, since those who spoke from the pulpit were supposed to do nothing more than explain the will of God.But Calvin and his followers turned a deaf ear to this official instruction.As a last resort, the executive council banned the preachers from the pulpit, and arrested the most disobedient of them, Courtauld, on charges of sedition.This implies that there has been a conflict between the power of the church and the power of the municipality.Calvin responded immediately.Surrounded by his supporters, he forced his way into St. Pierre's Cathedral, nimbly ascending the steps of the forbidden pulpit.Afterwards, representatives of various factions began to enter the church, swords drawn.One side is determined to support the banned preacher, the other prevents him from speaking.A riot ensues.The religious service of Easter almost ended in a massacre. Now the city council has run out of patience.The highest authority -- a large administrative meeting of 200 people was held.They demanded the expulsion of Calvin and other missionaries who rebelled against the administration.The Citizens' Assembly was held on April 23, 1538.The assembly voted overwhelmingly to dismiss the rebellious missionaries and give them three days to leave the city, for which Calvin had cursed so many free citizens of Geneva during the past eighteen months , expelled them, sentenced them to exile, and now it was his turn. Calvin's first attempt to seize power in Geneva by storm failed.But in a dictator's life, setbacks are only temporary.In fact, such a failure is almost necessary to climb to some high position of carte blanche.To fail dramatically at the outset, that's what stands out.For the leading revolutionaries, exile, imprisonment, and outlawing have never hindered their popularity, but have helped them.A person who is idolized by the masses must first be a victim.受到可恶制度的迫害，就能为人民的领袖造成心理上的先决条件，随之而来的是群众全心全意的支持。想要成为领袖者所受到的考验越多，大众就越有可能把他当作具有象征意义的领袖。对于要担任领导角色的政治家来说，没有比诸如转入地下更必要了，因为短暂的不露面，会使他的形象传奇化。名声将把他的个性藏在灿烂的云彩和壮观的光环里。当他从光环中浮现时，他能够满足大众百倍的期望。不劳他采取行动，一种气氛就能够形成。正是在流亡中，许多杰出之士才赢得了权威。那是只有那些有影响的、鼓舞了信心的人们才能行使的。凯撤在高卢，拿破仑在埃及，加里波的在南美，列宁在乌拉尔，都由于本人不在，变得比他们留着更强有力。加尔文也是这样。 当驱逐批准时，加尔文的一切好象都已经完结了。他的组织被破坏，他的成果被粉碎。除了一个对强加于秩序的狂热意志的回忆和寥寥可数可以相信的朋友之外，什么都没有留下。然而，正象那些在危险的时刻，具有能避免妥协，躲入暗处的人一样，他的继任者们和他的放手们，由于犯了和他过去所犯同样的错误而帮助了加尔文。当加尔文和法里尔这样个性有特殊魅力的人被撤职以后，市行政当局发现，很难骗到一、二个有奴性的传教士，因为他们担心果断行动可能使他们自己失去人心。他们准备放松而不是收紧缰绳。由那样的人占领布道台，那曾经由加尔文有力推动过的日内瓦的宗教改革立即陷于停滞，自由市民们在信仰方面混乱不堪，不知道什么是对的，什么是错的。这样，被禁止的天主教会的成员重新慢慢地恢复勇气，而且努力通过精明的中间人，重新为罗马天主教征服日内瓦。情况十分紧急，而且越来越紧急。渐渐地，那些改革者们，因曾把加尔文想得太苛刻和太严格，而感到不安。他们自问：无论如何，铁的教规毕竟比迫在眉睫的混乱更为需要。越来越多的自由市民，他们中间有些人过去曾经积极反对过加尔文，现在力主把他召回。市行政当局最后认为，除按公众的意见办理外，别无他法。加尔文所收到的第一批信息和函件，不外乎是谨慎地提一些问题，但他们立即清楚地急切地要那位传教士回来，这一请求由于热切的呼吁而得到了加强。市行政当局不再在信中称他为“先生”，而称他为加尔文大师，恳求他回来拯救他们摆脱困境。最后，困惑的委员们谄媚地写信恳求“他们的好兄弟和过去的朋友”恢复传教士的公职，写这公文的那些人宣称他们“决心不遗余力地支持他，直到他满意为止”。 假如加尔文是一个不足道的、满足于廉价胜利的人，他当然会对两年以前把他放逐出来，而现在恳求他回去的城市感到满意，但渴求攫取全部权力的他，是永远不会容忍折中办法的。在这神圣的事业里，加尔文不被个人虚荣所动。他要的是权力，他个人权力的胜利。他不愿浪费片刻，让他的工作被任何世俗的权力所干扰。如果他回日内瓦，那么，那里只有一个法令有效，那就是约翰·加尔文的法令。 一直到日内瓦缚住双手，向加尔文卑躬屈膝，自愿臣服，他才答应在一个满意的地位上进行谈判。由于战术上的原因，他故作轻蔑之态，拒绝了这些急切的开价。“我愿死一百次，也不愿重蹈早期痛苦的斗争，”他写信给法里尔说。他不愿向他的敌手跨出一步。最后，市行政当局跪在加尔文面前，用隐喻恳求他回来，以致连他最接近的朋友法里尔也不耐烦了，他写道：“难道你还要等石子也哭喊着要你回来？”但加尔文坚持自己的立场直到日内瓦无条件投降为止。最后，市行政委员们宣誓接受“忏悔”，并按照他的意志建立必要的“教规”；他们写信到斯特拉斯堡城当局，要求城里的教徒兄弟们把这一责无旁贷的人让给他们；日内瓦在整个世界并在他面前丢尽了面子，加尔文终算让了步，他宣称，假定给予他绝对权力的话，他准备接受他原来的职务。 就这样，象一个被征服的城市迎接征服者入城一样，日内瓦迎接了加尔文，并尽一切可能缓解他的不高兴，为使加尔文的要求可能在事先得到承认，过去严格的法令又迅速地重新强制执行了。小市行政会弄到一处合适的、带有花园的、装修得非常漂亮的房子给加尔文。现在他的来到已是众望所归了。圣皮埃尔大教堂的布道台重新进行了翻造，以便加尔文可以更有效地传道，可以让每一参加仪式的人都看得到他本人。荣誉接踵而来，在加尔文离开斯特拉斯堡前，一名使者从日内瓦启程，在半路上欢迎他并带去城市的祝福。自由市民出钱，将他的家属隆重地接来。最后，在九月十三日，一辆旅行四轮马车开到科纳文门。群众聚集起来以盛会迎接这归来的流亡者，在欢迎声中，加尔文进了城。现在日内瓦已在他的手中了，他要象一个陶工塑造粘土那样不停地工作，直到他按自己的思维模式改变这个城市为止。从这一刻起，加尔文同日内瓦就成为两个不可分离的概念：加尔文和日内瓦，精神和形式，造物主和芸芸众生。