Chapter 10 Chapter Eight Violence Kills Morality

Chapter Eight Violence Kills Morality Few men have attacked a spiritual tyrant with such violence as Castellio; few have had the fury of Castellio's Antical.One can imagine, from its absolute truth and clarity, that the "Answer" can teach the most indifferent people that freedom of thought under Protestantism, the freedom of European thinkers, would be impossible if they did not immediately rise up against the repression in Geneva. will be lost.Judging by all odds, after Castellio's impeccable arguments for the trial and execution of Servetus, all thoughtful people in the Western world would have agreed with him.In such a case an adversary was overwhelmed by such a dreadful blow, and surely will be overwhelmed forever.But Castellio's manifesto could not fail to put an end to Calvin's uncompromising orthodoxy.

But nothing happened!This dazzling attack, this glorious call for tolerance, seems to have had no effect.The reason is the simplest and cruelest: because Castellio's "Answer to Calculus" was forbidden to be printed at that time.At Calvin's instigation, the book was stifled by censorship before it could appeal to Europe's conscience. In the darkest hour (when the manuscript had already circulated among the people through the author's friends in Basel), those in power in Geneva knew, through the probing of their spies, that Castellio's forthcoming book was a danger to their authority challenge.They struck at once, fiercely.In such a situation, the horror is: an overwhelmingly organized national organization against an isolated individual.Calvin brutally burned Servetus alive simply because he disagreed with him on doctrine.He has the help of a one-sided censorship to keep his brutality from interference.Castellio wanted to protest in the name of humanity, but was refused.In fact, the administration of the city of Basel had no reason to prohibit a free citizen—and he was a professor at the university—from litigating with pen and ink.But Calvin was a cunning strategist, who cleverly hid behind the scenes and fought back through diplomatic channels.A formal protest was launched (not in the name of Calvin but by the city of Geneva) against Castellio's attack on "doctrine".As a result, the City Council of Basel and the University of Basel faced a difficult choice: either ban a freelance writer's cause, or defend it against a powerful federation.It's almost always like this: might trumps justice, power trumps morality.The shrewd senators of the city of Basel decided that it would be better to sacrifice a person than to meet with a bloody head.Accordingly, they decreed that any non-strictly orthodox writing should not be published.This decree prevented Castellio from publishing his "Answer to Calvin", and Calvin happily shouted: "Do not be afraid of a dog that barks behind your back if it does not bite you."

Just as the blazing fire had killed the voice of Servetus, so now Castellio's voice has been killed by censorship.Terror once again asserted "authority."Castellio was disarmed, and he could no longer write.No, worse, he was denied the right to defend himself.His victorious adversary struck back with redoubled rage, but did not allow him to strike back.It took almost a century for the "Book of Calal" to be published.In this pamphlet Castellio speaks prophetically: "Why do you do to others what you do not want? We are arguing about religious matters, yet why do you suppress the words of your opponents What about freedom?"

Facing the politics of terror with nowhere to appeal.In frustration and helplessness, Castellio had to succumb.In an age when reason was suppressed by force, the oppressed consoled themselves with infinite contempt for the conquest of the victor. "Your words and your weapons are but junk picked up from the despotisms of the past. They can only give you a temporary rule, but never a spiritual one. The basis of this rule is coercion and Not the love of God. I do not envy your powers and your weapons. I have other powers and weapons - firm and pure faith: a firm belief that God will help me and give me grace. Even for a time, the truth was Overwhelmed by the dazzling 'justice', but no one can ever overwhelm the truth. Let us not pay attention to the earthly judgment that killed Christ, let me ignore the decrees that only make the cause of violence triumph. The kingdom of God is not in this world .”

Terror prevailed again.From bad to worse, Calvin's temporal power was indeed strengthened by his sin.In the annals of history, it is vain to look for poetic justice in stories.We have to come to terms with the fact that history is the reflection of a pantheon whose activities are neither moral nor immoral.It neither punishes evil nor rewards good.For it is not by justice but by strength.It always distributes victory to the powerful, allowing them to do whatever they want.Generally speaking, in worldly affairs it always backs up the wrongdoers. Although Calvin was attacked as ruthless, he knew that only one thing could save him, and that was a more ruthless use of force.In history we find again and again the application of laws: whoever resorts to force must go to the end; whoever establishes a reign of terror must use all means.Defiance of Calvin, both at the trial of Servetus and later, only reinforced his conviction that, as a sovereign ruler, brutal repression, relentless intimidation of rivals, and ruthless suppression of any resistance were essential to the consolidation of totalitarianism. the only means of communist power.From the beginning, Calvin paralyzed the Geneva City Council in his zeal to control the vote of the republican minority.In the successive sittings of the group, those Protestants who had taken asylum from France, who were materially and morally dependent on Calvin, were granted the right to vote by granting Geneva citizenship.The city council then acted on Calvin's advice.His followers filled the positions of public office.The republican influence was gradually undermined.Although the old-fashioned Geneva patriots, the democrats who had bled for Geneva's liberties, were quick to sense that the foreigners had been organized, it was too late to feel uneasy.They met in secret to discuss how to save the last remaining bit of independence from Puritan control.The public mood is growing tense.There are frequent street fights between natives and immigrants.Although the injuries caused were not serious, only two people were injured by the stones.

Calvin could only wait for an excuse.He is now in a position to carry out a long-planned coup.These petty spats were magnified into a "dreadful conspiracy" which was said to have been foiled "only by the grace of God."The dictator's repression came one after another.Republican leaders were arrested (who had nothing to do with the riots), confessions were forced until the dictator had the evidence he needed. The "evidence" indicated that his opponents were planning a massacre in which Calvin and his supporters would be killed and foreign troops would enter the city.The "confession" of this so-called conspiracy was obtained through brutal torture. "Collaboration, having been 'proved', the executioner can proceed, and all who oppose Calvin (even in the slightest matter) are put to death. Only those who escape from Geneva are spared. When 'justice' is done At that time, the only political party left in the city was Calvin's private party.

After the cleansing of dissidents in Geneva, Calvin should have rested easy and thus magnanimous.But readers of all histories and biographies since Thucydides, Xenophon, and Polutarch know that the victorious oligarchy is bound to be harsher.The eternal tragedy of despots is that they must continue to frighten independent-minded people even after their opponents have been disarmed and deprived of speech.The continued existence of a crushed adversary is a source of annoyance if a crushed adversary remains silent, yet refuses to be placed among the tyrant's fawns and minions.Now Calvin had eliminated all his political enemies except one.The hatred of the executor of theocracy intensified and concentrated on this one person.This man was Sebastian Castellio.

But it was not easy to launch an effective onslaught against Castellio.Unless tempted to break that discreet silence and speak.Castellio is weary of public quarrels.Humanists of the Erasmus type are seldom enduring fighters.The partisans hunted down the apostates incessantly, and their tricks were to the humanist no more than the baseness of a scholar.After the truth has been shown, humanitarians consider it superfluous to repeat their protests.They are rarely propagandists.In the Servetus case Castellio had spoken freely.He defended the memory of the Spanish martyr as well as he could, and his condemnation of the suppression of morality by violence was more forceful than any other contemporaries.But the timing is against him, and he certainly sees that violence will remain in power indefinitely.He therefore decided to wait until, under more favorable patronage, the struggle between tolerance and intolerance was resumed.He was disappointed but persevering, so he returned to academic research.The University of Basel finally appointed him a professor, and he almost completed what he considered the most important work of his life—translating the Bible into Latin and French.In 1555 and 1556 he wrote no polemics.

But Calvin and the Genevans found out from spies that Castellio continued to spread his humanitarian views at the university and in his close circle of friends.Although his hands were bound, he was still able to speak freely.Those "crusaders" who advocated intolerance noticed that more and more students accepted his irrefutable arguments against the teachings of fatalism. The "Crusaders" couldn't help being very angry.As long as a person is morally superior, he can exert power and influence.Because his essence can spread in infinite space, the spread of his belief is like throwing a stone into a river, causing thousands of ripples.Because Castellio would not yield, he had to be crushed.So a trap was set to lure him back to the battlefield of "heretics".A colleague of his at the university had been scouted out, a man who was willing to be provocative.He wrote a friendly letter in which he implied that his question was purely theological.He asked Castellio to give his opinion on the doctrine of fatalism.Castellio agreed to a public debate, but before he could speak, someone in the audience rose and cursed him as a heretic.Castellio soon realized what was going on.He does not defend himself against falling into the trap of giving blame.He stopped the discussion, and his colleagues at the university did not agree to persecute him further.However, Geneva is still not reconciled.If one plan fails, another plan will be made.Several challenges to open debate followed, which Castellio ignored.Rumors and pamphlets were circulating, trying to force Castellio into a showdown.His enemies mocked his translations of the Bible and accused him of being the author of anonymous libelous letters in which heinous slanders were spread.It was as if at one command, storms against him rose from every corner.

The rampage of fanatics is everywhere.Humanists without prejudice can see this clearly, and there must be someone who intends to harm the body and life of this eminent and pious scholar, who has now been deprived of the right to speak.Vicious persecution also won him a lot of friendly support.Melanchsen, the old-timer of the German Reformation, became a conspicuous supporter of Castellio.Like the earlier Erasmus, Melanchthon is now loathed by those with evil intentions.For these people, the meaning of life is not based on reconciliation but on quarrels.Melanchthon wrote a letter to Sebastian Castellio, saying: "I will not correspond with you in the future because of too much work. Another reason for my silence is that, I am deeply sorry to see how badly I have been misunderstood among those wise and noble friends. Yet my estimate of the style of a masterpiece is always very high. My letter is to express my full Endorse and attest to my sincerest sympathy. I trust that we shall be united in eternal friendship.

"Your just indictment, directed not only at the principal differences of opinion, but also at the barbaric and brutal act. This attack by some on the friend of truth has aggravated my anxiety and troubled me continually. According to the ancient According to legend, giants arose from the blood of the Titans. Meanwhile, the Sophists, who sought to rule courts, families, and mobs, saw the scholars as obstacles to their goals, and they grew from the seed of the monks. But God Knows how to protect what is left of his flock. "We must, like the sages, endure what we cannot change. I have found age to be a reprieve for my pain. I look forward to entering the heavenly kingdom in the not-too-distant future, away from the wrath that so cruelly stirs up the earthly church's wrath. Storm. If I were alive, I would be happy to discuss many things with you. Goodbye." In the above letter to Castellio, Melanchthon hoped that his letter (which soon became the innumerable handwritten copies) would be of help in the protection of Castellio, and did what he could He warned Calvin to stop his frantic persecution of the great scholar.Melanchthon's emphasis on the matter undoubtedly affected the entire humanitarian world, and even some of Calvin's old friends persuaded him to make peace.For example, Francis Baldwin, the eminent scholar and theologian, wrote to Geneva: "Melanchthon is concerned that you are distressed by the persecution of this man. Melanchthon totally disagrees with your fallacies. You should understand this! What is the point of going on and on describing Castellio as Satan II while at the same time honoring Melanchthon as an angel?" It is vain, however, to try to educate or satisfy a fanatic.As oddly (or logically) as possible, Melanchthon's letter had the opposite effect on Calvin.The latter's basic attitude against Castellio was strengthened by Melanchthon's support.Calvin knew that these pacifist scholars were a more dangerous threat to his military dictatorship than Loyola and the Jesuits.Those hostile groups are dogma for dogma, speech for speech, and doctrine for doctrine.What Castellio wanted was freedom.Calvin saw these attacks as attacks on his fundamental principles of personal conduct, attacks on concepts such as unitary authority, and substantive attacks on orthodoxy.In the event of a conflict, the pacifist in the headquarters is more to be feared than the enemy on the open battlefield.Melanchthon's letter increased Castellio's prestige.Because of this, it was Calvin's wish from then on to destroy Castellio utterly.This is a hand-to-hand war. As in the case of Servetus, when the battle turned to extermination, Calvin threw off his shield, Nicolas de Fontaine, and drew his sword.Calvin now intends to deal a crushing blow to Castellio by dismissing his hired Betsy.He no longer considers right and wrong; he no longer cares about the Bible and its interpretation; he no longer cares about truth or falsity.All he wanted was to kill Castellio quickly.But at this time he could not think of a proper reason to attack Castellio, who had withdrawn from the polemics and resumed his studies.Since there is no conclusive evidence, it is necessary to make a club at any rate that is sufficient to smash the wretched Castellio.Calvin seized on a pity that his agents had found an anonymous satirical article in the luggage of a passing merchant.But there is not a shred of evidence to affirm that Castellio was the author of the article.In fact Castellio was not, but since it had been decided that "the Carthaginians must perish"—that is, Castellio must be exterminated—Calvin used the insane and vulgar insult of identifying the author as Carthage. Stelio.Calvin's refutation, "The Fallacy of the Scoundrel," was not a ceremonial discussion of one theologian with another, but a fit of madness.Using the foul language of drunken rotten sailors, he called Castellio a thief, a rascal, and a blasphemer.The University of Basel professor has been accused of stealing firewood in broad daylight.Page after page these savage vignettes grew bawdy, ending with "May God destroy you, Satan!" Calvin's defamatory tract is one of the most famous examples.It can be seen how sectarian rivalries demeaned a distinguished scholar and literary master.That also serves as an admonition to politicians, showing them how foolish they can be when they cannot restrain their feelings.Inspired by this horribly wrong idea, which struck a respectable man, the Senate of the University of Basel was shaken by reason.They rescinded the previous resolution prohibiting the publication of Castellio's works.A university of high European standards cannot tolerate one of their professors being accused of being a thief, a scoundrel and a rascal in front of the humanitarian world.Because obviously, such a condemnation has nothing to do with the discussion of "doctrine", it is just vulgar slander.The council expressly authorized Castellio to make a public rebuttal. Castellio's answer is an admirable example of humanist argument.He is a very generous man.The hatred of his adversary cannot poison his mind, nor can any baseness on the part of his adversary make him base.From the very beginning he showed remarkable poise. "I am not enthusiastic about public discussion. I would very much like to come to a fraternal understanding with you, in the spirit of Christ, without resorting to such rude recriminations, which would certainly damage the prestige of our Church. However, since you My dream of peaceful cooperation with your friends has been shattered. As a Christian, if I still restrain myself with peace of mind and do not respond to your violent attack, it seems that it is not worthy of my duty." Cass Trio goes on to expose the fraudulent nature of Calvin's methods.For Calvin, in the first edition of the Fallacy, avowed Castellio as the author of the above-mentioned anonymous pamphlet.But when it was republished, it turned out that he was definitely wrong.The dictator of Geneva that day withdrew the charges, leaving the matter alone, instead of frankly acknowledging that Castellio had been unfairly condemned.Castellio proved the untruth of what Calvin said: "Yes or no, don't you know that you call me the author of the pamphlet without grounds? Teach me how to say it? Or do you know that It is unfair, and you accuse, in which case you are deceitful; or if you still fail to ascertain, then your accusation is made lightly. In either case, your conduct is despicable. For every argument of yours is false. I neither wrote the pamphlet nor sent it to Paris to be printed. If its spread is a crime of crime, the crime is yours, for the The pamphlet then became widely known through you." Having exposed the frivolity of Calvin's excuses for attacking him, Castellio turns to laughing at the rudeness of the attack. "You have a store of diatribes at your disposal, and when you say what's on your mind, you slip away. In your Latin slurs, you call me a blasphemer, a slander a savage, a heinous man, a barking dog, a ignorant, savage wretch, a godless falsifier, a fool who mocks God, a shameless man, a dirty dog, a rascal and a bad populace. You call me a villain eight times (I think you mean at least in connection with the word "bump"), and all you speak, is this vicious language." It takes up two full pages in print , you have chosen a title for your book called The Ruffian's Fallacy.Its last sentence is: "May God destroy you, Satan!" From the title to the conclusion, the whole article is written in the same style.Although the author of the article has a good reputation for being inspired by the apostolic zeal and the good heart of Christ.If your followers catch that atmosphere, if it proves that your followers are like their masters, then may evil be upon those you lead.But these abuses cannot hurt me one iota... One day truth will prevail and you, Calvin, will be compelled to explain to God how you abused others in order to save them and save yourself.Christ is dead, and you may not be ashamed.You do not remember the words of Jesus himself: "Whoever is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment, and whoever calls his brother Raca shall be subject to the judgment of the Sanhedrin." A sense of utter purity set Castellio in high spirits.He continued calmly to defend himself against Calvin's most serious accusation, that Castellio had stolen firewood at Basle.He wrote, not without sarcasm: "If I had done it, it would of course be a serious offense. But defamation is an equally serious crime. Let's assume for a moment that the accusation is true, and that I did steal the lumber because According to your teachings, I am destined to do that. Why do you go so far as to abuse me for that? Shouldn't you pity me if it is God's destiny that I should not steal? If that is the case If so, why do you let the shouts and condemnations go up to the sky? Is it to prevent me from stealing again? If it is because God destined me to be a thief, then your masterpiece is not to blame me, because I I was forced to do it. According to you, I couldn't restrain myself from stealing. Thinking carefully, it elevates my status." Having thus mocked Calvin's absurd accusation, Castellio went on to explain how flimsy the basis of that accusation was.When the Rhine River swelled, he and hundreds of other people took iron hooks to drag up the floating logs in the river.Not only did the law allow the personalization of driftwood and what was found on the river, but the city authorities specifically asked the citizens of Basel to fish it, since the river was flooded and the driftwood was a danger to the bridges.Castellio was able to prove that the municipality of Basel had paid him and some other "thieves" a "substantial sum of money" for "theft".After reading this rebuttal, even the zealots in Geneva no longer want to repeat this absurd slander.It was not Castellio who was disgraced by slander, but Calvin. Lies, and misinterpretations of the matter could not save Calvin's face.The dictator is eager to use his power to remove a political enemy.He did not care, as he did in the case of Servetus, to falsify the truth by dishonest means.Castellio's quality is immaculate.He wrote to Calvin: "Let the judges do as they please. I am not afraid to listen to any man who judges without prejudice or hatred. Those who have known me since childhood know I have often been in poverty, and many people can testify to it. Must I find witnesses? Don't you know my past life? There is no doubt about my integrity. Your student We ought to know. That is the way it is, and the only accusation that can be brought against me is that my teachings do not accord with yours. Therefore, I must be wrong. But how dare you spread such vicious reports of me Go out, and connect the matter with an appeal to the name of God? Call God to testify against charges that you are all motivated by hatred and anger, Calvin, don't you see how dreadful it is? "I, too, may appeal to God. For you have appealed to him to support your frivolous charges against me. I appeal to him, because you have unjustly condemned me. If I have lied and you have told the truth, then I pray that God will punish me according to the extent of my sin. At the same time I ask my fellow man to take away my life and honor. If I tell the truth and you are a false accuser, I pray God to protect me from falling into my A trap set by the enemy. I also pray that he will give you a chance to repent before you die, so that the crime you have committed will not endanger the salvation of your soul." How different the tone is from Calvin's.Here is a stark set of contrasts: the tone of a free-spirited, unbiased man versus that of a man of full self-confidence; The contrast between a man who holds his own right to his own opinion and has nothing to do with the world, and an authoritarian who is overconfident, never restless, until the whole world says yes to him.The man with a clean conscience speaks with moderation, while the fanatic spouts threats and hate.Once the heart is covered by the dark cloud of hatred, it will be dark.True spiritual deeds cannot be accomplished by fanatics, deeds are only at the beck and call of the silent, calm, self-controlled, and moderate. Partisans, however, are never concerned with fairness but only with victory.They never want to give in to another point of view, they stick only to their own.As soon as Castellio's objection appeared; the attack on him resumed.Indeed, the personal attacks on Castellio as a "dog" and "beast" and the absurd nonsense of stealing wood were quietly withdrawn, and even Calvin dared not continue to repeat the same old tune.The attack quickly turned to theological positions.The Genevans run the printing presses again.Theodore de Betsy does it again.He is more faithful to his master than to the truth.In the official Geneva Bible (1558) he arranges it so viciously in the preface against Castellio that he himself reads like a blasphemer.Betsy wrote: "Satan, our old enemy has realized that the advancement of God's will cannot be hindered as much as it has been before, and has used more dangerous methods. For a long time, there has been no French translation of the Bible, or at least none that matches the name. Translations of . Now Satan has found as many translators as Frivolous Minds. He may find many more, unless God stops them in time. If the reader wants me to give an example, let me bring up Sebastian Ka Stellio, translate the Bible into Latin and French. The name of Castellio, because of his ingratitude and impudence, and because of the troubles he caused in vain attempts to lead him into the right path, is in our Church. is well known. We therefore consider it our duty of conscience to break the hitherto silence and warn all Christians against this man, the chosen people of Satan." It is difficult to condemn a scholar as a heretic in more definite terms.But Castellio, "Satan's chosen people," need not remain silent any longer, and thanks to the encouragement of Melanchthon's letter, the university senate has restored the persecuted man's right to free speech.Castellio's answer to Da Betsy was very profound, one could say, almost mystical and tragic.He can only feel sorry for the man who professes his devotion to spiritual matters, but who actually succumbs to uncontrolled hatred.He knew that Calvinists did not want to spread the truth, but only to maintain a monopoly on their own doctrine.They will not rest easy until he (Castellio) is cleared from the road, as they had previously cleared their theological and political opponents.As for Castellio, he refused to descend into such an abyss of hatred.He wrote prophetically: "You are inciting the authorities to plot my death. If your book had not made your intentions clear to all who read it, I would never have dared to make this assertion, even if I had already read it." Just knowing your intentions. You know, once I'm dead, it's impossible for me to answer you. You feel that my continued existence is a nightmare, because you see that the authorities will not agree, not even under your pressure. You have made me universally hated and distrusted in the eyes of the world." Although Castellio was sure that his enemies were plotting his life, he was content to appeal to their consciences.He said to those professed servants of Christ: "Tell me, where can you prove that your attitude towards me is due to Jesus' request? Even when Judas delivered Jesus to the faithful followers of the authorities, he did it with kindness. spoke to his hypocritical followers, and on the cross he prayed for those who put him to death. But what do you stand for? For I differ from you in certain doctrines and in various opinions, and you persecuting me everywhere and encouraging others to treat me as viciously as yourselves. It must be very painful in your heart. You know that your actions will be completely condemned by him. For example, 'He who hates his brother is a murderer ', these are simple truths, which are contained in the Bible, and which are readily understood by anyone whose minds are not influenced by theological perversions, when they consult the religious scriptures. If it’s beautifully written, why not apply the same teachings in everyday life?” Castellio knew that da Betsy was only a horse ahead.Calvin is both a tyrant in the moral realm and a tyrant in the real world, the source of the murderous hatred of Castellio and the clamor to destroy him.Castellio therefore bypassed Betsy and wrote directly to Calvin. "You call yourself a Christian; you appeal to the Gospel; you take the stand of God's will; you boast that your mind is devoted to the fulfillment of God's will. You are confident of mastering the truths of the Gospel, but if you are going to educate others, why Without educating yourself first? How dare you continue to perjure your own writings while yelling at those who perjure them from the pulpit? Obviously, you intend to destroy my self-esteem. You are arrogant and confident, so good It's like you're sitting right next to God, and He's telling you all the secrets of His heart. Reflect before it's too late. Try, if possible, and doubt your own perfection. Then you'll be Can see what many others can see. Get rid of your self-destructive ego; get rid of your hatred for so many people, especially for me. Let us compete with each other out of good intentions, so that you It will be found that the statement that I am impious is no more true than that you have chosen me to be guilty of dishonor. Bear with us a little disagreement with you concerning doctrine. Two pious men, in Is it not possible that there may be differences of opinion, but the same heart?" Is there really such a person who is attacked by dogmatists and fanatics and who answers in a more humane and conciliatory spirit?This is not just rhetoric, Castellio himself is a living example in the struggle against the imposition of him.He does not return contempt for contempt; hatred for hatred."I know that if I filed as many charges against you as you have, I would not have a country to flee to," he wrote, before attempting to reopen the debate.He believes that this is just a debate that often occurs among scholars.Although his opponents are sharpening their knives and intending to kill him, he once again extends the hand of reconciliation and friendship. "For the love of Christ, I beg you to respect my freedom and stop trying to overwhelm me with false accusations. Let me keep my own beliefs from being suppressed, and I fully agree with you keeping yours. Stop thinking Anyone who disagrees with you must be wrong and should be burned for heresy... When I see so many devout people interpreting the Bible differently from you, it makes me more loyal to Christ Be firm. Surely one of us is wrong, but that doesn't stop us from loving each other. One day the Lord will lead the lost lamb to the right path. Of course we both know (or must know) ) is a duty to Christian fraternity. Let us practice this, and by practice shut our hostile mouths. You believe your views to be right; others believe theirs to be right. All right , let the wisest among us show that they are the friendliest! Let us not be arrogant because we are wise! God knows all. We must remember: God 'made the noble to be low and the lowly to be noble'. "As I write these words, my heart longs for love. I offer you love and a Christian reconciliation. I appeal to you to show me love. God and the Holy Spirit, I do so from the heart of. “如果你无视我所能做的，继续用你发自内心的仇恨攻击我；如果我不能说服你象一个基督教徒爱他弟兄那样爱我，我只能保持沉默了。愿上帝作我们的法官，在你我之间，按照我们为他服务忠诚的程度来作出判决吧！” 那样动人心弦的呼吁竟会毫无结果，这简直令人难以相信。但我们道德性质方面的矛盾之一是：理论家被禁锢在一个狭窄的概念中，对其他概念一概视而不见。因此象这样的呼吁，虽然十分人道，但不能为其所动。思想上的偏见必然导致行动上的不公正。当个人或一个国家成为眼光狭小的、狂热主义者的捕获物时，就没有互相了解和宽容的余地了。加尔文对卡斯特利奥动人的呼吁无动于衷。那不过是一个人急于求和的呼吁，并非公开宣讲，并非争论，也不想把他个人的观点强加于他人。那虔诚的日内瓦牧师驳回了这“魔鬼”要求基督教徒式和解的呼吁。他所做的是开始给卡斯特利奥身上刺上新的魔鬼的花纹，轻蔑和煽动的毒气加强了。为了使卡斯特利奥蒙受嫌疑，或者至少成为笑柄，加尔文编造了新的谎言。这可能是加尔文所发动的攻击中最背信弃义的。尽管当时在日内瓦看戏是有罪的，但在日内瓦神学院中加尔文的信徒们却上演了一出“虔诚”的学校喜剧。剧中的德·帕服·卡斯特罗很显然就是卡斯特利奥的影射，他作为撒旦的主要仆人出场，在剧中要他说： “对于我，不过是一个为任何人服务的人。 为了钱，干什么都一样。 因此，我看不到别的事物……”这是歪曲的诽谤。一个终身在使徒般贫穷中度过、靠卖文为生的人，一个宗教宽容的辩护士竟是一个为罗马教皇服务的职业煽动家。这样的言论是经过日内瓦的领袖们批准，不，是得到他们鼓励的。加尔文主义者的积怨深仇，旷时日久，使他们无法再辨别真理和诽谤。他们所关心的只是禠夺卡斯特利奥在巴塞尔教授的席位，亲眼看到他的著作被烧掉，如其可能，连同他本人一起烧掉。 这些心怀仇恨的人交上了好运；一次，在日内瓦进行的例行性的、挨家挨户“访问”中，发现有两个自由市民正在研究一本书，书上没有加尔文的出版许可。扉页或末页没有作者的名字，也没有出版地点。这本文艺小品《悲痛地向法兰西忠告》散发着异端的气息。这两个人立即被带到宗教法庭；由于害怕拶刑和拉肢刑，他们很快就承认这本书是卡斯特利奥的一个侄子借给他们的。猎手们立即跟踪上这新的足迹，希望最后把困兽驱入绝境。 这本书之“邪恶是因为塞进了错误”，它正是卡斯特利奥的新作。他已重犯旧的“错误”。看来，伊拉兹马斯式愿望已经无可药救了，竟然祈求在怒气冲冲的教会内部和平解决争端。当时，在他热爱的法国，宗教迫害已开始取得血腥的收获。他不能再沉默下去了。新教徒在日内瓦人的煽动之下，拿起武器反抗天主教徒。好象卡斯特利奥能预见圣·巴塞隆美日的大屠杀和胡格诺战争的恐怖一样，在那危急时刻，他觉得自己是迫不得已说明那样的血洗是无益的。他解释说，没有一种教义，或其他种教义的本身是错误的，但是试图强迫一个人去信仰他所不信的，才是不变的虚伪和犯罪，地球上所有的邪恶，都源于这“违心的迫使”。心地狭窄、嗜血成性的狂徒们试图继续不断地压制良心。然而，正象卡斯特利奥接着表明的那样，试图强迫一个人公开声明接受一种他所反对的信仰，不但是不道德和不合法的，而且也是愚蠢和荒谬的。象这样的拉伕入伍成军来支持一种哲学或者一种信念，只能罗致一批伪君子而已。拶刑、拉肢刑或任何高压，只能建成一个有名无实凑满人数的党派。依靠算术上弄虚作假的代价来获得改变宗教信仰者，只能使得真正的信徒和外界同样地被骗罢了。卡斯特利奥的话是放之四海而皆准的：“那些希望最大可能地赢得那些游移不定的支持者的人，很象是一个笨人。他有一个大酒桶但只有很少的酒，为了有更多的酒，他把桶装满了水。结果，酒没有增加，反而把笨人原有的好酒给糟蹋了。那些认为被迫立誓信奉某种宗教的人，真的象他们宣称那样已经信奉了那宗教的观点，这是荒谬的。因为，如果让他们自行选择的话，他们会说：'我真诚地相信你们是不公正和暴虐的，而你们强迫我立誓信奉的却是虚假的。'坏酒不能靠强迫别人喝它而变好。” 因此，卡斯特利奥有力地、一次又一次地重申了他的信心：宗教的不宽容将不可避免地导致战争，只有通过宽容才能实现和平。一种哲学或一种宗教不能依靠拶刑、战斧和大炮去建立，只能依靠影响别人，使他们不受强迫地去接受一种信念；只有依靠真正的了解，才能避免战争并把思想连结在一起。因此，让我们任凭那些愿意成为新教徒的成为新教徒吧；那些确实愿意成为天主教徒的继续当天主教徒吧。既不强迫这部分人，也不强迫那部分人。在南特，在无数毫无意义的牺牲者的墓上，敌对教义的双方达成了协议。而在之前的一代，一位寂寞而痛苦的人道主义者，却预示了南特法令的诞生。那法令使法国建立了宗教宽容。“法兰西，我对您的忠告是，停止强制、迫害和杀害良心吧，代之以让每一个信仰基督的人自行其是。” 在日内瓦，建议法国天主教和新教和解，不必说是视为滔天罪行的。其时，加尔文秘密地煽动法国的胡格诺派教徒拿起武器。没有比加尔文侵略成性的基督教会政策和卡斯特利奥的人道主义与和平建议更不协调的了。独裁者收紧了所有的线，以确保压制卡斯特利奥的《忠告》。信使很快地被派遣到界内各点，捎去给各新教当权者的忠告信。加尔文的组织是如此的有力，以致于在一五六三年改革教会的宗教大会通过一项这样的决议：“教会特通报卡斯特利奥所著一本名为《悲痛地向法兰西忠告》的书业已出版，此书危险绝顶，兹警告信徒们对此书警惕勿懈。” 狂热分子在卡斯特利奥的“危险”著作没有流通之前，再一次成功地把它扼杀了。是的，书是被扼杀了，但是作者，这位沉着、坚定、反教义、反教条主义的哲学家，又该怎么对付呢？一定要结果他。不准他说话是不够的，一定要破坏对他的支持。西奥多·德·贝齐又一次应召使用绞索。他把《对塞巴斯蒂安·卡斯特利奥辩护和非难的回答》一文奉献（虽然仅此一奉献）给巴塞尔的牧师们，说明该采取什么步骤来对付卡斯特利奥。贝齐暗示说：“时候到了，时机成熟了。宗教的正义将要对付这个异端和异端们的朋友”，这位虔诚的神学家使用了大量诽谤性的语言，嘲骂卡斯特利奥为说谎者、渎神者、邪恶的再洗礼者、神圣教义的亵渎者、卑鄙的拍马者、不仅是所有异端的保护人而且也是一切通奸犯和罪犯的保护人。最后，他被诬蔑为刺客，他防身的武器是在撤旦铁工场中锻造的。说真的，贝齐一怒之下骂出来的话竟如此语无伦次，以致许多恶谥彼此对消了。但是从这火山喷发的激动中，清楚地暴露出要一举取消卡斯特利奥发言权的决心，如有可能，结果他的性命。 狂热分子已经清楚地暴露了他们打算把卡斯特利奥作为异端押上审判庭。控告无耻地、不带一块遮羞布地公开了。一纸要求送到巴塞尔的宗教会议，要地方当局立即行动起来。卡斯特利奥将作为公敌而加以逮捕。但不幸的是出了一点小障碍，使得罪恶企图未能立即付诸实现。根据巴塞尔的法律，如没有人向当局递交一份书面的起诉书，检察便不能开始。仅仅因为一本书持有不同的意见，还不足以构成检察的理由。显然，在这情况下，正常的程序是加尔文和德.贝齐向卡斯特利奥提出控告。但加尔文遵照他业经反复试验、被证明为有效的战术，宁愿留在幕后，而怂恿别人去承担责任。在维也纳和日内瓦对付塞维特斯所用过的方法，将是最合适的。一五六三年十一月，贝齐的书刚出版，就有一个全然没有资格、名叫亚当.冯.博登斯丁的人，以异端为借口，向巴塞尔当局用书面控告卡斯特利奥。可以断言，这个亚当·冯·博登斯丁，是最不适于扮演保卫正教的角色的人了。他是臭名昭彰的卡尔斯塔达的儿子。路德把他当作一个危险的狂热分子, 把他从维滕贝格大学开除出来。此外，他又是确定无误的反宗教分子帕拉塞尔苏斯的学生。要他装腔作势地充当新教教会的栋梁，那是荒谬绝伦的。博登斯丁的起诉书不过重复了德·贝齐书上混乱的论点。在起诉书上，卡斯特利奥被形容为：一个罗马天主教徒、一个再洗礼者、一个自由思想者、一个渎神者，再加上一个通奸犯和罪犯的保护人。不管控告是真是假，这一书面的控诉（这文件迄今未逸失），已符合了法律上的要求。现在巴塞尔当局没有其他的选择，只好开始立案检察。加尔文及其同党达到了他们的目的，卡斯特利奥必须低头悔罪了。 卡斯特利奥就上述控告为自己进行辩护是很容易的吗？博登斯丁的热心过了头，他控告卡斯特利奥的罪状竟是矛盾百出，其荒谬是很明显的。何况在巴塞尔，每个人都知道卡斯特利奥为人无可指责。结果被告不是象塞维特斯那样，立即被逮捕、锁上链、坐进牢、被粗暴地对待，而是作为一个大学教授，应传到评议会对指控进行答辩。 他宣称（事实如此）原告博登斯丁是一个被利用的稻草人。他坚持加尔文和德·贝齐是这一控告的真正教唆者，必须亲自出庭。“由于他们如此恶毒地攻击我，我真诚地请求你们给我为自己辩护的机会。如果加尔文和德·贝齐行为诚实，让他们出庭来证明他们控告我所犯的罪行吧。如果他们相信自己做对了，就没有理由害怕巴塞尔的法庭。因为，他们轻而易举地就在整个世界面前攻击了我……我知道，我的原告人是有权有势的，但上帝同样是非凡的，他对人审判不因人的地位而异。我知道自己是一个无名之辈，地位低微，比较不为人知。但上帝注视着低微者，如果低微者的鲜血因不公正而流出，他会要求赎罪的。我承认法庭的裁判权。我宣告，如果我犯了任何一条被控的罪行，我当用头颅作抵。” 面对如此坦率的要求，加尔文和贝齐不愿照办。他们不出席巴塞尔大学的评议会。看来这恶毒的控告将归于失败了。但卡斯特利奥的敌人们却突然得到意外帮助。出现了一些事情灾难性地支持了怀疑别人是异端的人，他们认为将卡斯特利奥与异教徒联系起来对己有利。一件怪事被揭发了。有一个富有的外国人，表面上出身贵族，在巴塞尔行政区宾宁根的别墅住了二十多年。人们都知道他是琼·达·布鲁格斯。他在资产阶级圈子里深受敬爱。他死于一五五六年，巴塞尔人倾城出动参加了大规模的葬礼。灵柩安放在圣·伦纳德大教堂的地下室。很多年过去了，一个几乎不可信的消息开始流传。它断言这卓越的外国人不是贵族或商人，而是一个不名誉和被剥夺了公民权的大异端，《奇书》一书的作者大卫·乔里斯。当屠杀再洗礼教徒时，他神秘地从佛兰德失踪了。当巴塞尔人听到，他们在此人生前死后都给予如此殊荣的，却是一个真正信仰的敌人！在大为羞愧之余，为赎回他们对骗子的好客和信任，当局庄严地审判了那早已死去的罪犯。异端的尸体被挖掘，腐烂的碎片在广场的断头台上悬挂了几天。之后，连同一大批异端著作，在巴塞尔市场焚烧了。数千观众目击了那可厌的场面。在这中间，当然有卡斯特利奥，他和大学里其他的教授们并肩站在一起。试想象一下他的感受吧。大卫.乔里斯在流亡巴塞尔期间，同卡斯特利奥结成了亲密的友谊。他们曾共同携手，试图救助塞维特斯。看来乔里斯是马蒂纳斯.贝利奥《论异端》匿名作者的一员。这一点多半已可肯定，卡斯特利奥从来不曾相信过那宾宁根别墅的居民会是普通的商人，象那流亡者自称的那样。他必定从一开始就知道自称是琼·德·布鲁格斯的真姓实名。无论如何，在实际生活中和在著作中都表现出宽容的卡斯特利奥是永远不会扮演告密者角色的，也不会拒绝向一个人伸出友谊之手，虽然乔里斯已被全世界的教会和地方当局所驱逐。 卡斯特利奥和那最臭名昭彰的再洗礼教徒可疑关系的被揭露，在一个不适当的时候支持了加尔文主义者的告发。很明显，卡斯特利奥事实上是某个大异端教徒的保护人和恩主，那么为什么他不会是所有异端的保护人呢？祸不单行，与此同时有人提出证明，说卡斯特利奥同另一邪恶的异端伯纳迪诺·奥基诺过从密切。此人一度是天主教方济各会的修士和卡浦金斯的代理主教，因布道而在全意大利享有声誉。奥基诺被宗教法庭革出教门，亡命瑞士。但即使在那儿，在他成为改革教会的牧师以后，也因其观点的进步性质而引起了惊诧。特别是他最后的一本书《三十次对话》包括了对《圣经》的一种解释，是在新教徒世界被当作为渎神的。因为伯纳迪诺·奥基诺引用了摩西律，认为多妻制（虽然他还不敢建议）在理论上是可以接受的，而且《圣经》是认可的。 这一本书是卡斯特利奥从意大利文译为拉丁文的。它采纳了上述诽谤性的论点，表达了其它许多正统教会认为是不能容认的观点。这异端论文是以拉丁文形式付印的，因此，卡斯特利奥无疑要对扩散那最“可憎”的观点负责。对奥基诺已经提出了诉讼，在当前的情况下，翻译者自然而然地被当作是同伙，该受到与那意大利作者同样的谴责。就这样，加尔文和德·贝齐不间断地含糊地指出，卡斯特利奥是最危险异端的中心。这一断言，因卡斯特利奥和大卫·乔里斯、伯纳迪诺，奥基诺亲密关系的被揭露而被大为肯定。不能再指望巴塞尔大学会继续对这样的人伸出保护之手。卡斯特利奥的案件在审判开始前就已经输掉。 一个提倡宗教宽容的新教徒，能指望从当时主张不宽容的人那里得到什么呢？卡斯特利奥从他的朋友伯纳迪诺·奥基诺的下场想必该知道了——虽则后者直到卡斯特利奥去世，他的罪还没有受够。奥基诺一度是从意大利到苏黎世避难的牧师。他被苏黎世驱逐出境，当局甚至不同意他延期的恳求。他已七十六岁，贫困，新近丧妻，但没有人怜悯他的不幸。虔诚的神学家们乐意让他携带着他无辜的孩子们重新流亡。时值隆冬，山路积雪。他的敌手们认为情况越坏越好。如果那不幸的老人死于路边，他们会感到高兴。喔，他总得在世界的什么角落找一个栖身之所。那些放逐他的狂徒们决定在路上设置种种困难，免得好心人过份向他和他的孩子们供应温暖和庇护所。他们赶在他前头写信，警告那些好心的基督教徒，要将这样一个不幸的人拒之门外。他一定要受到象麻疯病患者那样的待遇。年老的学者象一个乞丐似的离开瑞士。在雪中挣扎上路。夜宿厩棚。他掉头向北，横穿德国到纽伦堡。那里的新教徒们也对他进行了警告，但允许他住一段时间。他最后的希望是能在波兰找到一些好心人，能给他和他的孩子们以生计和庇护所。但即在波兰，不宽容分子对他也太过份了。他逃到摩拉维亚，在一五六四和一五六五年之交，在赤贫中死去。他象乞丐一样被埋葬在一个被遗忘的坟地里。 卡斯特利奥开始知道他的朋友奥基诺所遭受的长期苦难中的较早一段，他知道自己也可能会有同样的下场。他将作为异端而被审讯。他本人唯一的罪行是太仁慈。在如此普遍不人道的时代里，他不能期望人道，又不能期待同情。塞维特斯的保护人也有可能遭到塞维特斯同样的命运。十六世纪的不宽容已把扼杀者的手卡在最危险的人——主张宽容的使徒的喉咙上了。 但是，很幸运，那些狂徒们所盼望的至高无上的胜利——亲眼看到塞巴斯蒂安·卡斯特利奥在监狱里，在流放中或在火刑柱上毁灭，却未偿所愿。死亡把卡斯特利奥从残酷的敌人手中拯救了出来。由于长期过劳他强健的体格被损坏了。他已无力去抵抗那么多的忧患，那么大的激动了。一直到最后，他勇敢地，虽然是徒劳地作战着——在大学里，在书斋里，他一直继续斗争。最后他被迫卧床。他得了不能控制的呕吐症，直到他负荷过重的心脏停止跳动为止。一五六三年十二月二十九日，塞巴斯蒂安·卡斯特利奥逝世，卒年四十八岁。诚如一个同情他的朋友在一切都过去以后所说的那样：“靠上帝赐助，把他侥幸地从敌人的魔爪下夺了回来。” 他的死结束了那场诽谤的战役。他的同胞们最后终于认识到，在保卫巴塞尔市最高尚的人方面，他们是何等的不热情，但一切都为时已晚了。他财产之少说明了这伟大的学者是何等的贫穷，屋子里没有留下一小块银器碎片。他的朋友们得提供丧葬费，代他还清零星债务，扶养他的孩子们。就象作为无耻的异端控告一事的补偿那样，卡斯特利奥的葬礼是道德的胜利。在他被控告为异端以后，那些胆怯地避之唯恐不迭的人，现在急于要表明他们是何等爱他和尊敬他。葬礼中灵车后面紧跟着大学里所有的成员，灵枢由学生们扛到教堂，葬在地下室。三百个学生捐款立了一块墓碑，上面镌了这样的铭词： “献给我们著名的导师，感谢他渊博的知识和纪念他纯洁的一生。”