The Lord’s Gifts to Human Nature

God’s Spirit, and Calvin even contends that neglecting these gifts ought to incur punishment from God. He states,

We ought not forget those most excellent benefits of the divine Spirit, which he distributes to whomever he wills, for the common good of mankind…But if the Lord has willed that we be helped in physics, dialectic, mathematics, and other like disciplines, by the work and ministry of the ungodly, let us use this assistance. For if we neglect God’s gift freely offered in the arts, we ought to suffer just punishment for our sloths. 26

The arts are gifts given by God for the sake of mankind’s common good. 27 Therefore, the arts should be studied diligently and utilized for the Creator’s glory. It is clear that for Calvin, there exists both truth and error in the ancient writers who are studied in the liberal arts. Any truth found there is true by virtue of God’s common grace, but any error found is simply a result of the depravity of man. In Calvin’s theology, anything that is true is true only because it comes from the Spirit of God, which he calls “the sole fountain of truth.” 28 Calvin asks rhetorically,

Shall we deny that the truth shone upon the ancient jurists who established civic order and discipline with such great equity? Shall we say that the philosophers were blind

26 Ibid.

27 On this point, McCormick helpfully quotes Calvin’s commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:17, “As for those arts, then, that have nothing of superstition but contain solid learning and are founded on just principles, as they are useful and suited to the common transactions of human life, so there can be no doubt that they have come forth from the Holy Spirit; and the advantage which is derived and experienced from then ought to be ascribed exclusively to God.”

James

Edward McGoldrick,

“John Calvin—Erudite Educator.” Mid-America Journal of Theology 21, no. 1 (2010): 127.

28 John Calvin, Institutes , 2.2.15.

in their fine observation and artful description of nature? Shall we say that those men were devoid of understanding who conceived the art of disputation and taught us to speak reasonably? Shall we say that they are insane who developed medicine, devoting their labor to our benefit? What shall we say of the mathematical sciences? Shall we consider them the ravings of madmen? No, we cannot read the writings of the ancients on these subjects without great admiration. 29

The truth that shines through in the liberal arts is rooted in God Himself, and that truth comes through divine inspiration. 30 Thus, where truth is found in the arts there is great value in studying them. But what of the error? Speaking of the philosophers again, Calvin exclaims, “Although they may chance to sprinkle their books with droplets of truth, how many monstrous lies defile them!” 31 Therefore, Calvin exhorts his reader to use the arts wisely. With the Word of God as his guide, the student must learn to embrace the truth found in the arts, but to discern and reject the error in light of the Scriptures.

The Foundation of the Liberal Arts at the Academy of Geneva

Calvin’s theological approach to the liberal arts was embodied in the curriculum of the Academy of Geneva. Prior to launching the Academy, Calvin articulated his intentions in regards to establishing a school in Geneva in his Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 1541. The Ordinances state,

Because it is only possible to profit from such teaching [in sound doctrine] if one is first instructed in languages and humanities, and also because it is necessary to lay the foundations for the future…a college should be instituted for instructing children to prepare them for the ministry as well as for civil government. 32

Here, Calvin makes clear the reason for which languages and humanities must be studied. The reason is twofold: the study of the humanities lays the proper foundation upon which later theological study can occur, and the study of the humanities provides a foundation for the future of the community. This twofold reason is also demonstrated in the vocations outlined as the goal of education in the Ordinances; Calvin wanted to create a school that would equip future ministers and future civil magistrates.

With this method and end of education as the guiding objective of the Academy of Geneva, two parts of the school were established. The lower school, called the schola privata or college, focused on religious education, language learning, and the liberal arts. The schola publica primarily served as the theological training center for future ministers. The guiding document of the Academy was the Order of the College of Geneva , which was written in 1559 accompanying the commencement of the Academy. The Order outlined the program, curriculum, and rules of the Academy of Geneva. It provides a helpful insight into the practices and pedagogy enacted at the influential institution.

In terms of religious education, the Schola Privata made use of a daily catechism, as well as the recitation of the school’s confession of faith, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer. 33 In addition, students were to practice singing psalms one hour every day for the sake of preparing them for corporate worship. This training served as the primary method of musical education in the program, and its importance to the Academy was demonstrated by the fact that the singing was to occur for a significant portion of each day. 34 Beyond the religious education of the students, the arts were heavily emphasized.

In the lowest class, the seventh class, the students studied the Latin and French alphabets and began writing. 35 In the sixth class, students continued their study of the Latin and French languages. The fifth class was also marked by language study, accompanied by the Bucolics of Virgil. In the fourth class, students were introduced to a variety of classical authors including the Letters of Cicero, Elegies of Ovid, De Tristibus, and De Ponto. In addition, the fourth class began the study of the Greek language. The third class continued this language study, and the works of De Amicitia , De Senectute, Virgil’s Aeneid , the Commentaries of Caesar, and the Hortatory Speeches of Isocrates were to be studied. In the second class, students studied history in Latin through the work of Titus Livius, as well as in Greek through the works of Xenophon,

33 The Order of the College of Geneva is found as the appendix to W. Stanford Reid, “Calvin And The Founding Of The Academy Of Geneva,” 22–33.

34 Jacob Hoogstra, John Calvin, Contemporary Prophet , 200.

35 See note 33.