# John Calvin the...Homosexual? - UPDATE



## bookslover (Nov 17, 2012)

This is an update to a thread that is currently closed.

The question was whether there was evidence that Calvin was convicted of engaging in homosexual activity as a young man. The original thread petered out before the question could be answered.

I posed the question to Dr. R. Scott Clark of Westminster Seminary California. He poked around a bit, research-wise, and found the answer. It turns out that there was a Roman Catholic priest in Noyon (Calvin's home town) who had the same name - Jean Cauvin - who was the person with the gay issues. Hence, the confusion.

Two guys in a small town with the same name who weren't related? How many times could THAT happen?


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## arapahoepark (Nov 17, 2012)

bookslover said:


> This is an update to a thread that is currently closed.
> 
> The question was whether there was evidence that Calvin was convicted of engaging in homosexual activity as a young man. The original thread petered out before the question could be answered.
> 
> ...



HAHA really? The priests had problems back then too?


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## Rufus (Nov 17, 2012)

It was me that first brought that up. I am a bit flattered that Dr. R. Scott Clark did all that research over an accusation made by a Roman Catholic in a Facebook group many months ago. I know that Dr. Clark posts here occasionally, and would like to know if he could provide any documentation on the matter? 

Grace and Peace,

S.D. Porterfield


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## Bill The Baptist (Nov 18, 2012)

Yes and Jesus had a wife and two kids and moved to Jersey to get away from all the haters. At least liberals could come up with something original instead of this old microwaved garbage.


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## bookslover (Nov 18, 2012)

Bill The Baptist said:


> Yes and Jesus had a wife and two kids and moved to Jersey to get away from all the haters. At least liberals could come up with something original instead of this old microwaved garbage.



Hard to believe there are no haters in New Jersey...


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## DMcFadden (Nov 18, 2012)

It was a standard trope of Catholic apologetics to blame Calvin for everything imaginable. This use of the other John Calvin in early biographical attacks on Calvinism was pioneered by the disgruntled Bolsec.

In Alister McGrath's biography of Calvin, he states,



> "... Jerome Bolsec, with whom Calvin crossed swords in 1551... published his Vie de Calvin at Lyons in June 1577. Calvin, according to Bolsec, was irredeemably tedious and malicious, bloodthirsty and frustrated. He treated his own words as if they were the word of God, and allowed himself to be worshipped as God. In addition to frequently falling victim to his homosexual tendencies, he had a habit of indulging himself sexually with any female within walking distance. According to Bolsec, Calvin resigned his benefices at Noyon on account of the public exposure of his homosexual activities. Bolsec's biography makes much more interesting reading than those of Theodore Beza and Nicolas Colladon; nevertheless, his work rests largely upon unsubstantiated anonymous oral reports deriving from 'trustworthy individuals' (personnes digne de foy), which modern scholarship has found of questionable merit."


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## Peairtach (Nov 18, 2012)

bookslover said:


> This is an update to a thread that is currently closed.
> 
> The question was whether there was evidence that Calvin was convicted of engaging in homosexual activity as a young man. The original thread petered out before the question could be answered.
> 
> ...



What a relief! For a moment there, I thought you were going to say......

*Dennis*


> He treated his own words as if they were the word of God, and allowed himself to be worshipped as God.



Sounds like the Man of Sin.


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## R. Scott Clark (Nov 20, 2012)

Here's the HB post to which Richard refers.


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## Rufus (Nov 20, 2012)

R. Scott Clark said:


> Here's the HB post to which Richard refers.



Thanks Dr. Clark.


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## Jerusalem Blade (Nov 20, 2012)

Thanks for your research on this, Scott!


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