THE SWISS COUNCILS AND CHURCHES ARE ADDRESSED BY THE COUNCIL OF GENEVA.
From the duel as heretofore carried on between Calvin, backed by
the Ministers of Geneva, and Servetus, seconded by Christ alone, as
he said, the process was now to be widened in its scope and debated
between the solitary stranger and the Reformation at large, or so
much of it at least as was represented by the Protestant Churches of
Berne, Basle, Zürich, and Schaffhausen. As many as four copies of the
writings that had passed between the prosecution and the prisoner had,
therefore, to be made, and for this a couple of days were required;
so that it was not until after the third week of September that the
messenger usually charged by the authorities of Geneva with their
despatches was furnished with his credentials to the Councils and
Ministers of the four towns named. The documents forwarded were copies
of the ‘Christianismi Restitutio,’ and of the works of Tertullian
and Irenæus; the thirty-eight articles from the writings of Servetus
extracted by Calvin; Servetus’s replies to these in defence of his
views; and Calvin’s Refutation of his errors, as he characterised
them, having Servetus’s jottings, disclaimers, and abusive epithets
interspersed. Grounding their opinions on these lengthy documents, the
Swiss Churches were requested to declare themselves on the orthodox
or heretical nature of the passages inculpated, and so, in fact, to
pronounce on the guilt or innocence of the prisoner in respect of the
heresy and blasphemy imputed to him; their standard being, of course,
the particular form of Christianity professed by the prosecutor and
themselves.
In referring to the Churches in communion with that of Geneva, the
Council is careful to say that it would not be supposed to entertain
any doubts of the competency of the Church of Geneva to pronounce
a definitive opinion on the questions at issue; it would only have
further light before coming to a decision in a matter of so much
moment. The style of address adopted by the Council of Geneva to the
Councils and Churches of the Cantons consulted will be sufficiently
appreciated from the letters sent to Zürich. And first the one
addressed to the Ministers:
Geneva, September 21, 1553.
Honourable Sirs!--Well assured that you are every way disposed
to persevere in the good and holy purpose of upholding and
furthering the Word of God, we have thought we should do you
an injustice did we not inform you of the business in which we
have been engaged for some time past. It is this. There is a
man now in prison with us, Michael Servetus by name, who has
thought fit to write and have printed certain books on the
Holy Scriptures, containing matters which we think are nowise
according to God and the holy evangelical doctrine. He has
been heard [in his defence] by our ministers, who have drawn
up Articles against him, to which he has replied, and to his
replies answers have been given--all in writing; and we pray
you, for the honour of God, to take the papers now forwarded
to you into consideration, and to return them by the same
messenger with your opinion and advice. We beg you further
to look into the book which will be delivered to you by our
messenger, so that you may be well and fully informed of the
unhappy propositions of the writer.
In writing thus and asking your advice we desire to say that we
do so without any mistrust of our own ministers.
* * * * *
_To the Burgomaster and Council of Zürich._
Geneva, September 22, 1553.
High and mighty Lords!--We know not if your Lordships are aware
that we have in hand a prisoner, Michael Servetus by name,
who has written and had printed a book containing many things
against our religion. This we have shown to our ministers; and,
although we have no mistrust of them, we desire to communicate
the work to you, in order that, if it so please you, you may
lay it before your clergy, together with the replies and
rejoinders that have been made in connection therewith. We
therefore pray you to be good enough to submit the documents
now sent to your ministers and request them to give us their
opinion of their merits, to the end that we may bring the
business, to which they refer, to a close.
On the result of the course now taken the fate of Servetus evidently
depended. Did the four Swiss Churches find the extracts from his
writings heretical and blasphemous, the Council of Geneva, in their
capacity of criminal judges, would find themselves justified in
passing upon him the extreme sentence of the law; and Calvin’s
determined pursuit not only of his theological opponent and personal
enemy, but of his political antagonist and, in some sort, _rival_, as
he had been made to appear through the espousal of his cause by the
leaders of the Libertine party, would be brought to the conclusion he
desired.