Paris to Strasbourg to Geneva, Part II

The second item I wanted to discuss under this heading deals with my itinerations during my last few days in Paris. The first of these was to Versailles, the magnificent "summer estate" of the Louis XIV, the self-proclaimed "Sun King" of France in the 17th century. Granted, that misses Calvin's time by a few generations, but it does point to the incredible inequalities and injustices of French society in Calvin's time as well.

Versailles is one of humankind's greatest indulgences to the human ego. The king fashioned himself after the Greek sun-god Apollo, placing his

own image in the sculpture of Apollo's chariot emerging from the great fountain in the midst of his extensive gardens. Even the gold-leaf chapel

is less a shrine to Christ than it is a testament to the wealth and ego of the King.

Louis XIV benefitted from the period of relative peace in the religious wars against Protestants following the Edict of Nantes (1598) granting limited tolerance. But a King who fancies himself a god is not going to put up with a religion that is steadfastly opposed to tyranny and idolatry, and he revoked the Edict midway

through his lengthy reign in 1685. There was no massacre as there had been in 1572, but it resulted in the Huguenots leaving France for established Protestant communities in England, the Netherlands, Prussia, and Switzerland, and to North America (including my childhood home town of New Rochelle, New York) and South Africa.

Strasbourg is a noticeable contrast to Versailles. Located in the Alsace region of France, adjoining Germany along the Rhine, Strasbourg experienced extended periods of relative independence

during the formative period of the Reformation. Martin Bucer (author of the French Confession) was a leader of the Reformed churches in Strasbourg when Calvin left Paris intending to settle there. Calvin was sidetracked to Geneva first, but spent three years in Strasbourg between 1538 and 1541 before returning to

Geneva for good.

Strasbourg has a strong Protestant presence. It is a relatively unpretentious but quaint and lovely city that is the home to the new EU Parliament. It boasted the highest church spire in Europe (489 feet) until the 19th century, and the cathedral is impressive without being ostentatious. More impressive to me, however, are the humble churches (Le Bouclier and St. Nicolas) with which Calvin was associated. Both still house congregations, although I don't know if the balcony pulpit at St. Nicolas (rebuilt in the 18th century) is still used.

The contrast between imperial Versailles and modest Strasbourg point out that the origins of Protestantism were as influenced by the socio-economic realities of the era as by the doctrinal disputes. Calvin drafted the "Ecclesiastical Ordinances" while in Strasbourg, which is the foundational document for his writings on church polity. His emphasis on church order which counters the excesses of hierarchy by pairing authority with accountability, and his theme of discipline as an exercise of pastoral care are legacies that have greater resonance today than the imperial cult of the Sun King.

The Calvin 500 conference got underway today. I will share some reflections on that in my next post.