John Calvin

==Legacy==
After the deaths of Calvin and his successor, Beza, the Geneva city council gradually gained control over areas of life that were previously in the ecclesiastical domain. Increasing secularization was accompanied by the decline of the church. Even the Geneva ''académie'' was eclipsed by universities in [[Leiden University|Leiden]] and [[University of Heidelberg|Heidelberg]], which became the new strongholds of Calvin's ideas, first identified as "Calvinism" by Joachim Westphal in 1552. By 1585, Geneva, once the wellspring of the reform movement, had become merely its symbol.<ref>{{Harvnb|McGrath|1990|pp=200–201}}; {{Harvnb|Cottret|2000|p=239}}</ref> Calvin had always warned against describing him as an "idol" and Geneva as a new "Jerusalem". He encouraged people to adapt to the environments in which they found themselves. Even during his polemical exchange with Westphal, he advised a group of French-speaking refugees, who had settled in [[Wesel]], Germany, to integrate with the local Lutheran churches. Despite his differences with the Lutherans, he did not deny that they were members of the true Church. Calvin's recognition of the need to adapt to local conditions became an important characteristic of the reformation movement as it spread across Europe.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pettegree|2004|pp=207–208}}</ref>
Due to Calvin's missionary work in France, his program of reform eventually reached the French-speaking provinces of the Netherlands. Calvinism was adopted in the [[Electorate of the Palatinate]] under [[Frederick III, Elector Palatine|Frederick III]], which led to the formulation of the [[Heidelberg Catechism]] in 1563. This and the [[Belgic Confession]] were adopted as confessional standards in the [[Synod of Emden|first synod]] of the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] in 1571. Several leading divines, either Calvinist or those sympathetic to Calvinism, settled in England (Martin Bucer, [[Pietro Martire Vermigli|Peter Martyr]], and [[Jan Laski]]) and Scotland ([[John Knox]]). During the [[English Civil War]], the Calvinistic [[Puritan]]s produced the [[Westminster Confession]], which became the confessional standard for [[Presbyterians]] in the English-speaking world.

As the [[Ottoman Empire]] did not force Muslim conversion on its conquered western territories, reformed ideas were quickly adopted in the two-thirds of Hungary they occupied (the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]]-ruled third part of Hungary remained Catholic). A Reformed Constitutional Synod was held in 1567 in [[Debrecen]], the main hub of Hungarian Calvinism, where the [[Second Helvetic Confession]] was adopted as the official confession of [[Reformed Church in Hungary|Hungarian Calvinists]].

Having established itself in Europe, the movement continued to spread to other parts of the world including North America, South Africa, and [[Korea]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Holder|2004|pp=246–256}}; {{Harvnb|McGrath|1990| pp=198–199}}</ref>

Calvin did not live to see the foundation of his work grow into an international movement; but his death allowed his ideas to break out of their city of origin, to succeed far beyond their borders, and to establish their own distinct character.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pettegree|2004|p=222}}</ref>

Calvin is recognized as a [[Renewers of the Church|Renewer of the Church]] in Lutheran churches commemorated on 26 May.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-09-08 |title=The Church Year |url=http://www.renewingworship.org/ELW/content/PDF/ChurchYear_asm_20060119.pdf |access-date=2023-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908112753/http://www.renewingworship.org/ELW/content/PDF/ChurchYear_asm_20060119.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2006 }}</ref> Calvin is also [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] in the [[Church of England]] with a [[Commemoration (observance)|commemoration]] on 26 May.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref>