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The Life of John Calvin

The Life of John Calvin
By Theodore Beza
Evangelical Press ('Living Classics for Today' series). 140 pages. £5.95
ISBN 0 85234 404 X

This book is a modern translation of the classic by Theodore Beza, Calvin's friend and fellow pastor, originally written just three months after Calvin's death in 1564. The author sets out to present us with a chronological description of the events in Calvin's life, with his own commentary upon those events, including a transcript of Calvin's last will and testament and a moving account of his death.
The final chapter is a defence of Calvin's character and actions to counter the most common accusations made against him. The style is plain and clear, though predictably deferential and at times a little sycophantic. The translation into modern English has been handled extremely well, producing a highly readable text, which is both fluent and consistent in style.
This book has the advantage of being richly illustrated, and clearly arranged into fairly brief chapters, both factors making the book more appealing to today's readership. The only regrettable aspect is the cover, which is old-fashioned and dowdy! The content, however, is stimulating and maintains the interest, providing much information about Calvin, as a man and as a pastor.
There is a full account of his writings and sermons, as they fit into the chronological sequence of events. The notes at the back are excellent, and clarify anything that would otherwise be lost on us.
We may be irritated by the way Beza constantly defends every action of Calvin's, but he does concede that Calvin had one fault - a tendency to irritability and anger, though even this is accepted due to the circumstances and his many illnesses! However, Beza knew him better than anyone, and therefore this is a very valuable account of his life, helping us to understand this great reformer.

Kathy Childress