III. Why did Calvin execute Servetus?
Deep dive into obscure theology. Enter at your own risk.
Updated: July 30, 2024
Why did the Protestant Reformer John Calvin execute Michael Servetus? It is a very good question that requires digging into some very obscure questions. If Raiders of the Lost Ark appeals to you, read on. You definitely will encounter lots of spiders webs and dusty books. The Lost Ark? Maybe not.
What exactly was the problem with the teaching of Servetus that caused Calvin to demand his execution? To answer this, we need to dust off some old books in the back end of an old library, put on our white gloves and carefully pry open the 500 year old pages of some very rare books, assuming of course the librarian knows where stacked. They were not exactly popular books not good reads. The books Servetus left behind were dense, obscure, odd and frankly weird. But they are very important for the development of modern society, especially for freedom of religion and surprisingly, for scientific thinking in a sidebar …
