John Calvin came to Paris as a 14 year old boy. He entered university here to better be equipped with Latin and Greek. He came because his father had sent him to get an education - at first it was to be a lawyer. The place where he first came is still a part of the University here - University of Sorbonne is the University of Paris.
Looking at it today you wouldn't understand what it meant to be a mideaval student in Calvin's day. A 14 year old boy was under the tutelage of a master and the master's job was to prepare him in the classical languages in whatever means possible. It meant rote repetition, beatings when not correct, and berating. Students had it tough. John Calvin was an exceptional student. In two years he had mastered Latin and Greek and he moved on to the college Montague, which is just behind where I took this picture. Today it is covered with a building that was erected by one of the King Louis of France after he recovered from an illness...sort of payback to God for his recovery. Later during the French Revolution the spiritual, church part of it was destroyed and it was made into a monument for Man! I'd say that has been a failed endeavor.
As we walked I came across two very interesting buildings.
The first was where John Calvin lived after his conversion, and from where he fled Paris from when his friends lowered him down on bed sheets as the officers of the courts came to arrest him for preaching the Gospel.
The second building was less than a mile away, but it's significance for me is that from it the Gospel was first proclaimed in Paris some 1200 years ago. The country of France has existed since 250 B.C., but France as we know it came to be when the Franks began a more permanent rule around 900 AD.
The role of the church in early France was established strongly when Charlemagne was declared the first "Holy Roman Emperor" - title given by the Pope at the time to declare his intention to make all of Europe Christian through both political and Papal rule. As you can imagine the combination of political power, with armies to fight, and the authority of Rome to rule the lives of the people; there was much corruption and abuses, along with immoral religious rulers.
One of the attempts to live out the gospel more purely occurred when the Monastic order of Benedictines came to Cluny and established the Cluny monastery. Committed to live the Benedictine disciplines they served the area's people by being a place of worship, but also the local hospital and place of education.
We walked to the site of the 12th century Cluny Monastery in Paris...strange to be on ground that was established for God's work over 1000 years ago.
It is easy to romanticize this all, but just thinking about it makes me realize how primitive, unhealthy conditions, and difficult living really was.
Students were treated harshly.
Half of all babies did not survive birth.
Of those that survived another 20-25% did not survive to adulthood.
Life spans were around 45-50 years of age at best.
Disease was a natural part of people's lives.
If one lived to be an adult they usually suffered from intestinal illnesses, or gout, or some other condition throughout their life.
It's easy to be romantic about it all in the 21st century, but I wouldn't want to go back and live then! Still, the gospel has not survived, but thrived in spite of all the opponents of it.
It's sad to note that Paris is largely devoid of it's spiritual heritage. Church's while magnificent are more of a museum, and although France is still Catholic in it's heritage, not many of it's people even faithfully go to church. The so called French Revolution declared the "end of Christianity"...well I would say they were badly mistaken.
The atheist French philosopher of the Revolution said that within 100 years Christianity would cease to be. His house is now occupied by the International Bible Society.
Peace to you.
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