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John Calvin - Quiz
Contributed by: Newell
  • 1. Where was John Calvin born?
A) England
B) France
C) Italy
D) Germany
  • 2. What was John Calvin's profession?
A) Theologian
B) Doctor
C) Politician
D) Artist
  • 3. In what century did John Calvin live?
A) 16th
B) 20th
C) 14th
D) 18th
  • 4. What major work is John Calvin known for?
A) The Prince
B) Institutes of the Christian Religion
C) The Canterbury Tales
D) Summa Theologica
  • 5. John Calvin's theology had a significant influence on the development of which country?
A) Scotland
B) China
C) Spain
D) Russia
  • 6. John Calvin believed in the doctrine of ____, which teaches that God has foreordained everything that will happen.
A) Salvation by Works
B) Predestination
C) Free Will
D) Original Sin
  • 7. Which of the following is NOT one of Calvin's famous doctrines?
A) Predestination
B) Transubstantiation
C) Total Depravity
D) Irresistible Grace
  • 8. Calvin's teachings emphasized the authority of _____ above all.
A) Tradition
B) Reason
C) The Pope
D) Scripture
  • 9. Which city did John Calvin make the center of his theological work?
A) Geneva
B) Berlin
C) London
D) Rome
  • 10. Calvinism is named after John Calvin and is a major branch of which religion?
A) Buddhism
B) Christianity
C) Islam
D) Hinduism
  • 11. What university did John Calvin attend before his conversion to Protestantism?
A) Yale University
B) University of Paris
C) Oxford University
D) Heidelberg University
  • 12. What was John Calvin's original profession before becoming a theologian?
A) Bishop
B) Humanist lawyer
C) University professor
D) Catholic priest
  • 13. In which city did John Calvin first publish the Institutes of the Christian Religion?
A) Basel, Switzerland
B) Paris
C) Geneva
D) Orléans
  • 14. Who recruited John Calvin to join the Reformation in Geneva in 1536?
A) William Farel
B) Martin Bucer
C) Philipp Melanchthon
D) Heinrich Bullinger
  • 15. Which influential family helped John Calvin attend the Collège de la Marche in Paris?
A) The Montmors
B) The Cauvins
C) The Francs
D) The Cordiers
  • 16. What was the main subject of John Calvin's first published book?
A) Institutes of the Christian Religion
B) A commentary on Seneca's De Clementia
C) Confessional documents
D) Commentary on the Book of Psalms
  • 17. Which city did John Calvin move to after being expelled from Geneva?
A) Basel
B) Strasbourg
C) Orléans
D) Paris
  • 18. Who was the Spanish individual denounced by Calvin and executed for heresy in Geneva?
A) Johannes Oecolampadius
B) Andreas Alciati
C) Nicolas Cop
D) Michael Servetus
  • 19. Which theological tradition heavily influenced Calvinist doctrines?
A) Augustinian
B) Pelagian
C) Arian
D) Gnostic
  • 20. In which year did John Calvin return to Geneva to lead the church?
A) 1536
B) 1541
C) 1550
D) 1535
  • 21. What was John Calvin's birth name?
A) Mathurin Cordier
B) Jehan Cauvin
C) Gérard Calvin
D) Jean Le Franc
  • 22. What was the name of John Calvin's mother?
A) Jeanne le Franc
B) Nicolas Colladon
C) Théodore de Bèze
D) Mathurin Cordier
  • 23. What was the main reason Gérard Cauvin enrolled his son in law studies?
A) Because of academic interest
B) To earn more money than as a priest
C) To follow family tradition
D) Due to religious conviction
  • 24. Which city did John Calvin flee to after the Affair of the Placards?
A) Strasbourg
B) Paris
C) Geneva
D) Basel
  • 25. In what year did John Calvin publish the first edition of 'Institutio Christianae Religionis'?
A) 1545
B) 1529
C) 1550
D) 1536
  • 26. What title was Calvin eventually given when he started his work in Geneva?
A) Bishop
B) Reader
C) Deacon
D) Pastor
  • 27. In which city did Calvin participate in a disputation to bring it into the Protestant camp?
A) Lausanne
B) Geneva
C) Strasbourg
D) Basel
  • 28. What role was Calvin selected for in 1537, despite not receiving any pastoral consecration?
A) Deacon
B) Pastor
C) Bishop
D) Reader
  • 29. On what date did Farel and Calvin present their Articles on the Organisation of the Church to the Geneva city council?
A) 26 November 1536
B) 16 January 1537
C) 25 December 1535
D) 1 March 1538
  • 30. Which city proposed introducing uniformity in church ceremonies, leading to a quarrel with Calvin and Farel?
A) Paris
B) Bern
C) Strasbourg
D) Zurich
  • 31. Who invited Calvin to lead a church of French refugees in Strasbourg?
A) Princess Renée of France
B) William Farel
C) Martin Bucer and Wolfgang Capito
D) The Geneva city council
  • 32. By what month and year did Calvin take up his new position in Strasbourg?
A) January 1537
B) December 1539
C) March 1536
D) September 1538
  • 33. How many members did John Calvin minister to in Strasbourg?
A) 750 members
B) 200 members
C) 1000 members
D) 400–500 members
  • 34. What was the frequency of communion during Calvin's ministry in Strasbourg?
A) Daily
B) Annually
C) Monthly
D) Weekly
  • 35. What doctrine did Justus Velsius defend against Calvin during their disputation?
A) Predestination
B) Free will
C) Arianism
D) Eucharistic union
  • 36. How many sermons did Calvin deliver on Deuteronomy between March 1555 and July 1556?
A) One hundred
B) Two hundred
C) Fifty
D) Three hundred
  • 37. What did the libertines realize about their power over Calvin?
A) They decided to fully support Calvin instead.
B) They were powerless against Calvin's influence.
C) They had enough power to completely remove him from Geneva.
D) They could curb his authority, but not banish him.
  • 38. What was the council's decision regarding Calvin's request to resign?
A) His request was refused.
B) They agreed but required a public statement first.
C) They granted him immediate resignation.
D) They postponed the decision indefinitely.
  • 39. Where was Calvin buried?
A) At St. Pierre Church with a grand ceremony.
B) In his hometown with full honors.
C) In Geneva's main cathedral.
D) In an unmarked grave in the Cimetière des Rois.
  • 40. Who was assigned to record all of Calvin's sermons starting in 1549?
A) Clément Marot
B) Louis Bourgeois
C) T. H. L. Parker
D) Denis Raguenier
  • 41. Who asked the council for permission to take communion after being excommunicated?
A) Perrin
B) John Calvin
C) Philibert Berthelier
D) Henri Aulbert
  • 42. How many chapters did the second edition of the Institutes have?
A) Seventeen chapters
B) Twenty-five chapters
C) Six chapters
D) Ten chapters
  • 43. What did John Calvin actively participate in between the Lutheran and Reformed branches?
A) Military alliances
B) Peace negotiations
C) Financial support
D) Polemics
  • 44. Who was initially consulted by the Geneva council before asking Calvin to respond to Cardinal Sadoleto?
A) Ulrich Zwingli
B) John Knox
C) Martin Luther
D) Pierre Viret
  • 45. Who attacked Calvin's doctrine of predestination in 1551?
A) Pierre Caroli
B) Joachim Westphal
C) Justus Velsius
D) Jérôme-Hermès Bolsec
  • 46. What was the council's response when Perrin was elected first syndic in February 1552?
A) Perrin immediately resigned from his position.
B) Calvin's authority appeared at its lowest point.
C) The council disbanded due to internal conflicts.
D) Calvin's influence increased significantly.
  • 47. Who broke with Calvin after the execution of Servetus?
A) Justus Velsius
B) Joachim Westphal
C) Jérôme-Hermès Bolsec
D) Sebastian Castellio
  • 48. Who confessed to writing a threatening letter found at St. Pierre Cathedral?
A) François Favre
B) Ami Perrin
C) Jacques Gruet
D) Pierre Ameaux
  • 49. How many students were there in the grammar school within five years?
A) 300 students
B) 1,200 students
C) 800 students
D) 500 students
  • 50. Which city did Calvin advise French-speaking refugees to integrate with local Lutheran churches?
A) Heidelberg, Germany
B) Wesel, Germany
C) Geneva, Switzerland
D) Leiden, Netherlands
  • 51. When did the school open in Geneva?
A) 5 June 1559
B) 25 March 1558
C) December 1557
D) January 1560
  • 52. What was the condition Calvin set for marrying a young woman from a noble family?
A) She would learn French
B) She would convert to his faith
C) She would move to Strasbourg
D) She would give up her noble title
  • 53. Which camp did John Calvin's opinion on the eucharist place him in?
A) Catholic camp
B) Zwingli's camp
C) Luther's camp
D) An independent stance
  • 54. Who developed a theory about the rise of capitalism influenced by Calvinism?
A) Max Weber.
B) Ulrich Zwingli.
C) Martin Luther.
D) John Knox.
  • 55. In which territory did reformed ideas spread without forced conversion by the Ottoman Empire?
A) Hungary
B) England
C) France
D) Germany
  • 56. What derogatory term did Pierre Ameaux use against John Calvin?
A) "Lutheran"
B) "Picard"
C) "Papist"
D) "Huguenot"
  • 57. What was the title of Michael Servetus's book published in 1553?
A) Christianismi Restitutio
B) The Institutes of the Christian Religion
C) Dialogorum de Trinitate libri duo
D) Two Books of Dialogues on the Trinity
  • 58. Which confession was adopted as the official confession of Hungarian Calvinists?
A) Belgic Confession
B) Augsburg Confession
C) Heidelberg Catechism
D) Second Helvetic Confession
  • 59. In which city did the Reformed Constitutional Synod take place in 1567?
A) Heidelberg
B) Debrecen
C) Wesel
D) Geneva
  • 60. Who became the rector of the institute in Geneva?
A) Emmanuel Tremellius
B) Theodore Beza
C) Mathurin Cordier
D) John Knox
  • 61. What did Calvin's treatise, Vera Christianae pacificationis et Ecclesiae reformandae ratio (1549), describe?
A) A defense of soul sleep
B) A refutation of the Council of Trent decrees
C) An open letter to Pope Paul III
D) The doctrines that should be upheld, including justification by faith.
  • 62. On which date do Lutheran churches commemorate John Calvin?
A) 5 November
B) 26 May
C) 25 December
D) 31 October
  • 63. In what year did Joachim Westphal condemn Calvin and Zwingli as heretics?
A) 1536
B) 1552
C) 1555
D) 1554
  • 64. What pseudonym did John Calvin use when corresponding with Servetus?
A) Jean Frellon
B) Michael de Villeneuve
C) Guillaume de Trie
D) Charles d'Espeville
  • 65. In which country did Calvin's ideas reach the French-speaking provinces?
A) Scotland
B) Germany
C) Netherlands
D) England
  • 66. What was the title of Calvin's open letter to Charles V in 1543?
A) Acta synodi Tridentinae cum Antidoto
B) Admonitio paterna Pauli III
C) Supplex exhortatio ad Caesarem
D) Responsio ad Sadoletum
  • 67. What did Voltaire claim was forbidden by the religion of Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli in Geneva?
A) Musical instruments
B) Books
C) Clothing
D) Food
  • 68. How many books are in the final edition of 'Institutes of the Christian Religion'?
A) Four
B) Three
C) Five
D) Six
  • 69. What was the most severe penalty that the Consistoire could originally mete out?
A) Fines
B) Excommunication
C) Imprisonment
D) Banishment
  • 70. During his final years, how was John Calvin's authority perceived?
A) Heavily challenged
B) Limited to Geneva
C) Practically uncontested
D) Under scrutiny by the Catholic Church
  • 71. How did Martin Luther initially view John Calvin?
A) With mutual respect
B) Indifferently
C) With hostility
D) As a rival
  • 72. What document became the confessional standard for Presbyterians in the English-speaking world?
A) Augsburg Confession
B) Westminster Confession
C) Belgic Confession
D) Heidelberg Catechism
  • 73. In which year was the second edition of the Institutes published?
A) 1540
B) 1539
C) 1538
D) 1541
  • 74. What was the most famous hymn composed by Louis Bourgeois in Geneva?
A) Amazing Grace
B) A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
C) Jerusalem
D) The Old Hundredth
  • 75. Who held a public disputation with Calvin in Frankfurt in 1556?
A) Pierre Caroli
B) Joachim Westphal
C) Justus Velsius
D) Jérôme-Hermès Bolsec
  • 76. When did Idelette, Calvin's wife, die?
A) 19 March 1543
B) 28 July 1542
C) 29 March 1549
D) October 1542
  • 77. What did Ami Perrin do after receiving a letter from Calvin?
A) He organized a counter-protest.
B) He fled Geneva to avoid confrontation.
C) He wrote a public apology.
D) He appeared before the Consistory.
  • 78. What was the date when Calvin's son Jacques was born?
A) October 1542
B) 28 July 1542
C) 19 March 1543
D) 29 March 1549
  • 79. Who published La Forme des Prières et Chants Ecclésiastiques in Geneva?
A) Martin Luther
B) John Calvin
C) Clément Marot
D) Louis Bourgeois
  • 80. What does Calvin describe scripture as in terms of its authority?
A) Dependent on church tradition
B) Autopiston or self-authenticating
C) Subject to human interpretation
D) A historical document
  • 81. Which confession was formulated in the Electorate of the Palatinate?
A) Augsburg Confession
B) Second Helvetic Confession
C) Belgic Confession
D) Heidelberg Catechism
  • 82. What event marked the beginning of the libertines' downfall?
A) The February 1555 elections
B) The burning of a house in May 1555
C) The trial of Servetus
D) The intervention by Henri Aulbert
  • 83. Who first identified Calvin's ideas as 'Calvinism'?
A) John Knox
B) Martin Luther
C) Philip Melanchthon
D) Joachim Westphal
  • 84. Which confession was adopted as a confessional standard in the first synod of the Dutch Reformed Church?
A) Augsburg Confession
B) Second Helvetic Confession
C) Belgic Confession
D) Westminster Confession
  • 85. Who owned John Calvin's house and furniture during his time in Geneva?
A) Idelette
B) The council
C) Antoine's family
D) John Calvin himself
  • 86. Which psalmist became a refugee in Geneva and contributed nineteen more psalms?
A) Clément Marot
B) Martin Bucer
C) Louis Bourgeois
D) John Calvin
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