The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Footnotes

^[541] Luke 21:15; 24:49; Mark 6:15; Acts 1 8; 1 Tim. 5:22.

^[542] See chap. 4 sec. 10, 11; chap. 5 sec. 2, 3. Also Calv. in Acts 6:3, and Luther, tom. 2 p 374.

CHAPTER 4. OF THE STATE OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH, AND THE MODE OF GOVERNMENT IN USE BEFORE THE PAPACY.

^[543] “Pourtant Sainct Hierome apres avoir divisé l’Eglise en cinq ordres, nomme les Eveques, secondement, les Pretres, tiercement, les Diacres, puis les fideles en commun, finalement, ceux qui n’etoient pas baptisés encore, mais qui s’etoient presentés pour etre instruits en la foy Chretienne; et puis recevoient le baptéme. Ainsi il n’attribue point de certain lieu au reste du Clergé ni aux Moines.”–However, St Jerome, after dividing the Church into five orders, names the Bishops, secondly, the Priests, thirdly the Deacons, then the faithful in common, lastly, those who were not yet baptised but had presented themselves to be instructed in the Christian faith, and thereafter received baptism. Thus he attributes no certain place to the remainder of the Clergy or to the Monks.

^[544] French, “La cognoissance venoit aux patriarches, qui assemblerent le concile do tous les eveques respondant a leur primauté;”–the cognisance fell to the patriarchs, who assembled a council of all the bishops corresponding to their precedence.

^[545] Hieronymus, Epist. ad Nepotianum. It is mentioned also by Chrysostom, Epist. ad Innocent.

^[546] In the Amsterdam edition the words are only “quartam vero advenis pauperibus.” The Geneva edition of 1559, the last published under Calvin’s own eye, has “quartam vero tam advenis quam indigenis pauperibus.” With this Tholuck agrees.

^[547] The French adds, “Afin qu’il n’all’ nulle part sans compagnie et sans temoin;”– in order that he might not go anywhere without company and without witness.

^[548] French, “On leur ordonnoit de faire la lecture des Pseaumes au pulpitre;”–they ordered them to read the Psalms in the desk.

^[549] The French adds, “Comme de Lecteurs et Acolytes;”–as Readers and Acolytes.

^[550] The whole narrative in Theodoret is most deserving of notice. Theodoret. Lib. 4 cap. 20.

CHAPTER 5. THE ANCIENT FORM OF GOVERNMENT UTTERLY CORRUPTED BY THE TYRANNY OF THE PAPACY.

^[551] “C’est un acte semblable, que quand ceux qu’on doit promouvoir se presentent à l’autel, on demande par trois fois en Latin, s’il ést digne; et quelcun qui ne l’a jamais vue, ou quelque valet de chambre que n’entend point Latin, repond en Latin qu’il est digne: tout ainsi qu’un personnage joueroit son rolle en une farce.”–In like manner, when those whom they are to promote present themselves at the altar, they ask, three times in Latin, if he is worthy; and some one who has never seen him, or some valet who does not understand Latin, replies, in Latin, that he is worthy: just as a person would play his part in a farce.

^[552] French. “Ies vices des personnes:”–the faults of individuals.

CHAPTER 6. OF THE PRIMACY OF THE ROMISH SEE.

^[553] See Calv. Adversus Concilium Tridentinum. Also Adversus Theologos Parisienses.

^[554] French, “Pour ce faire, ils alleguent la pretrise souveraine qui etoit en la loy, et la jurisdiction souveraine du grand sacrificateur, que Dieu avoit establie en Jerusalem.”–For this purpose, they allege the sovereign priesthood which was under the law, and the sovereign jurisdiction of the high priest which God had established at Jerusalem.

^[555] “Car c’est tout ainsi comme si quelcun debattoit que le monde doit etre gouverné par un baillie ou seneschal parce que chacune province a le sien.”–For it is just as if one were to maintain that the whole world ought to be governed by a bailie or seneschal, because each province has its own.

^[556] French, “Ils ont Four leur bouelier, qu’aucuns des Peres les ont ainsi exposees.”–They regard it as their buckler, that some of the Fathers have so expounded them.

^[557] The French adds, “Vision receue du Seigneur; Le Seigneur des armees l’a dit,”–A vision received from the Lord; The Lord of hosts hath spoken it.

^[558] Eph. 4:10, 7, 11.

^[559] Calvin apparently believed that Paul’s conversion occurred about three years after the death of Christ; that Paul visited Peter in Jerusalem three years later (Gal. 1:18; Acts 9:26); that Paul saw Peter again at the Jerusalem Council fourteen years later (Gal. 2:1, 2:9; Acts 15:1-11); and that these three numbers were meant to be added together. He therefore locates Peter at Jerusalem about twenty years after the death of Christ.

^[560] Nero committed suicide in A.D. 68. A subtraction of thirty-seven years brings us back to A.D. 31 for the date of Christ’s death. An addition of twenty years would place Peter in Jerusalem until A.D. 51. And following this date, Peter went to Antioch.

^[561] Paul’s arrival in Rome as a prisoner is put at A.D. 60. If his epistle to the Romans was written four years before, then that book should be dated A.D. 56. In this letter, there is no salutation of Peter (as would be expected if Peter had been bishop of Rome). In fact, there is not even so much as a mention of him! (although many other names, some of them obscure, appear in the closing chapter). The implication that Peter was not in Rome at this time (A.D. 56) seems difficult to avoid.

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