"The spread of Calvinism was unusual. In contrast to Catholicism, which had been maintained by civil and military force, and Lutheranism, which survived in becoming a religion of politics, Calvinism had, for the most part, only its consistent logic and its fidelity to the Scriptures. Within a generation it spread across Europe.1 —Charles Miller

Calvinism is rooted in the sixteenth-century religious renewal in Europe that we refer to as the Protestant Reformation.2 But this great movement was not an isolated phenomenon. It did not simply begin with Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) act of posting his Ninety-five Theses on the church doors of Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517, even though those theses were soon translated into numerous languages and distributed to the masses. In one sense, the Reformation originated in Luther’s so-called “tower experience,” which probably predated his theses by a few years. Through this experience, Luther came to grasp the definitive doctrine of the Reformation: justification by gracious faith alone. But in another sense, the Reformation flowed out of earlier attempts for renewal, the most notable of which were led by Peter Waldo (ca. 1140-ca. 1217) and his followers in the Alpine regions,3 John Wycliffe (ca. 1324-1384) and the Lollards in England,4 and John Hus (ca. 1372-1415) and his followers in Bohemia.5 Lesser-known divines, such as Thomas Bradwardine (ca. 1300-1349)6 and Gregory of Rimini (ca. 1300-1358),7 came even closer to what would become known as Protestant theology. All these men are properly called forerunners of the Reformation rather than Reformers because, although they anticipated many of the emphases of the Reformation, they lacked a complete understanding of the critical doctrine of justification by gracious faith alone.8"


The Origins of Calvinism by Joel Beeke

The Chestnut Mare