Genevan Consistory
The Genevan Consistory (French: Consistoire de Genève) is a council of the
History
The
In 1543, the Council of 60, a legislative body of the Republic of Geneva, ruled that the Consistory did not have the power to excommunicate, and that their only power was admonishment, but the Consistory continued to excommunicate about a dozen people per year. The Council ignored the Consistory's defiance until the ministers began to implement controversial reforms such as closing taverns, excommunicating prominent citizens for various sins, and assigning biblical names at baptism to children whose parents wished to name them with Saints' names.[8] In 1553, the Council of 200, the upper legislature of Geneva, ruled that the Consistory did not have the right of excommunication. The issue was resolved in 1555 when Calvin's supporters gained control of the Council of 60.[9] Calvin's opponents, the Perrinists, rioted in response and attempted to seize power, but the rebellion was quickly crushed. Many Perrinists were imprisoned or hanged, or fled, resulting in complete freedom for the Consistory to excommunicate.[10]
From 1556 to 1569, about thirty-four people were summoned to the Consistory each week, and about three percent of the population was suspended from the table at some time.[11] Suspensions declined after 1569 and the types of cases the Consistory dealt with shifted from correcting Catholic belief and ignorance of the new faith to moral control, a phenomenon common to other Reformed cities at this time as the Reformed sought to distinguish themselves from Catholic neighbors in terms of moral holiness.[12] From 1570 to 1609 the civil authorities again began to intervene in the Consistory's affairs, insisting that they were being too harsh on minor offenders. In 1609, in a case involving a senator, the Small Council made clear that it had the authority to send cases to civil rather than ecclesiastical courts.[13] The Council ignored another threat of intervention in 1609 and excommunicated two councilors, provoking the council to imprison a minister and decree that the excommunications were null and void, resulting in an end to the Consistory's monopoly over church censure.[14] The eighteenth century saw a general decline in the stringency and power of
Notes
- ^ a b c Hubler, Lucienne (14 January 2010). "Consistoires". Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (in French). Bern: ASSH Académie suisse des sciences humaines et sociales. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ Lindberg, Carter (1996). The european Reformations. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. pp. 261.
- ^ Carter, Lindberg (1996). The European Reformations. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers. pp. 260–261.
- ^ a b c Ballor, Jordan; Littlejohn, W. Bradford (2013). "European Calvinism: Church Discipline". European History Online. Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG). Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ Lindberg, Carter (1996). The European Reformations. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers. pp. 248.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 184.
- ^ Watt, Jeffrey (2020). The Consistory of Geneva and Social Discipline. Rochester, NY: Rochester.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 185.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 186.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 187.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 210.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 211.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 212.
- ^ Manetsch 2013, p. 213–214.
Sources
- Watt, Jeffrey R., PDF The Consistory and Social Discipline in Geneva, University of Rochester Press. eBook, 2020, ISBN 978-1-64825-004-0
- Manetsch, Scott M. (2013). Calvin's Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536–1609. Oxford Studies in Historical Theology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Further reading
Watt, Jeffrey R., PDF The Consistory and Social Discipline in Geneva, University of Rochester Press. eBook, 2020, ISBN 978-1-64825-004-0
Consistoire de Genève (2000) [1996]. Registres du Consistoire de Genève au temps de Calvin [Registers of the Consistory of Geneva in the time of Calvin, volume 1: 1542–1544] (in French). Robert M. Kingdon (general editor), Thomas A. Lambert & Isabella M. Watt (editors), M. Wallace McDonald (translator). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
External links
- Official website
- https://geneve16e.ch (Database of all persons appearing before the Consistory between 1541 and 1564).