Jean-François Gilmont - John Calvin and the Printed Book

In the spring of 2002, at the request of Jean-Franois Gilmont, I began the translation of his work on Calvin and the world of printing, originally published by Droz in Geneva in 1997. I had previously served as translator and English-language editor for another work edited by Professor Gilmont, The Reformation and the Book, published by Ashgate in 1999. Professor Gilmont is one of the foremost experts on Calvin's writings and I deeply appreciated the opportunity to translate this current text.

I wish to thank five students at Calvin College who helped with various stages of the project over the course of four summers: Ruth Speyer (2002), Joshua Wierenga (2003), Jeff Rop and Allison Graff (2004), and Lauren Colyn (2005). They proofread sections and suggested changes, typed and verified footnotes, and helped to create the bibliography. Without their able assistance, the project would have taken much longer. Susan Schmurr, the Meeter Center program coordinator, also valiantly typed large sections of the text and helped work on the bibliography. I take responsibility for any remaining flaws in the translation.

I am also deeply grateful to Raymond Mentzer, general editor of the Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies series, and to the staff at the Truman State University Press for their interest in this work and their help throughout the publishing process.

It is my hope that this work will prove to be a valuable resource for English-speaking students, Reformation scholars, and general readers who want to learn more about what Calvin read and wrote, and how he interacted with the world of print.

Karin Maag

Grand Rapids, Michigan

July 2005

John Calvin was a landmark figure in the history of Christianity. Thanks to his strong personality, he established and shaped a confessional branch of the Christian church, a branch that has become firmly rooted and has flourished throughout the centuries.

At the same time, the Reformer from Noyon was himself rooted in a specific historical context. He influenced his contemporaries and future generations by making use of the techniques of his day.

In this work, I intend to analyze one of the media he used extensively, namely, printed books. This approach will prove useful both for Calvin scholars and for historians of print and printing. However, my aim in advancing our knowledge of this aspect of the Reformer's work is not to isolate printing from other forms of communication that Calvin used. Indeed, my plan is to link the theme of printing to other aspects of communication, such as public and private oral discourse and unpublished writing. This task is made easier thanks to the important work of the last fifty years on Calvin's sermons.

In establishing Calvin's relationship with printed books, the intention is not to focus on the content of his works, whether in terms of their style or the theological issues they address. Given the thorough research on Calvin's polemical writings carried out by Francis Higman there would be little point in revisiting these topics. Instead, my bibliographical-historical approach is intended to complement earlier research. When relevant, I will highlight the links between communication techniques and the author's style.

[x] In the same way, I will not deal explicitly with the theological content of Calvin's writings. However, when analyzing his means of communication, content-related questions are inevitable. Indeed, such investigations can sometimes shed new light on the Reformer's thoughts and lead to new issues for theologians to consider.

Examining Calvin as author and writer in his historical context leads to a series of questions: What kinds of messages did Calvin entrust to the printed word? What were his reasons for writing? Did he have any interest in the work of printers and booksellers? In what ways were his oral and written teachings linked? What connections were there between what he said and what he wrote?