Defensio orthodoxae fidei de sacra Trinitate, contra prodigiosos errores Michaelis Serueti Hispani. Series IV. Scripta didactica et polemica

This text, written by Jean Calvin in defence of the execution of Michael
Servetus in October 1553, provoked widespread controversy and reaction. It was
published in Geneva by Robert Etienne in 1554.
It is a composite text. Calvin reproduces many original documents alongside
his own writing, including many of the Servetus trial documents. In these
documents, amongst the pieces written by Calvin and the Genevan ministers,
there is a substantial amount of writing from the pen of Servetus. This text
was written in haste, during one of Calvin’s most difficult periods in Geneva.
It is not well organised, with many different sections, very few of which are
clearly marked.
This edition has compared all the relevant parts of the text with the original
trial documents in the Archives d’Etat in Geneva, noting all differences. As
it is not an easy text to navigate, this edition gives a “plan” of the text at
the start, and “signposts” the various parts throughout, making it much more
accessible to the reader.
This text – hastily put together and written under great pressure – allows us
to hear the views of Servetus, as well as those of Calvin, and gives us a
valuable insight into the complexities of a troubled situation.

*[Dr]: Docteur