John Valentine Gentilis, a victim to the persecuting spirit of the Calvinists, in the sixteenth century, was born at Cosenza in Calabria. Having become a convert to the principles of the Reformation, he was obliged to fly from his native country towards the middle of the sixteenth century, and to take refuge at Geneva, where several Italian families had already formed a congregation.
In the course of his enquiries he became dissatisfied with the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, and together with the celebrated George Blandrata, John Paul Alciati, a Milanese, and an advocate named Matthew Grimbaldi, formed a private society, in which the sense of the passages of Scripture produced in support of that doctrine was discussed, both in conversation and writing. The result of their discussions was a private judgment, that the terms co-essential, co-equal, and coexistent, were improperly applied to the Son and Spirit, and that they were subordinate in nature and dignity to the Father. But however privately their meetings were held, such information was conveyed to the Italian consistory as led them to suspect that the associates had departed from the orthodox creed; upon which, in conformity to the inquisitorial system which Calvin had established against heresy, they drew up articles of faith, subscription to which was demanded from all the members of their communion.
These articles consisted of Calvin's confession of faith, which had been lately approved of by the ministers, syndics, councils, and general assembly of the people; to which a promise was annexed, never to do any thing directly or indirectly, that should controvert the doctrine of the Trinity as therein defined. Gentilis is said at first to have refused signing these articles; but afterwards he was prevailed upon to comply, influenced, not improbably, by his recollection of the late tragical fate of Servetus,
(see life of Calvin,) and not finding himself sufficiently courageous to hazard the like barbarous treatment. In private, however, he still avowed and maintained his change of sentiment; which coming to the ears of the Calvinistic magistrates, they committed him to prison.
The charge preferred against him was, that he had violated his subscription: and when he endeavoured to excuse himself by urging that he had only obeyed the suggestions of his conscience, those very men who had no other plea to offer in defence of their revolt from the yoke of Rome, would not permit it to have any weight on behalf of a supposed erring brother. From his prison he addressed several writings to the magistrates, endeavouring to shew the inoffensiveness of his opinions, and at length, to pacify Calvin, declared his readiness to abjure whatever should be pronounced erroneous. Upon this he was sentenced to make the
amende honorable, to throw his writings into the fire, and to take an oath not to go out of Geneva without the leave of the magistrates.
Being now at liberty, and fearful of the effects of the jealous and vindictive spirit which prevailed in Geneva against persons who had afforded any ground of suspicion concerning their orthodoxy, he satisfied himself that he was justifiable in breaking an oath which had been extorted from him by terror, and withdrew into the country of Gex, where he joined his friend Matthew Grimbaldi; thus proving himself to have, with much obstinancy, very little true religion. The ancient martyrs courted death for their principles. Afterwards he went to Lyons, and then wandered from place to place in Dauphiné and Savoy; but finding that he was safe nowhere, returned again to Gex.
As soon as he was known there, he was sent to prison; but was liberated within a few days, when, upon the bailiff's demanding from him a confession of faith, that he might cause it to be examined by some ministers, and sent to Bern, Gentilis printed the same, with a dedication to the bailiff. This step the latter resented, as it was taken without his permission, and occasioned his being suspected at Bern of favouring the principles in the confession; on which account, he afterwards became the instrument of subjecting Gentilis to the iniquitous proceedings to which he fell a sacrifice.
From Gex, Gentilis went again to Lyons, where he was imprisoned for his opinions; but he was not long before he obtained his liberty, having had the address to shew, if we are to credit the accounts which are given of him, that he had only opposed Calvin, and not the doctrine of the Trinity. Afterwards he went to Poland, where he joined Blandrata and Alciati, who were very successful in propogating their opinions, until in the year 1566 the king of Poland, at the instigation of the Calvinists as well as the Catholics, published an edict, by which all strangers who taught doctrines inconsistent with the orthodox notion concerning the Trinity, were ordered to quit the kingdom.
From Poland, Gentilis withdrew into Moravia, whence he went to Vienna, and then resolved to return to Savoy, where he hoped still to find his friend Grimbaldi, and flattered himself that he might be suffered to remain unmolested, as Calvin, his most dreaded and implacable adversary and persecutor, was no more. But the spirit of Calvin remained. It was either after his return to Savoy, or on his journey thither, that he went to Gex, where his zeal for the propagation of his principles led him to apply to the bailiff to permit a public disputation to be held, in which he offered to defend his notions against any persons who might be deputed by the ministers and consistories in the neighbourhood.
The bailiff, who was the same person whom Gentilis had offended by dedicating his confession to him, no sooner found that the obnoxious person was within his reach, than he ordered him to be seized and imprisoned. He then delivered him to the magistrates of Bern, to which canton the county of Gex at that time belonged; by whom Gentilis underwent a tedious trial, and being convicted of obstinately impugning the mystery of the Trinity, was sentenced to lose his head. To the indelible disgrace of those Calvinistic magistrates, and the clergy who prompted them, this sentence was carried into execution; when Gentilis triumphed over his enemies by the fortitude with which he met it; rejoicing, as he said, that he suffered for asserting and vindicating the supremacy and glory of the Father.
His hypothesis concerning the person of Christ was that of the Arian school. His history affords a striking evidence that the first reformers, when they renounced the communion of Rome, entertained but imperfect and contracted notions of Christian freedom and toleration; and it exhibits persecution for religious opinions in a peculiarly odious light, because practised by men who professed a more strict adherence than others to the genuine spirit of the gospel, and yet glaringly violated its most distinguishing and fundamental obligations.
An Ecclesiastical History, by Walter Farquhar Hook D.D., Vol. 5, pp. 291-4.
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