Calvin's Institutes: August 13

John Calvin's Institutes in a Year · Aug 13, 2026 · 11m

Today’s Readings Podcast DescriptionHow did the Roman See first begin to claim jurisdiction over other churches? In these sections of the Institutes, Calvin shows that its early influence grew chiefly from the protection it offered to orthodox exiles during the Arian controversies, and from the readiness of condemned men to appeal there as an asylum. He carefully examines the four heads of ecclesiastical power—ordination, censures, the calling of councils, and appeals—and demonstrates that in each the authority of the Bishop of Rome was limited to his own patriarchate. When he attempted to go…