Pulmonary circulation, heresy, and John Calvin make for an intriguing trio of historical companions. Still, these three elements all played a role in the life and death of Michael Servetus, who—lashed to the inquisitor’s pyre—“was slowly roasted, agonizingly conscious the entire time, the fire creeping upward inch by inch.”[i] His crime? He published a book that “redefined Christianity in a more tolerant and inclusive way.” [ii] On October 27, 1553, Servetus felt the first of the flames lick at his tender flesh and, according to eyewitness accounts, he shrieked with inexplicable pain to soon cry out his final words, “Oh Jesus, Son of the Eternal God, have pity on me!”[iii].
These final words, at face value, likely capture little notice by those who read the account with horror. Still, they did play an integral role in the means by which Servetus’ accuser secured the conviction and torturous death of Michael Servetus.[iv] Lashed to the dying Servetus’ arm was a copy of his book, Christianismi Restitutio, and sitting at home unwilling to watch the horrors of the death for which he was responsible [v]; John Calvin would later galvanize his followers to seek out and burn any remaining copy of the book Servetus had published.
Following the death of Servetus in 1554, John Calvin published a short tract entitled Defense of the True Faith of the Sacred Trinity against the Hideous Errors of Michael Servetus, Spaniard. This tractate cut to the heart of the primary charge levied against the once-living Servetus, who, being himself a profoundly educated and engaged student of the Scriptures, had become an avid opponent of the doctrine of the Trinity.
A Brief History Against the Trinity
Servetus’ antagonism toward the Trinity[vi] started early in his life. It would eventually force Servetus into hiding many years before his death, causing him to assume the new name of Michael de Villeneuve following his registration at the University of Paris as a medical student. [vii] While it would appear for a short time that Servetus would focus his brilliance mainly toward the field of medicine, it soon became evident that he had not detached himself from an underground resistance tying him back to his anti-Trinitarian tractates. Coming to establish a strong reputation as a physician and a name of fair prestige, he began to invest more time in his scholarly pursuits of Scriptural interpretation that, in time, would put him in direct correspondence with John Calvin starting in 1546, in response to the greatly celebrated Institutes of Christianity published by John Calvin.
The first letter sent by Servetus to Calvin sought an explanation, among others, of the relationship between Jesus and God. The response of Calvin was condescending and cold, which, in turn, would set into motion a series of scathing letters by Servetus[viii]. It was not until 1552, following Servetus’ publishing of Christianismi Restitutio (The Restoration of Christianity)[ix], that the actual conflict between Calvin and Servetus would begin and—as history accounts—would find John Calvin masterminding the fateful events that would eventually lead to Servetus’ imprisonment and eventual death over the slow-burning pyre.
Out of Flames
Covering the story behind one of the rarest books in the world[x], Out of Flames, brings us to the fearless account of Michael Servetus and the murderous rage of John Calvin. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone do a masterful job covering the complex layers of the events that surround the conflict between Servetus and Calvin. Servetus, well ahead of his time and a giant of an intellectual, pushed back against an ecclesiastical culture that led with terror and trial. His bitter conflict with John Calvin, a sore spot for those who adopt a Calvinistic soteriology, is a stain on the memory and life of a complex figure often portrayed through rose-colored glasses.
For Oneness Pentecostals, a sense of solidarity can be found in the writings of Servetus as he pushed back vociferously against the doctrine of the Trinity. While the Goldstones did not set out to publish for Oneness communities, the non-fictional work is a darling for Oneness historians. It brings us centerstage to the dark picture of murderous animosity toward those branded heretics for their denial of the Triune God. May we only be so bold as Servetus who, seated and bound to the burning pyre, was unwilling to embrace the tyrannical doctrine of the Trinity because, for Servetus, “whose biblical scholarship even at nineteen was colossal, knew that nothing of the Nicene Creed was stated or even hinted at in the Scriptures, which he had read in the original Hebrew and Greek. While studying the Bible at Toulouse, he had found ‘not one word about the Trinity, nor about its Persons, nor about Essence, nor about a unity of the Substance.’ The Trinity was a contrivance—sheer mysticism—and Christianity could never be purified until it was stripped away.”[xi]
[i] Goldstone L Goldstone N. Out of the Flames : The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar a Fatal Heresy and One of the Rarest Books in the World. First ed. New York: Broadway Books; 2002, p. 3
[ii] Ibid, p. 3
[iii] Ibid, p. 194
[iv] The choice of Servetus’ words, “Jesus, Son of the Eternal God” rather than “Jesus, Eternal Son of God” played into the primary means by which Servetus was charged, convicted, and killed.
[v] Some retellings of the events place Calvin in the distant crowd observing the horrific death of Servetus with malicious glee, but this is not established by the several written authorities on the events of October 1553.
[vi] His first publication on the Trinity, De Trinitatis Erroribus (The Errors of the Trinity) was followed by a second publication Dialogorum De Trinitate Libri Duo (Two Dialogues on the Trinity). Each work evidenced Servetus’ frustration with what he viewed to be an absurd interpretation of the Godhead.
[vii] It is likely during this time at the University of Paris that Servetus would discover Pulmonary Circulation, as evidenced on page 171 of Christianismi Restitutio. Seventy-five years later, William Harvey would be given credit for the discovery
[viii] Servetus would write 30 letters in all to John Calvin
[ix] The naming of the publication was a direct taunt to Calvin’s work and, while published anonymously, contained enough evidence to easily discover that Servetus was the author.
[x] Only three copies were discovered and remain
[xi] Goldstone L, Goldstone N, p. 67