Soon, Martin Luther's ideas had spread throughout Europe. Protestant sects were growing rapidly and new religious ideas were springing up everywhere.
John Calvin
John Calvin was a French scholar. He became a Protestant and created the Calvinist religion. He also published The Institutes of Christian Religion. It set out the basic ideas of Protestant thought. Calvin's most important teaching was the idea of predestination. Predestination stated that God had already chosen who would gain salvation long ago. Calvin applied his ideas to goverment as well. He set up a theocracy in Geneva, Switzerland. A theocracy is a goverment ruled by religious leaders. His goal was to create a "city of God", a perfect city where everyone had good moral virtues. The laws on people's behavior were very strict.
The Spread of Protestant Ideas
Protestant ideas quickly spread through books. With the help of the printing press, many Protestant books spread thorughout Europe. Martin Luther translated the Bible into German for all to read. William Tyndale translated the Bible into English.
