Castellio Against Calvin, or Conscience Against Tyranny

Stefan Zweig masterfully addresses the problems of tolerance versus intolerance, freedom versus tutelage, humanism versus bigotry, individualism versus mechanization, and conscience versus violence in the person of Castellio, who remained a “forgotten man” for centuries, and creates an unforgettable work.

Calvin, who passionately defended “freedom of thought and belief” in the Protestants’ struggle against the Catholic Church, established a religious state system when he seized power in Geneva. He became a dictator and confined society to the mold he determined: An oppressive environment where people were burned, tortured, and everyone denounced each other was now in question. Sebastian Castellio, one of the leading scholars of the period, says what no one dared to say when Calvin had another scholar named Servetus burned at the stake in the name of religion on the grounds that he defended ideas contrary to his own: “Killing a man is never defending a doctrine, on the contrary: it is killing a man.” Thus, the relentless struggle between Castellio and Calvin takes on a dimension that transcends the ages…

Castellio vs. Calvin, the striking struggle of a conscience standing alone against tyranny…
“I knew nothing about Castellio, I am truly happy to have met him and I have made a friend from the past.”

- Thomas Mann -

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Paper Type: 2. Paste

Print Number: 1. Edition

First Printing Year : 2018

Number of Pages : 241

Dimensions : 13 x 19.5