(1509-1564) French reformer, pastor and theologian. John Calvin (Jean Cauvin) was born in Noyon, France to an aristocratic, Roman Catholic family. He studied law in Orleans and was attracted to humanism before his conversion to Christ in 1533. He is best known for his fidelity to Scripture, his exhortation to faith in the sovereign God and reliance on God's grace for salvation. Calvin's important works include Institutes of the Christian Religion and Calvin's Commentaries.