Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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examine every prisoner within twenty-four hours after his arrest. The
advocate or “Speaker” of Nicolas de la Fontaine in the trial was Germain
Colladon, likewise a Frenchman and an able lawyer, who had fled for his
religion, and aided Calvin in framing a new constitution for Geneva.
The trial began on the 15th of August and continued, with interruptions,
for more than two months. It was conducted in French and took place in
the Bishop’s Palace, according to the forms prescribed by law, in the
presence of the Little Council, the herald of the city, the Lord-Lieutenant,
and several citizens, who had a right to sit in criminal processes, but did
not take part in the judgment. Among these was Berthelier, the bitter
enemy of Calvin.
Servetus answered the preliminary questions as to his name, age, and
previous history more truthfully than he had done before the Catholic
tribunal, and incidentally accused Calvin of having caused the prosecution
at Vienne. It is not owing to Calvin, he said, that he was not burnt alive
there.
The deed of accusation, as lodged by Nicholas de la Fontaine, consisted of
thirty-eight articles which were drawn up by Calvin (as he himself informs
us), and were fortified by references to the books of Servetus, which were
produced in evidence, especially the “Restitution of Christianity,” both the
manuscript copy, which Servetus had sent to Calvin in advance, and a
printed copy. f1173
The principal charges were, that be had published heretical opinions and
blasphemies concerning the Trinity, the person of Christ, and infant
baptism. He gave evasive or orthodox-sounding answers. He confessed to
believe in the trinity of persons, but understood the word “person” in a
different sense from that used by modern writers, and appealed to the first
teachers of the Church and the disciples of the apostles. f1174 He denied at
first that he had called the Trinity three devils and Cerberus; f1175 but he had
done so repeatedly and confessed it afterwards. He professed to believe
that Jesus Christ was the Son of God according to his divinity and
humanity; that the flesh of Christ came from heaven and of the substance of
God; but as to the matter it came from the Virgin Mary. He denied the
view imputed to him that the soul was mortal. He admitted that he had
called infant baptism “a diabolical invention and infernal falsehood
destructive of Christianity.” This was a dangerous admission; for the
Anabaptists were suspected of seditious and revolutionary opinions.