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

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of his age. Yet with him the means were only valued because they reached
an end, and the great end he had ever in mind was the conservation of the
Reformed Church of Geneva and France.
His public life was an extraordinary one. Like the Apostle Paul he could
say that he had been “in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of
robbers, in perils from my own countrymen, in perils in the city, in perils in
the wilderness, in perils among false brethren; in labor and travail, in
watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness. Besides those things that are without, there is that which
presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:26–28). It
was indeed a brilliant service which this versatile man rendered. Under his
watchful care the city of Geneva enjoyed peace and prosperity, the
Academy flourished and its students went everywhere preaching the Word,
while the Reformed Church of France was built up by him. Calvin lived
again and in some respects lived a bolder life in his pupil and friend.
It is pleasant to get glimpses of Beza’s home life. Men like him are seldom
able to enjoy their homes. But Beza had for forty years the love and
devotion of the wife of his youth. They had no children, but his fatherly
heart may have found some expression in adopting his wife’s niece
Genevieve Denosse, whom he educated with great care, and also in his
parental solicitude for his brother’s children. It is perhaps to be taken as
indicative of the domestic character of the man that, on the advice of
friends, within a year after his wife died (1589), he married Catherine del
Piano, a widow of a Genevese. He also adopted her grand-daughter. It is
probable that he always lived in some state; at all events his will proves that
he had considerable property.
§ 176. BEZA’S WRITINGS.
Beza’s name will ever be most honorably associated with biblical learning.
Indeed, to many students his services in this department will constitute his
only claim to notice. Every one who knows anything of the uncial
manuscripts of the Greek New Testament has heard of the Codex Bezae,
or of the history of the printed text of the New Testament has heard of
Beza’s editions and of his Latin translation with notes. The Codex Bezae,
known as D in the list of the uncials, also as Codex Cantabrigiensis, is a
manuscript of the Gospels and Acts, originally also of the Catholic Epistles,
dating from the sixth century. f1310 Its transcriber would seem to have been