ABSTRACT
Calvin first mentioned De haereticis an sint persequendi in March 1554 in a letter to Bullinger, quite possibly before he had even seen it; his opinion was that Curione and Castellio were the editors. The voices of Calvin's critics in Basle rose not only against the execution of Servetus, and the more fundamental issue of putting heretics to death, but also against his doctrine of predestination. Castellio's criticism of Calvin's doctrine of predestination first emerged in the Savoyard's printed notes on Romans 9, which he wanted to insert into the second edition of his Latin Bible. Basle was the centre of spiritual opposition to Calvin, and in the circle of friends around Curione and Castellio visitors appeared who were able to report on the mood in Geneva after the execution of Servetus. In the Bernese Pays de Vaud criticism of Calvin's teaching on predestination was articulated in both private circles and openly at clerical assemblies.
