God's Anarchist: Part 1

Evolution of the word 'libertine'

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The World of Casanova

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Head Ledger

Bauta Mask

Mythology Symbols

The Joker Heath Ledger

‘Libertine’: ‘a person who leads a licentious life, a rake or debauchee’ (Chambers Concise Dictionary, 1991). This would seem to fit in pretty well with the Casanova of popular imagination: the archetypal sexual predator who flits from bed to bed with no thought for the consequences of his actions or for anyone or anything beyond his own personal gratification. However, Casanova’s conception of ‘libertine’ and that of his contemporaries was far more layered.

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The Drolatic Dreams Of Pantagruel

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'Wheel of Fortune' by Kev Butters, artist of 'Casanova in Paris: The Shadows of the King' - an online graphic novel created by Kev Butters and Dave Thompson.

an old black and white portrait of a man with a beard, wearing a hat

‘Libertine’, or ‘libertin’ in French, seems to have been first used in a morally derogatory sense by the second-generation French protestant reformer and theologian John Calvin (1509 – 1564). Calvin was a central figure in the establishment of the Reformed tradition.

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Martin Luther Reformation

Protestant Reformation

John Calvin before the Genevan council. In Geneva Calvin became involved in the struggle to develop and establish a form of church government known as Reformed or Presbyterian.

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Jean Antoine Watteau

Jean Honore Fragonard

'Amoureux' (by Jean-Honoré Fragonard). Of the various terms used to describe Casanova, one that frequently pops up is ‘libertine’.

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Tattoo Casino

David Wilkie

National Gallery Of Ireland

The Picture Room

'The Orgy'. The third painting in 'A Rake's Progress' by Hogarth. The classic depiction of a libertine. "It is three o'clock in the morning and Tom is shown drunk and enjoying the attentions of prostitutes at the Rose Tavern in London's Covent Garden" (Sir John Soane's Museum, London).

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Turning the Pages™

Calvin's teachings in particular emphasized divine predestination and the ultimate authority of the Bible in defining truth.

Bible

Key

Books

Calvin's key work was the ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’, a textbook on the Protestant faith.

Francis I of France - Wikipedia

Francis I of France. Persecution of protestant dissenters in France led Calvin in 1534 to flee to Switzerland.

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Calvin settled in the independent city-state of Geneva which had recently embraced the reformation and had become a magnet for protestant refugees from around Europe.

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Architectural Elements

John Calvin confronting the Spirituels/Libertines.

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Manuscript Illumination

Martyrdom of St Stephen by VASARI, Giorgio

Vasari's martyrdom of St Stephen. In Geneva, Calvin was opposed by several groups. It was one these, the Spirituels, that Calvin labelled Libertines. This was a reference to the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament where, at the Synagogue of the Freedmen (hence Libertines from the Latin ‘libertini’), a group of Hellenistic Jews fell into a dispute with Stephen. Stephen won the dispute but was falsely accused by the Jews of blasphemy, leading to his being stoned to death.

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Marguerite de Navarre - Wikipedia

Queen Margarite of Navarre. The Spirituels attracted particular support from amongst the social elites of French society. According to Philip Schaff (‘The History of the Christian Church’), they managed to convert several thousand and gained the favour of Queen Margarite of Navarre.

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William Walwyn - Wikipedia

Seekers, such as William Walwyn, were specifically anticlerical, rejecting all forms of organised cults and ceremonies, casting doubt on many aspects of Christian dogma and appealing for unlimited religious tolerance.