Beza's Learned Discourse of the Plague

"With the outbreak of the coronavirus strain COVID-19, the Church is forced to ask questions we have not had to face since the recurring outbreaks of the bubonic plague.... The questions faced by Beza and Mr. Percival, and it is the wisdom of the Church to listen to her forefathers in the faith." from Ben Castle's Introduction




In this short, but wise work, Reformer Theodore Beza deals with the question of how Christians should react to the plague. In his time, many Calvinists thought that because all things come to pass according to God's will, then taking precautions against the plague or avoiding sick people shows lack of faith in God's providence.




Beza takes a hammer to this fatalism and shows that, just because God decrees all things does not mean that we should not love our neighbor by all means within our power.




This treatise is a reminder that God's people have faced plague and contagion before, and that a faithful and loving response is possible for a Christian, no matter the time or place.