Editing Theodore Beza (section)

===Early life===
[[File:Vézelay-Maison natale de Théodore de Bèze.jpg|thumb|left|Theodore Beza's birthplace in Vézelay]]
Theodore Beza was born on 24 June 1519 in [[Vézelay]], in the province of [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]], France.<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|11048|author=Nicollier, Béatrice|date=30 September 2004}}</ref> His father, Pierre de Bèze, [[bailiff]] of Vézelay,<ref name=HDS/> descended from a Burgundian noble family; his mother, Marie Bourdelot, was known for her generosity.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} Beza's father had two brothers; Nicolas, who was member of the [[Parlement of Paris|{{lang|fr|cat=no|parlement}} of Paris]], and Claude, who was [[abbot]] of the [[Cistercian]] [[monastery]] of Froimont in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Beauvais|diocese of Beauvais]].{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} Nicolas, who was unmarried, during a visit to Vézelay was so pleased with Theodore that, with the permission of his parents, he took him to Paris to educate him there.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} 

From Paris, Theodore was sent to [[Orléans]] in December 1528 to receive instruction from the famous German [[humanist]] {{ill|Melchior Wolmar|de|Melchior Wolmar}}.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} He was received into Wolmar's house, and the day on which this took place was afterward celebrated as a second birthday.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} Beza soon followed his teacher to [[Bourges]], where the latter was called by Duchess [[Marguerite de Navarre|Margaret of Angoulême]], sister of King [[Francis I of France|Francis I]].{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} At the time, Bourges was the focus of the Reformation movement in France.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} In 1534, after Francis I issued his edict against ecclesiastical innovations, Wolmar returned to Germany.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} Beza, in accordance with the wish of his father, went back to Orléans and studied law from 1535 to 1539.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} The pursuit of law had little attraction for him; he enjoyed more the reading of the ancient classics, especially [[Ovid]], [[Catullus]], and [[Tibullus]].{{sfn|Choisy|1914}}

He received a [[Licentiate (degree)|licentiate]] in law on 11 August 1539, and, as his father desired, went to Paris, where he began to practice.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} To support him, his relatives had obtained for him two benefices, the proceeds of which amounted to 700 golden crowns a year; and his uncle had promised to make him his successor.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} Beza spent two years in Paris and gained a prominent position in literary circles.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}}{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} To escape the many temptations to which he was exposed, with the knowledge of two friends, he became engaged in the year 1544 to a young girl of humble descent, Claudine Denosse, promising to publicly marry her as soon as his circumstances would allow it.

[[File:Théodore de Bèze - musée de la Réformation.jpg|thumb|Beza at age 24, 16th-century portrait]]

In 1548, Beza published a collection of [[Latin language|Latin]] [[poetry]], {{lang|la|Juvenilia}}, which made him famous, and he was considered one of the best writers of Latin poetry of his time.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} But his work attracted unexpected criticism; as [[Philip Schaff]] says, "Prurient minds&nbsp;... read between his lines what he never intended to put there, and imagined offences of which he was not guilty even in thought".<ref>''History of the Christian Church'' [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc8.iv.xix.i.html vol. viii, sec. 167]</ref> Shortly after the publication of his book, Beza fell ill with [[Plague (disease)|plague]] and his illness, it is reported, revealed to him his spiritual needs.<ref name=HDS/>{{sfn|Choisy|1914}} Following his recovery, Beza adhered to the Reformed faith, a decision which resulted in a condemnation from the {{lang|fr|parlement}} of Paris, the loss of part of his property and the need to leave France.<ref name=HDS/> He then resolved to sever his connections of the time, and went to the [[Republic of Geneva]], a place of refuge for adherents of the Reformation, where he arrived with Claudine on 23 October 1548.{{sfn|Choisy|1914}}