Naaman, Nicodemo e Calvino: per una contestualizzazione teologico-politica della nozione di 'nicodemismo'

This paper demonstrates how Calvin rejects even the theoretical possibility of turning to the biblical story of Naaman the Syrian to legitimise the practice of dissimulation. In his polemic against dissimulators the Genevan reformer prefers to use the figure of Nicodemus, emphasising how he is the exact opposite of that which the dissimulators would wish. If it is indeed true that at first Nicodemus only approached Jesus at night, it is still the case that in the end he decided to declare his faith in Jesus in full daylight. Thus, in his debate with “Nicodemism” Calvin introduces a sort of argument using Nicodemus e contrario: it is not to the believer that a licence to worship publicly in a way contrary to his private faith may be given, but, at most, similar licence may be imposed forcibly on the unbeliever, since such coercion serves to give political stability to the corpus christianum.