or Beze, Theodore, one of the principal pillars of the reformed church, was born at Vezelay in Burgundy, June 24. 1519. He was sent early to Paris to his uncle Nicholas Beza, who was counsellor to the parliament; and at nine years of age he became a student at Orleans. He afterwards went to Bourges, where, under the care of Melchior Wolmar, he made extraordinary progress in learning, and imbibed the principles of Calvinism. His uncle intended him for the bar; but the law not suiting his disposition, he spent most of his time in reading the Greek and Latin authors, and in composing verses. In 1539 he took his licentiate's degree, and went to Paris, where he yielded to the allurements of pleasure, and wrote some poems of a licentious cast. But sickness awakened him to a sense of his error, and he determined to perform a vow he had formerly made of entering into the reformed church. With this resolution he went to Geneva and made a public profession of the reformed religion. In 1549 he accepted the Greek professorship at Lausanne, where he also read lectures in French on the New Testament. Having settled at Geneva, he adhered to Calvin in the strictest manner, and became his colleague in the church and in the university. At the solicitation of some great men of the kingdom he was sent to Nerac to confer with the king of Navarre upon affairs of importance. At this time the Guises had gained authority, under the reign of Francis II., to the prejudice of the princes of the blood. The king of Navarre having testified both by letters and deputies that he desired Beza might assist at the conference of Poissy, the senate of Geneva consented. The assembly listened attentively to his harangue, till speaking of the real presence, he said, that the body of Jesus Christ was as distant from the bread and wine, as the highest heaven is from the earth. This produced a murmur: some cried out, "Blasphemavit;" and others rose up to go away. Cardinal de Tournoir, who sat in the first place, desired the king and queen either to silence Beza, or to permit him and his company to withdraw. The king did not stir, nor did any of the princes; and leave was given him to proceed. Throughout the whole conference he acquitted himself with great ability. He often preached before the queen of Navarre, the prince of Condé, and in the suburbs of Paris. After the massacre of Vassy, he was deputed to the king to complain of this violence. The civil war followed soon after, during which the prince of Condé kept Beza with him; and while the prince was imprisoned he lived with Admiral de Coligny, and did not return to Geneva till after the peace of 1563. In 1571 he was chosen moderator of the national synod of Rochelle, and assisted the year after at that of Nismes; after which he was present at the conferences of Mouthierard, and at those of Berne. The infirmities of age beginning to fall heavily upon him, he seldom spoke in public; and in the beginning of 1600 ceased to do so entirely. In 1597, however, he wrote some animated verses against the Jesuits, on the occasion of a report that was circulated of his death, and of his having embraced on his deathbed the Romish faith. He died on the 13th October 1605. Beza was a man of extraordinary merit, and did great service to the Protestant cause. This, however, exposed him to innumerable calumnies; but his adversaries, both Catholic and Lutheran, found that he was well able to defend himself.

Beza wrote, 1. A Translation of the New Testament; 2. A Version of the Psalms into Latin verse; 3. A treatise on the Sacraments; 4. Some Sermons on the Passion of Jesus Christ and on Solomon's Song; 5. A version of the Canticles, in lyric verse; 6. A French tragicomedy, entitled The Sacrifice of Abraham; and many other works.