The Greek of Claix is in his element on this one.
Calvin continues ranting against the 'Papists' by tearing into the Catholic veneration tradition. Calvin feels that the Catholic Church practices the worship of human beings when they venerate saints and martyrs. Such is typical of petty idolaters, says Calvin. Idolaters replace true religion with lesser gods as a manifestation of their out of control egos.
But the Church responds by appealing to semantics. The reverence offered to God is called Latria a Latin term from the Greek word λατρεία that means reverent worship (I think). But latria is never given to saints. Instead the veneration given to saints and martyrs is doulia, a word that means service.
Here, Calvin splits with the likes of Aquinas and Augustine and calls a spade a spade. The two words in the Greek New Testament are used interchangeably with none of the nuance the Church purports, and he's right. That is shaving things too close and the results of this close shave are seen in the activities of the Catholic faithful.
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