READER>> Did Calvinism Originate with John Calvin?

ME>>  Actually, John Calvin did not originate Calvinistic thought.  The roots of Calvin's theology are also evident in the theology of Saint Augustine, a most famous Catholic priest from the 4th Century.  This is a very curious fact considering that the Catholic Church then condemned Calvin and some of the Reformers for holding to Augustine's theology in the 16th Century!  Sadly Christians have gone back and forth from Calvinism to Arminianism through the centuries because neither theologies find complete support from the Scriptures.  As far as the understanding of Augustine and Calvin, there appear to be some differences, but the essence of "Calvinism" is shared by both these men.

Saint Augustine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo
http://www.theopedia.com/Augustinianism 

John Calvin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism