It was immediately recognized that the burning of Servetus
had brought the Reformation to and beyond a parting of ways.

In a century disfigured by innumerable acts of violence,
the execution of one man more might have seemed a trifling
incident.

/

The flames that destroyed the martyred Servetus were a beacon ..
two centuries later, Gibbon declared that this one sacrifice
had scandalized him more deeply than the burning of hecatombs
by the Inquisition. ..
the execution of Servetus was the first "religious murder"
committed by the Reformation,

and the first plain repudiation of the primary idea of that
great movement.
In and by itself, the very notion of "heretic" is absurd
as far as a Protestant Church is concerned, since Protestants
demand that everyone shall have the right of interpretation.

Thus, at the outset, Luther, Zwingli, and Melanchthon declared
themselves strongly opposed to the use of forcible measures
against those who stood in the wings of their movement and
tended to exaggerate its purposes.
..in Luther's own words:

"I have little love for death sentences,
even though well deserved; what alarms me in this matter
is the example that is set.
I can, therefore, by no means approve that false doctors shall
be put to death. (..) Heretics must not be suppressed or
held down by physical force, but only combated by the word
of God. For heresy is a spiritual affair,
which cannot be washed away by earthly fire or earthly water."
Zwingli was .. even more emphatic in his repudiation of any
appeal to the secular arm in such cases,
and of any use of force.

/ Fra andre kilder:

In 1552 the Spanish Inquisition took action against Servetus,
but he escaped their hands.
Later, the French Inquisition declared Servetus worthy of
death but had to burn him in effigy, due to his escape.
In August 1553, Servetus traveled to Geneva
where he was recognized and at Calvin’s request was imprisoned
by the city magistrates.
The trial of Michael Servetus lasted through October, at which
time the Council of Geneva condemned him to death.
Servetus was burned at the stake on October 27, 1553.
The Calvinists and the Catholics both wanted him dead, but the
Calvinists got to him first.

/

Why, Domitian?