March 31 - Tremble and Quake

March 31 – Tremble and Quake

As the world challenged the church to allow freedom of worship, different denominations began springing up. While everyone believed that the Bible alone was the authority, no one was actually able to decide which interpretation was correct.

The Puritans didn’t like the teachings of the Anglican church, but while they still believed the clergy had a place within the church, one man did not. George Fox felt that there was too much formality within the church, even in the churches outside the Anglican Church.

He searched for answers and found them one day in 1647 when he heard a voice say to him, “There is one, even Jesus Christ, who can speak to thy condition.” (Notice how Jesus spoke to him in formal English? He’s good with words that way.)

Fox realized that the light of God was within himself and that all Christians had immediate access to God. They were all friends of God. He taught that if people would follow the light that God gave them, they could break free from sin.

There were a few rules that he set forth to become a participant in “The Friends,” but this group drew both aristocrats and commoners who worshiped and studied together. There were no clergy, but anyone could speak.

The Friends dressed simply, spoke the truth, opposed war, refused to pay a tithe to the state church and refused to bow to any man, even to tip a hat.

They placed great emphasis on freedom, which allowed for some abuse within the church. Fox ended up in jail and the judge began mocking the beliefs of the Friends. Fox told the judge that he should ‘tremble at the Word of God.’

The judge replied, “You are the tremblers, the quakers.” The name stayed with them.

Oliver Cromwell had offered tolerance to most religious groups during his rule, but not the Quakers. He thought they were honest and had integrity, but he didn’t like their demand for freedom. The movement grew, however as the teaching that each individual should experience Christ made itself known.

March 30 - Confession of Faith

March 30 – Confession of Faith

“Oliver Cromwell lay buried and dead, Hee-haw buried and dead.”

If you didn’t grow up singing those lyrics to a nursery rhyme, you lived a quieter life than I did. But, then my mother also taught me the rhyme for Lizzie Borden at an early age as well.

James I and his son, Charles I did their best to bring Scotland and England together under the Anglican Church. It didn’t go so well. There was the small matter of the English Civil War that occurred. So, Charles called a Parliament – that didn’t go well either. He dissolved it, but called another later that year. He wanted them to come to agreement about the Church. He made a fatal error.

Two years later in 1642, the same Parliament was in session. Charles thought he might get away with arresting members of the House of Common, saying that they had committed treason. War began. England turned to Puritanism.

In 1643, Parliament called an assembly at Westminster Abbey. The Episcopal system of the Anglican Church was done and a system similar to the Presbyterian church was put into place. At this assembly, the church was to be rebuilt. They met for six years.

Oliver Cromwell, who had charge of the army brought the Puritans into power and had the king beheaded in 1649.

The Westminster Assembly created the Westminster Confession in 1646, and several other tracts throughout the years, all very Calvinistic in theology: inspiration of Scripture – the Bible was the sole authority. Scripture was inspired by God and kept pure in all ages. The doctrine of predestination was upheld as was the teaching that God related to his people through covenant.

The church would be ruled by elders – not priests and bishops. And there would be no teaching of transubstantiation in communion. The Sabbath was set aside solely for worship.

In 1658, Cromwell died. His son, Richard, tried to take over but didn’t have his father’s talent for leading. He retired and Charles II came back into power. He restored the Anglican Church. The Westminster Confession moved into Scotland and became the power behind the Church of Scotland.

March 29 - New World

March 29 – New World

The Puritans and the Separatists had a problem. England no longer wanted them around. In fact, many of them ended up in prison and harassed by the government because they had rejected the Anglican church.

King James made it clear to them that when they left the Anglican Church, they had left him as well. He didn’t want them.

They let for Holland. But, much as the country was open to their beliefs, it wasn’t home. No one cared whether or not they were there and in fact, the country was so secular, the people were afraid of what would happen to their communities of faith.

Their hope lay in the New World, a place where there was no government which would persecute them. In fact, they hoped that they could take their Calvinist ideals with them and establish a new government. They weren’t afraid of the trials that would come in carving out a life in an unknown territory.

They returned to England and took a ship called the Mayflower and headed for the New World. They originally intended to sail to Virginia where there was an established colony, but when they went off course, they landed in Massachusetts.

Before they left the ship, forty-one men signed the Mayflower Compact, agreeing that this new colony was theirs and would be created for the glory of God. Their laws would be made for the common good, they would work as a group and not as individuals. They declared that they would govern themselves, under God.

The New World was on its way to becoming a new country.

March 28 - Palm Sunday

March 28 – Palm Sunday!

Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna!

Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. For most Christians, we have been preparing for this week since Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday.

The date for each of these days is determined by the date that is set for Easter.

Easter had been celebrated since the early days of the church. The specific date was always up in the air though and debated for centuries. For a long period of time, the date for Easter was set on Nisan 14 – the beginning of Passover according to the Jewish calendar. However, that meant that it wouldn’t necessarily be celebrated on a Sunday.

Polycarp (a disciple of John, the author of the Gospel, three letters, the Revelation and a disciple of Jesus) accepted that date as the proper date for celebration, but others in the Roman church held out until the Sunday following.

The only way many of the Christians at this time knew to set the date for Easter was to rely on their Jewish friends to tell them when Passover would begin.

This became much too unreliable a method. The Jewish calendar and the Julian calendar were quite different and calendars around the world were not yet uniform.

At the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, a decision was finally arrived at which would set the date for Easter independently of the date of Passover. However, arriving at the date for Easter does not depend on the Gregorian or the Julian calendar, but the movement of the sun and moon, which is exactly how the Jewish calendar is created.

For this matter – Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox.

It will occur between March 22 and April 25.

Some fun stats on the dates for Easter are taken from Wikipedia’s article on Easter: Easter last fell on March 22 in 1818, and will not do so again until 2285. It fell on March 23 in 2008, but will not do so again until 2160. Easter last fell on the latest possible date, April 25, in 1943 and will next fall on that date in 2038. However, it will fall on April 24, just one day before this latest possible date, in 2011. The cycle of Easter dates repeats after exactly 5,700,000 years, with April 19 being the most common date, happening 220,400 times or 3.9%, compared to the median for all dates of 189,525 times or 3.3%

March 27 - Saved or Not

March 27 – Saved or Not

IN the late 1500s, two pastors came together to debate Calvin’s views on predestination. Jacob Arminius had agreed to argue for Calvin. But, he lost the debate. In fact, he lost before it even began. As he studied both sides of the issues, he couldn’t help himself, he came to agree with hi opponent.

He split the Calvinist movement. When he died in 1609, the conflict was still raging. In 1610, his followers published the “Remonstrance” an outline of their five beliefs regarding salvation. “Remonstrance” stated that they had ‘set out what is sufficient for salvation. It is unnecessary to look higher or lower.’

1. Humans can do nothing good on their own.
2. Before the foundation of the world, God chose to save everyone who would freely choose to trust Christ.
3. Jesus died for everyone, but his death only redeems believers.
4. People can choose to reject God’s attempts to save them.
5. Scripture doesn’t clearly state whether or not Christians can forfeit their salvation.

In 118, Prince Maurice of Holland, who hated the Arminians for political reasons invited Calvinist pastors to gather in Dort simply to attack the Arminians. This Synod, though dealing with all of the political overtones, attempted to draft a balanced response.

1. Humans are by nature spiritually dead.
2. If someone trusts Christ, it is because God chose them. God’s choice is unconditional, not based on any human decision.
3. Christ’s death atoned for only those who would believe in him.
4. When God regenerates someone, that person will neither resist nor reject His grace.
5. Every Christian will persevere in faith until the end.

Until this time, predestination was only a small part of Calvinist theology. Its main purpose was simply to assure Christians of God’s love. After this point, predestination became one of the central tenets of their teaching.

March 26 - THE Bible

March 26 – THE Bible

Yes, you’ve met him a couple of times in the last week. He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots. While living in Scotland, he was Prince James – James VI. When he moved down to England to reign after Elizabeth’s death, he became James I.

The Puritans were hopeful … ever so hopeful that he would grant them favor. The church in England hadn’t yet committed itself to Calvinism and they were definitely hoping that James, coming from Presbyterian Scotland would be on their side.

James, however, believed that he had been given a “divine right to rule.” He kind of like that whole “Defender of the Faith” title and placed himself as the head of the Anglican Church. Those Presbyterians – well, they preferred independence and that might get in the way of the king having divine rights.

Now, there were a BUNCH of Puritans in England, so James couldn’t just dismiss them out of hand. IN 1604, there was a meeting between the Puritans and the bishops. James pretty much told them that they weren’t going to get anything they wanted. In fact, he let them know that he wanted them out of England.

What they did receive was his approval for a new Bible translation. What they didn’t realize is that James wanted to get rid of the Geneva Bible, which was clearly Calvinistic in its translation and in its helps. It was time for a translation of the Bible into English that would appeal to James.

He brought together fifty-four scholars, who worked with both the original texts (as they had them) and earlier translations. They worked for nearly three years on King James’ version of the Bible and it hit the presses in 1611. A highly accurate translation of the Bible was now available to everyone in England, endorsed by the King.

March 25 - Baptist Beginnings

March 25 – Baptist Beginnings

All of that upheaval in England created years of craziness for Christians and their churches. Remember, there really wasn’t anything like our ‘freedom of religion.’ Every time someone wanted to do things a bit differently, a hideous period of persecution occurred.

Queen Elizabeth had gotten the Anglican Church back on track, but it was pretty Catholic for some of the more reform-minded folk. The Puritans tried to ‘purify’ the church from within and then there was a group that just decided to separate – they were the Separatists (imagine that).

James I came to rule in 1603 and the reformers hoped for the best since he came from Scotland (where the Presbyterians were in existence) and his mother was Catholic. But, no, he had his mind made up and the Anglican Church wasn’t going to let anyone get away with being different.

John Smyth came from within the Anglican Church, but saw the need for the Separatist church and started one. Things weren’t good at all for this group of believers and they fled to Holland. He hooked up with a Mennonite and soon became convinced that infant baptism wasn’t scriptural. He managed to confuse himself for awhile because he wasn’t sure who would be able to baptize him or any of his church members. Finally, he baptized himself. That didn’t bring him a lot of comfort, so he tried to merge with the local Mennonites. Before they agreed, a small group split away and Smyth died.

The small group moved back to England and were led by Thomas Helwys. He had studied law and began making a lot of noise about religious liberty, even going so far as to send a copy of his small book to the King and writing an inscription telling King James that he was mortal and not God and didn’t have power over the soul of his subjects. Helwys was tossed into prison – and never heard from again.

But, the movement grew. The first group were called the “General Baptists” because they believed, along with the Mennonites that Christ died for all – not just the elect (a Calvinistic doctrine). A group of Puritans created another group called the “Particular Baptists” who believed in adult baptism, but retained Calvinist theology.

The Baptist church was born, with its emphasis on believer’s baptism and separation of church and state.

March 24 - French Massacres

March 24 – French Massacres

In France, the Protestants were known as the Huguenots. By 1559, there were more than 400,000 Protestants in that country.

In 1572, hope for reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics grew as Henry of Navarre (Protestant) was to wed Marguerite of Valois, daughter of Catherine de Medici (Catholic).

Catherine planned the wedding, but was also planning the assassination of the Huguenot leader – Gaspard de Coligny a popular French war hero. He had gotten himself involved in royal politics and she wanted his head. The assassination attempt failed, embarrassing the King. Catherine panicked and ordered a massacre of the Protestant leaders in Paris.

On August 24, 1572 – St. Bartholomew’s Day, Coligny was murdered. A rabble was roused and lower class citizens went after the shopkeepers, who were mainly Huguenots. The massacre began. Hundreds of people were killed, some thrown into the Seine, exempting no one, not even women and children.

Throughout the next weeks, the insanity spread into the countryside. Catholic mobs rounded up the Huguenots and killed them. They forced them to pay immense ransoms for their lives and then murdered them anyway.

There were at least as many as 30,000 – 40,000 and likely up to 100,000 people killed in these massacres, but it didn’t stop the spread of Protestantism in France. There were five more wars between the Protestants and the Catholics over the next several years.

In 1589, Henry of Navarre became king and proclaimed in 1598 the Edict of Nantes giving religious liberty to all. However, they were not allowed to move into Catholic territory.

The Huguenots lived for a short period in peace, but in 1629, Cardinal Richelieu gained power, ending their privileges and in 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes.

March 23 - Presbyterians

March 23 – Presbyterians

Scotland was definitely not having an easy time of it in the 1500s. They were so worried that England would overrun them, they aligned themselves with France. However, some of the nobles wanted to align with England and the little country had a terrible time dealing with the battles.

Finally, it was decided that Scotland should finally create ties with England. James IV married Margaret Tudor, Henry VII’s daughter. Their son, James V, though ended up marrying Mary of Guise from France. That sent England and Scotland on separate paths.

Protestantism had been making its way into Scotland with the return of scholars who had studied in Germany with Luther. But, the Parliament wrote laws against Protestants and persecution ran rampant against the preachers moving through the countryside. But, it continued to spread as students circulated smuggle Protestant books and the nobility resented the power of the King.

John Knox was a priest and a tutor to several noblemen’s children. He ended up in the thick of the controversy and then became preacher for the Protestants and the spokesman for reformation in Scotland.

France entered to put down the rebellion, Knox was arrested and sentenced to cruel labor. England got him released and he became a pastor there. Bloody Mary’s reign brought persecution to England and he escaped to Switzerland, studying with Calvin and Zwingli’s successor.

Back in Scotland, Mary Stuart married a Frenchman, which brought forth a sense of nationalism and religious upheaval to Scotland. Knox returned in 1559. The Protestants won several battles and the Parliament adopted a profession of faith based on Calvin’s teachings and drafted by Knox. The pope no longer had jurisdiction and the mass was forbidden.

Knox wrote the Book of Discipline, building the Presbyterian Church into the government. Universities were built and this book became a foundation for the Scottish people. He wrote the Book of Common Order for worship and the Scots Confession.

Mary Stuart maintained her Catholic beliefs in private and publicly fought with Knox as he preached against her. She abdicated and her son James was crowned in 1567 bringing an end to Catholicism in Scotland.

March 22 - Common Prayer

March 22 – Common Prayer

It took the death of Henry VIII, but England finally saw reform. Though Henry had separated from the Roman Catholic Church and created the Anglican church, things hadn’t actually gotten any better.

Thomas Cranmer had advised Henry during the fiasco with his first marriage to Catherine. His influence with the Catholic universities got a decision that Henry’s marriage to her was invalid and he was allowed to annul the union, thus leaving him open to marry Anne Boleyn.

In 1534, the English Parliament passed a series of laws forbidding payment to Rome and made Henry the supreme head of the Church of England. Anyone who disagreed was guilty of treason. Sir Thomas More was imprisoned for opposing the king and later executed.

As head of the Church of England, Henry voided his marriage and made his secret marriage to Anne public. She didn’t give him an heir, was accused of adultery and beheaded. Jane Seymour finally gave him a male heir, but later died. He married Anne of Cleves to establish an alliance with German Lutherans, but that didn’t work out so well for anyone. He divorced her, married Catherine Howard, who advocated against reformation. She was beheaded. Catherine Parr was his next wife and she did support the Reformation and Henry finally died in 1547.

Reformation was spreading through England whether Henry liked it or not. Cranmer had become Archbishop of Canterbury and supported the king hoping that more change would come in time. He ordered that the Bible be translated into English and finally English Bibles were in every church.

Cranmer couldn’t do too much while Henry was in charge, but at his death, Cranmer became a regent for nine-year old Edward VI. Changes occurred rapidly at this point. Confessionals were removed, clergy were able to marry, both bread and wine were used in communion, Oxford and Cambridge employed religious scholars from Europe.

The Mass continued to be said in Latin and Cranmer set about to change that. In 1549, he and a committee published the Book of Common Prayer which maintained the liturgy, but did away with many of the Catholic portions.

When Edward died, Henry’s first daughter, Mary became queen. Bloody Mary demanded that Catholicism be returned to England. She forced Cranmer to recant, but at his trial he refused and was burned at the stake. Her sister Elizabeth came into power and the Reformation then finally returned to England.

March 21 - Reform in the Church

March 21 – Reform in the Church

Pope Paul III was intent on reforming the church. He appointed cardinals that believed in reform and created a commission to recommend changes for the church.

He may not have wanted to hear the truth, but it is what he received. The clergy was more corrupt than anyone imagined, bribing others to gain their office. Morality was at an incredible low among both the clergy and monastic orders. The abuses in the sale of indulgences paled in comparison to the number of prostitutes allowed to move throughout Rome.

He called the Council of Trent in 1540 and it met at various times until 1563. Attendance wasn’t great, and politics continued to play a part, but change was coming.

Indulgences were abolished. The clergy was expected to maintain celibacy. Many Catholic positions were affirmed – seven sacraments (the Protestants said there were two) and sacraments were necessary for salvation. Transubstantiation (communion elements become the blood and body of Christ) was affirmed and the Latin mass was lifted up rather than having services in the local language.

They re-established that only the church could properly interpret Scripture and the Latin Vulgate was promoted as the Bible of the church.

The study of Thomas Aquinas’ works were promoted by the Council, ensuring that his theology would gain strength. They also affirmed the authority of tradition as parallel to that of Scripture and that justification was based on good works done through both grace and the believer.

Many of the Council’s declarations were direct responses and reactions to Protestantism and this marked the beginning of the modern Catholic Church.

March 20 - Soldier / Monk

March 20 – Soldier – Monk

Just about the time that the Protestants were defining the differences between themselves and the Catholic church, change was beginning to happen within the church. They could no longer tolerate the abuses and excesses and as they saw the large numbers of people being converted to Christianity through Protestantism, realized they were losing a lot of their foundation. Things had to change.

In 1540, Catholics and Protestants met to try to iron out differences and attempt a reunion. There was no way it would happen. Many doctrinal issues were easily dealt with, but there was no budging on the pope’s power and on the Lord’s Supper. The Catholics moved forward into a new era.

Where did their leadership come from? A Spanish soldier named Ignatius Loyola. He had been wounded in battle and while recuperating read Thomas A’Kempis’s ‘Imitation of Christ.’ His life was transformed and along with several friends, committed themselves to poverty, chastity and obedience to the pope.

That year, 1540, Pope Paul III gave his approval to the Society of Jesus with Loyola as its leader.

Loyola surrounded himself with young men who were pledged to do all they could to expand and preserve the Catholic Church. His military background gave the Jesuits a strong organizational structure and demanded absolute obedience to the pope. They stressed education and many of the finest universities in Europe were founded by the Jesuits.

They were extraordinary missionaries, first throughout Europe, following the pope’s command to return every leader to Catholicism. As Spain and Portugal expanded their territory, the Jesuits went with them to evangelize.

Because of this missionary spirit, the Jesuits took Catholicism to Japan, Brazil, Ethiopia and central Africa.

Francis Xavier went further into Japan and into India, Malaysia and Vietnam, dying in China as he attempted to continue spreading the Gospel.

This was the beginning of the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church.

March 19 - Massacres and Menno

March 19 – Massacres and Menno

The Anabaptists couldn’t seem to catch a break. Since so many of their leaders and teachers were persecuted and executed, wild heresies began to spread throughout the faithful.

One man, Jan Matthijs, decided that he could establish Christ’s thousand-year reign on earth (from the Revelation). While one of the major tenets of the Anabaptist doctrine was pacifism, his communal group in Munster, Germany took up arms against the army. Their food was cut off, their communications stopped, but they continued to hold out. Finally the leaders were killed and the group died away.

After this happened, both Protestants and Roman Catholic brutally oppressed all Anabaptists. Even John Calvin urged rulers to destroy them. By 1600, more than 10,000 Anabaptists had been executed.

Then came Menno Simons. He was a poor man who became a Roman Catholic priest. He didn’t invest much of himself in his job, in fact, he spent as much time at the bar as he did in his church. Then came the day that he decided he should study the Bible so that he could impress his priestly friends. In so doing, he was challenged to a different way of life.

In a nearby community, an Anabaptist was beheaded because he had been ‘re-baptized.’ Menno began to search the scriptures and came to the conclusion that infant baptism was not Biblical. He quested and studied, looking for the answers. A transfer to another church brought him into contact with more Anabaptists and then came the day that his brother, who had become an Anabaptist was killed. Menno Simon’s faith was being tested.

In 1536, he left the Catholic Church and became an Anabaptist. He rejected the violence purported by the Munsterites and taught a theology that focused on separation from the world.

Menno’s faith and understanding of scripture led him to become quite prominent in the faith and soon his followers would become known as Mennonites.

March 18 - System of Theology

March 18 – System of Theology

A highly disciplined man, a lawyer, a logical thinker, a man touched by God, exiled to Switzerland from France, a great Protestant Reformer, the author of the first systematic theology.

John Calvin was exiled from his home in France and forced to leave the University of Paris after infuriating the French government with speeches lifting up the Reformation. He ended up in Switzerland where he wrote “The Institutes of the Christian Religion,” a systematic summary of Christian theology.

He moved on to Geneva (Switzerland) and while the pastor at a church continued writing, churning out commentaries on nearly all the books of the Bible, devotionals and essays on doctrine.

In Geneva, Calvin’s work centered on saving the people. The city was desperate for change and a year after he arrived, it began to do just that. Calvin worked to excommunicate anyone whose lives didn’t live up to scriptural standards and soon everyone in Geneva had to abide by Calvin’s confession of faith.

But, he reformed the morality of Geneva, even though many didn’t approve of his methods. Finally the city council asked him to leave due to the number of political and religious arguments. He headed to Strasbourg and enjoyed a life of study and writing. In 1539, though, Geneva asked him to return to debate a Roman Catholic teacher. Expecting Calvin to be bitter and rebuke the leaders of the city, they were surprised when he began simply teaching.

Calvin worked on the “Institutes” throughout his entire life. These were his definition of Protestantism. He worked through the Apostles Creed, applying the theology of that statement to life. He taught on predestination, a doctrine that Luther and other reformers believed in. He taught on the sovereignty of God, opposing the salvation by works theology of the Roman Catholic church. He believed that Christians were to transform a sinful world and that the church should be based on scriptural order.

John Calvin was passionate about man’s relationship to the scriptures and to the church. He had charisma, intellect, energy and a high degree of morality. His teaching on Reformed doctrines and policies reached Scotland, Poland, Holland and America.

March 17 - Publishing House

March 17 - Publishing House

If you've ever read a Christian book, you probably recognize the name Tyndale. It's a predominant force in Christian publishing.

Long, long ago during the reign of Henry VIII, a man named William Tyndale had the courage to speak out against things that he believed were wrong ... within the church and within the monarchy. He ended up dying for his beliefs, but not before he became a major force in the Reformation.

William Tyndale was an absolutely brilliant man. He had studied at both the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, spoke seven languages and then learned Hebrew and Greek. He got his hands on a copy of the Greek New Testament and realized that the people of England, in their ignorance of scripture, were living dark, miserable lives. He intended to give them back the light of the Word of God in their own language.

First things first, though. He applied for the proper permission to translate the New Testament from the original Greek into English and was flat out refused. But, while he was in London, he discovered copies of Martin Luther's German translation and was encouraged to move to Europe to create his English translation. The same smugglers would bring copies of his Bible back into England.

He left England, but believe it or not, there were spies and informers that were looking for him, so no one ever really knew where he was at any given time. In 1525, his translation was finished and the first copies began making their way to England.

Tyndale also spoke out against Henry's divorce, claiming that it wasn't scriptural. He had a written discourse with Thomas More, who accused Tyndale of heresy and of being a traitor. Cardinal Wolsey publicly accused him of heresy and set forth a motion for his arrest.

During this time, Tyndale revised his New Testament translation, began work on translating the Old Testament and wrote several other treatises.

The King was livid. He, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas More all sent people to Europe to track Tyndale down and arrest him. Tyndale was finally betrayed by a friend, arrested and thrown in prison in 1535. In October of 1536, he was tied to a stake, strangled and then burned. His final words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes!"

Within the next four years, four English translations of the Bible were published in England, all based on Tyndale's work.

March 16 - England breaks

March 16 - England breaks

Henry VIII was the king of England during the Reformation and all sorts of exciting things began happening there as he attempted to make the Roman church bend to his will.

Henry wasn't supposed to be king. His older brother, Arthur was in line ... until he died. Henry married Arthur's wife and became king. Alas and alack, poor Catherine had no sons. Since there were no other brothers in the family to produce a future king what was Henry to do? The man wasn't stupid, in fact, he was absolutely brilliant, so he had to come up with a good way to rid himself of this poor woman and marry someone who would give him a son. Funny thing, he had already figured out who that was going to be. He'd had his eye on Anne Boleyn for quite some time.

Here's the problem. Catherine and Henry were Catholics and there was no way that the church was going to allow him to divorce her and remain a member in good standing. As a man with incredible power, you have to know that wasn't going to sit well. Catherine had actually had eight pregnancies, but most were still-born and she'd had one daughter. Annulment really wasn't going to be easily explained. But, remember, Henry was the king of England and knew that he could make things happen his way.

Henry applied to the pope for a special papal dispensation and was refused. He then ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to give him dispensation. What was that man to do? He needed to remain on good terms with the king, so he agreed. This effectively split England away from the Catholic church. Henry declared himself head of the church in England and approved of his divorce. All would be fine. Well, not really.

Henry knew that the monasteries in England remained part of the Catholic church, so he sent Thomas Cromwell around to dig up any dirt possible on the monks and nuns. Funny thing, there was plenty to be discovered. Cromwell barely had to make up information, it presented itself all throughout England. Monks were fathers of random children, nuns were pregnant, vows were rarely lived. Monasteries were closed all over the country and the people in the surrounding areas were given free reign to loot the monasteries as long as the silver and gold went to the state. This brought a lot of joy to those that had been putting up with lazy monks for years.

While the Roman church no longer had control of the church in England, not much had changed. Henry had his divorce and he had control, but true reform was yet to begin.

March 15 - Still baptizing

March 15 - Still baptizing

The Anabaptist movement was just beginning, even though they were harassed by the Roman church and the Protestants alike.

Another leader, Michael Sattler, was a former monk. He was arrested in 1525 for hanging out with the Anabaptists, but released when he renounced their teaching and promised to leave Zurich. He met a woman and got married. She gave him courage as he rediscovered the truth of the Anabaptists.

Because this movement drew so much opposition and attracted such strong personalities, a secret meeting was called in Schleitheim, Switzerland. They drew up a 'confession' to bring order and a sense of direction to the movement. Sattler was more than likely the author of this document.

This confession had seven points that have become such a part of our lives we don't realize the depth of change they wrought in this period of history. Firstly, baptism is only performed for those who repented of sins and believed in Christ. Secondly, came the 'ban' in which a member who sinned was given two private warnings and then shunned if they continued. Third was the teaching that communion was done in memory of Christ and was not a sacrament. Fourth came the idea of separation of church and state. After years of the church running many of the governments in Europe, this was a fresh idea. The fifth idea was that congregations would be allowed to select their own pastors. The last two portions of the confession came from Christ's teachings. Number six heralded their belief in pacifism. Christians are armed with the armor of God, people of the world use steel and iron. The last taught that no man would take an oath.

Zwingli and Calvin both denounced this confession, but the ideas have persisted throughout the centuries.

Michael Sattler was executed in May of 1527. He refused a lawyer at his trial, stating that this was a defense of faith, not a legal issue. His wife refused to recant her beliefs and was executed by drowning a few days later.

March 14 - No baby steps

March 14 - No baby steps

Reform was sweeping through Europe, but sometimes the church simply changed hands. For the most part, the reformers would gain control of the government and simply replace the Roman church with the reformed church. Everyone in the community was expected to belong to the new church.

Zwingli was supported by Zurich in Switzerland. However, there were a group of people that had some fresh ideas about who might belong to the church. Maybe it wasn't meant for everyone, but just for those who wanted to be Christians. As they thought through that, it occurred to them that baptizing infants wasn't really working out so well. How could a baby join a church. In that day and age, babies were baptized just as a matter of form since they were part of the community.

Conrad Grebel and his wife decided that they weren't going to baptize their baby. Other families made the same choice. The city council in Zurich called for a debate on the issue. Following the debate, a vote was taken and infant baptism still remained. These radical people needed to either get their babies baptized or get out. They were also ordered to stop meeting.

They met. They talked. They prayed. Georg Blaurock was convicted during his prayer and asked Grebel to baptize him as the apostles had - after he had made a confession of faith. Others followed and the Anabaptist movement was born. Anabaptist means 'rebaptizer.' They didn't choose the name. Enemies mocked them with it.

They left Zurich and began their own church, free from the laws of the city. The leaders were imprisoned and many were executed.

Grebel began preaching and during the spring of 1525 baptized over five hundred people that had been baptized as infants. He had studied with Zwingli and stood with him as changes were made in Zurich, but now he was in exile. He and Zwingli held public debates.

Grebel was arrested later in 1525, sentenced to life in prison, escaped but then at the age of 29 died of the plague.

The Anabaptist movement had just begun. From this group came the Mennonites, Huttites and the Amish.

March 13 - Reform in Rome?

March 13 - Reform in Rome?

After Pope Leo X pushed Martin Luther into writing the 95 Theses and beginning the Reformation, the college of Cardinals realized just how bad the path was that the church was taking. The church was running out of money because of the extravagant purchases that it had been making, the reformation was decimating the church in Germany. It was time for change.

They met and chose a non-Italian pope for the first time in 200 years. As it turned out, he would be the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II in 1978. Adrian Dedel was from the Netherlands and had been the Inquisitor of Spain. He took the name Adrian VI and arrived in Rome for the first time in August of 1522.

Dedel had also been the tutor for Charles of Hapsburg who became Emperor Charles V, King of Spain. He was a brilliant man and recognized the need for reform in the church. He went to Rome with that in mind.

Then he ran into trouble. There was no desire among the clergy of Rome to give up their luxuries. They liked their lives. Islam was moving again trying to take territory and rid the area of Christianity. The plague hit Rome. When the cardinals left the city, Pope Adrian VI had no one to support his reform. Since the church had no money, he was accused of being miserly. But his heart was in the right place, even though he achieved nothing.

Within two years, Adrian VI died at the age of 64. He accomplished very little during his papacy, due mainly to the fact that he had very little knowledge of the politics of Rome and very little support.

The church was trying ... it just hadn't succeeded yet in returning to the strength of its beginning.

March 12 - Switzerland

March 12 – Switzerland

While things were hot and heavy among the reformers in Germany, the reformation was beginning to grow in Switzerland.

Ulrich Zwingli spent a great deal of time in Scripture and saw how far the Catholic church had gotten from God’s word. He was a parish priest in Glarus, Switzerland and dealt as chaplain for young Swiss mercenaries. He hated to see them selling their fighting services for the country. When he was the priest in Einsideln, he immersed himself in the New Testament and began preaching an evangelical gospel. In January of 1519, he was the pastor at Zurich’s main church. In defiance of the church, instead of using the standard lectionary, he announced he would preach on the Gospel of Matthew. The time was coming, but not yet.

That year, the plague hit Zurich. He did his best to minister through it until he fell victim. During his three month recovery, he learned about depending on God. He preached the Bible, even when it was different from the rituals and doctrines of the church. In 1522, some of his parishioners chose to eat meat during Lent and Zwingli preached a sermon on freedom in their support.

The government in Zurich essentially took the church in its own hands, offering chances of debate. Zwingli’s views prevailed and was allowed to remain in the pulpit to proclaim the gospel. Over the next two years, reform occurred rapidly, priests and nuns married, Catholic images were removed from the church and soon the mass was replaced by a much simpler service.

In 1529, Luther and Zwingli were brought together in an attempt to unify the Reformed movement. There were fifteen issues that they discussed at Marburg. They agreed on fourteen. They could not come to agreement on the communion elements. While both agreed that transubstantiation was not right (transubstantiation is the belief that the communion elements become the body and blood of Christ), Luther believed that Christ’s body is present with the visible elements (because Christ said “This is my body”) and Zwingli believed that Christ’s words meant ‘This symbolizes my body.’

In 1531, there were many small religious wars breaking out between the Catholics and the Reformers. At the battle of Kapel, Zwingli was caught in a religious war and killed, his body hacked to pieces. These religious wars would last for at least another hundred years.

March 11 - 95 Theses

March 11 – 95 Theses

Martin Luther wanted to challenge Teztel’s teachings about indulgences. In his fury, he wrote out a list of 95 topics for debate. He nailed that list on the chapel door in Wittenberg. At first, a few scholars were a little upset. Pope Leo X decided that Luther was drunk and would get over it.

Three years later, the pope published a bull called “Arise, O Lord” in which he said that “A wild pig (Luther) had invaded the Lord’s vineyard (the church). Martin Luther put Leo’s bull in a bonfire. Two months after this, Luther received a letter from the Holy Roman Emperor asking him to come to talk about the theses. The Latin word for an imperial meeting is ‘diet,’ the meeting would happen in the German city of Worms, so this was “The Diet of Worms.”

Luther planned to go and end up dead. He remembered the fate of Jan Hus, who had been promised safe conduct. When confronted with the theses, Luther admitted they were his, when asked if he would defend them that day, he asked for time to think it over. The next day he returned and announced that his conscience belonged to the Word of God. He couldn’t recant anything.

As he returned home, he was kidnapped, but it was by men who intended to keep him safe. They placed him in hiding for ten months. He had been excommunicated and his writings were banned. While in hiding in Wartburg Castle, he continued to write and began translating the New Testament into German.

Because of Luther’s daring, Germans began to oppose the pope. Certain nobles supported Luther while others supported Rome. In 1530 a meeting in Augsburg, a group attempted to bring reconciliation between Luther’s cause and the church, since their position was true to historic Catholicism. But the Catholics demanded concessions that couldn’t be made and the split was finished.

March 10 - A lawyer and a monk

March 10 – A lawyer and a monk

In 1505 a young lawyer was struck by lightning. In his fright, he promised to become a monk. He joined a monastery and became a priest in 1507. Since he was such an amazing student, he was sent to Wittenberg University. His passion for God was incredible. He would spend hours and hours in the confessional because he saw the huge chasm between his sin and God’s holiness.

Luther was a deeply passionate man who couldn’t seem to get past the depth of his sin. While at Wittenberg University, the lead Bible professor appointed him as his replacement, hoping that Luther might find peace in the scriptures.

In 1510, Luther traveled to Rome, but was completely disillusioned by the faith he found there. It seemed mechanical. While there he did everything that was required to bring piety. He climbed Pilate’s stairs, where Christ supposedly had walked. He prayed and kissed each step, but the doubts in his heart began to brew. He returned to Wittenberg.

His desire for righteousness led him to the Bible. He realized that God was not only righteous, but could also give righteousness to sinners – to anyone who trusted in Christ. He had finally found peace within himself.

With this new found confidence in his relationship with God, Luther began to speak out against corruption. He had been consistently criticizing the selling of indulgences and the worship of relics, but he soon received a grand battle, right at his doorstep.

Pope Leo X needed an immense influx of cash to build St. Peter’s Basilica. He made a deal with Prince Albert. If the German prince would sell indulgences, he could keep half the profits. Prince Albert hired a peddler named Tetzel who came up with the phrase, “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”

Luther was furious! This was a blatant misuse of the church’s power.

March 9 - Renaissance Popes

March 9 – Renaissance Popes

The Italian Renaissance offered great prosperity and incredible political upheaval. It was during this period that the popes in Rome did their best to attract the finest artists. Palaces, churches and monuments filled the city. The papal library filled with great literature.

Eugene IV did his best to make the city of Rome a glorious gem in Christendom. Following him, Nicholas V (1447-1455) attempted to make Rome the central political power in Italy. He also developed an amazing personal library, bringing in authors and artists from all over Europe. When Constantinople fell in 1453, he tried to get a crusade going but failed miserably.

Calixtus III (1455-1458) was the first pope from the Spanish Borgia family. He tried to unify Italy to stave off a Turkish attack and built the military while avoiding the church. He promoted his family and made his grandson Rodrigo a cardinal. We’ll meet him later as Alexander VI.

Pius II (1458-1464) didn’t achieve much, but he still believed that the papacy was important to God. Following him, Paul II (1464-1471) became a pope because his uncle had been one (Eugene IV). He was interested in building the collections of art. He had concubines which were acknowledged in the papal court and restored the monuments of pagan Rome.

Sixtus IV (1471-1484) actually bought the papacy and then promoted his family in the church. Wars were fought throughout Italy to promote his family members and he created immense taxes so that his papacy could exist in luxury.

Innocent VIII (1484-1492) was the first pope to acknowledge his illegitimate children and gave them incredible wealth. Under his reign, the sale of indulgences was managed by a son and grew out of control. In 1484 he ordered the deaths of hundreds of innocent women because they were accused of being witches.

Alexander VI (1492-1503) was another Borgia and brought corruption in the papacy to its highest level. It was said that he committed every capital sin except gluttony and that was only because he had a bad stomach. He had secret meetings with the Turkish sultan and had concubines who were the legal wives of others in his court. Italy fought many wars because of the intrigue in his courts. Two of his children were Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. He died and Cesare was set to become the next pope, but he suffered from the same disease as his father.

Pius III came in to reform the papacy and bring peace, but he died after twenty-six days.

Julius II (1503-1513) was made cardinal by his uncle Sixtus IV. He took the name Julius to set aside any thoughts that he was modeling his rule after a Christian saint, but instead Julius Caesar. He is the one that brought Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel and Raphael to create frescoes in the Vatican. He loved war and attempted again to unify Italy. He died in 1513, known as Julius the Terrible.

Leo X (1513-1521) was a son of Lorenzo de Medici of Florence. He continued as a patron of the arts, tried to unify Italy again. His great dream was to complete St. Peter’s basilica and proposed one of the greatest sales of indulgences yet seen. This was the point at which Luther protested. The Reformation was at hand.

Information taken from “The Story of Christianity” Volume I, The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation by Justo L. Gonzalez, Published by HarperCollins

March 8 - Savonarola

March 8 – Savonarola

Ok, it sounds a little like an interesting granola bar, but Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar who transformed Florence in the late 1490s.

Lorenzo de Medici was the ‘boss’ of Florence and though he brought life to the arts and the culture of the region, he was a greedy tyrant. The church had no influence in Florence as the Medicis encouraged corruption and self-centered, wealth-conscious life to the people.

Savonarola showed up and began preaching against sin and haranguing the people about the downfall of the city that they so proudly called Christian. Crowds flocked to hear him preach.

In 1494, France attacked and the people of Florence tossed aside the Medicis in a revolution and all of a sudden, Savonarola was the new ruler. With his rule, people began radical change. Bankers and traders returned what they had stolen from their customers, people gave up their fancy clothes, quit gambling and men became interested in the monasteries again.

However, he didn’t stop with changing one city, Savonarola went after the pope and any other clergy member that was more tied to the world than to God. The pope at the time, Alexander VI had a bunch of illegitimate children out there and was tired of hearing about it. In 1495, he ordered Savonarola to stop preaching. He actually did and began studying instead. A year passed, Alexander figured that he had bested the man and allowed him to preach again. That was a mistake.

Savonarola took after him with a vengeance and in 1497 the pope excommunicated him. The people of Florence stood behind him for awhile, but in 1498 the pope threatened to excommunicate the entire city. Trade was blocked, the city leaders quickly made a choice and turned him over to a couple of papal ambassadors. They were under orders to ensure his execution.

Though they couldn’t come up with any specific charge against him, Savonarola and two of his closest friends were burned at the stake. He believed that the church should reform, a belief that was sweeping across Europe. But the time wasn’t yet right.

March 7 - No One Expects the ...

March 7 – No One Expects the …

Spanish Inquisition!

Ferdinand and Isabella weren’t just about finding the new world … they wanted to ensure the purity of Christianity in their country. So while Columbus was off sailing the ocean blue, they forced Christians to be true. (sorry for that rhyme – couldn’t help myself)

The church had been punishing heresies for several centuries. In 1184, Pope Lucius required bishops to ‘inquire’ into the faith of the people they cared for. If someone was accused of heresy, though, they were excommunicated until a retraction came. Then restoration occurred. This was to be a loving adjustment for that person. Uh huh.

Pope Innocent III decided that the state could punish heretics and confiscate their properties. If the authorities didn’t do what the church wanted, they would find themselves excommunicated. Oh the power.

In 1229 at the Synod of Toulouse, the church decided it was necessary to handle many of the heretics (remember, these accusations were against what they deemed to be heresies – not all of them actually were) in a more organized manner. Pope Gregory IX gave power to the Dominicans to ferret out suspects. The only person they answered to was the pope.

In 1252, Pope Innocent IV authorized torture to get information and confessions of heresy. But, they still didn’t kill people, they allowed the state to do that.

Then, along came Ferdinand and Isabella. They practically begged … ok, they just asked for it … the pope to allow them to be the inquisitors and bring the Inquisition to Spain in 1478. They truly were devout Catholics and figured that the only way Spain would prosper was if it were truly a Christian state.

Jews and Muslims had converted to Christianity to save their lives and their businesses and homes, but in 1492 (yup, Columbus was sailing for America!), they kicked all the rest of the Muslims and Jews out of Spain.

Tomas de Torquemada was a Dominican friar who excelled at cruelty. The Inquisition was off to a flying start as they continually confiscated property to ensure that it had the money to exist. They even sold the office of ‘familiar’ – one who had protection from arrest by informing on others.

Protestantism began to grow in Europe, but in Spain, the Inquisition stopped it from ever really growing there. The Inquisition throughout Europe was never as bad as it was in Spain, but it would continue for another 400 years.

March 6 - Constantinople Falls / Renaissance Begins

March 6 – Constantinople Falls – Renaissance Begins

The city that became the center of the Eastern Empire was all that was left 1140 years after Constantine founded it. On May 28, 1453, people gathered in the Hagie Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom) along with Roman bishops who came for support. The schism was set aside and they shared communion. This would be the final time that Christianity was lifted up in this place. The next day, the Muslims conquered Constantinople. A Muslim teacher entered the building, walked to the altar and said, “There is no God but Allah.” From that point forward, the building was a mosque.

The Ottoman Turks had finally set aside the Byzantine Empire.

Scholars had already fled into Europe. When they left, they took their treasures … ancient Greek manuscripts. The Roman Christians had all but ignored these authors and with the influx of this information into the continent, a brand new birth of interest in Greek art, writing and rhetoric was born. The Renaissance had begun.

Christians began applying the philosophical insights that were gleaned from these works to Scripture. They focused on the original language of the Bible and determined to go back to the original intent. During this period of time, Johann Gutenberg mastered movable type and by 1456 had produced 200 exact copies of the Jerome’s Vulgate Bible.

Now, most common folk and even many of the village priests were still illiterate and couldn’t read or write their own language, much less Latin. By 1483, every large European country had at least one press and within 50 years, books were available in many languages, literacy increased and the Bible began being translated into languages for everyone. As people learned to read, they began to read the Bible for themselves. The Gospel spread across Europe quickly as people began to comprehend scripture without the intervention of a priest or the pope. The church’s power was beginning to loosen, but it wasn’t ready to give up quite yet.

March 5 - Joan of Arc

March 5 – Joan of Arc

The hundred years war plagued all of Europe, though it was essentially a war between England and France. Back and forth the battles went. Charles VII declared himself king, but was losing badly. And then he met Joan of Arc, a young woman from a little village in France.

She claimed to have had visions of saints and the archangel Michael, ordering her to lead his troops to break the siege of Orleans and to crown him king. Charles sent for her, not believing in her at all, but she soon convinced him and so he sent her out of the city to attempt to bring badly needed supplies. She succeeded against odds and began accomplishing other goals for the army.

Finally, the siege broke, the enemy left and the “Maid of Orleans” was in charge. She didn’t allow the troops to pursuing the fleeing army since it was Sunday – a day for prayer and not for battle. From here, the war changed course. The French had been split among the French and English rulers. Joan of Arc gave them one central focus and they gathered and united under her standard. The king of France was finally crowned king.

She wanted to stop fighting and go home, but he insisted she remain. The English were desperate to stop her. They were claiming that God fought on their side, but if she was right with her visions, then God was obviously for the French. King Charles was embarrassed that he owed his crown to a peasant girl, so when she was captured and sold to England, he refused to ransom her.

A bishop bought her and imprisoned her among male convicts. She did agree to recant all of her statements about receiving orders from heaven, but then she again spoke of visions from the saints. She was taken to the square in Rouen and burned alive. Her last request was that the priest with her would hold the crucifix high and speak words of salvation loudly so she would hear them above the flames.

Twenty years later, Charles VII came to Rouen, ordered an inquiry and she was exonerated.

March 4 - John Hus

March 4 – John Hus

The teaching of John Wycliffe soon left England and began permeating the continent. A famous preacher and scholar had become the rector at the University of Prague in 1402. Bohemia was connected to England at the time through the wife of King Richard III, so a number of Czech students had studied in England and brought home Wycliffe’s writings. John Hus, while at the University of Prague also preached in a chapel in Bethlehem (Bohemia). Within the church there were images of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet beside the image of people kissing the feet of the pope. The pope was seen riding a horse, while Christ was seen walking. Hus could barely tolerate the idea of extreme excess that was seen in the clergy and began emphasizing the role of the Bible in church authority, raising it far above papal authority.

While the people and even the aristocracy loved what he taught and his popularity increased, the archbishop in Prague was not happy. He told Hus to stop preaching and then informed the University that they were to burn Wycliffe’s writings. Hus refused and the archbishop condemned him. Because of Hus’ refusal, Pope John 23 (one of the three popes at the time) excommunicated all of Prague. No one in that city could receive the sacrament. Hus finally agreed to leave the city, but continued to preach in open air gatherings.

He wrote a book “On the Church” in which he defended the authority of the clergy, but claimed that only God could forgive sin. He also stated that no pope or bishop could establish doctrine that ran contrary to the Bible and gave permission to the people to disobey a priest’s order if it was obviously wrong.

For quite some time, though Hus was excommunicated by the pope, the king of Bohemia supported him and so he was allowed to continue preaching and teaching. Until the day that the pope decided to declare a crusade against Naples (Italian politics) and to financially support it, he began selling indulgences. Hus was furious and protested quite loudly. The public got involved and there were demonstrations and outcries from the Czech people. The king finally bowed to the pope and removed his support.

In 1415, there was a council of churches that met at Constance. Hus hoped that this would be a chance to begin a reformation of the church. The intention of this council was to deal with the three separate popes.

Hus was promised safe conduct, but as soon as he arrived was taken into custody and imprisoned. He was ordered to retract his statements and named a heretic. John XXIII was also arrested and there was hope that Hus – as an enemy of John – would be released.

When he was chained and brought in front of the council, he refused to renounce what they called heresy saying, “I appeal to Jesus Christ the only just judge who will not judge based on false witnesses and erring councils, but truth and justice.” He was sent back to prison.

On July 6, he was taken to the cathedral. They shaved his head and then covered it with a paper crown on which demons had been drawn. As they led him to the stake, they took him past a pyre where his books were burning. The church handed him over to secular authorities who tied him to a stake and burned him alive. His prayer was “Lord Jesus, please have mercy on my enemies.”

The church had committed a great error. In Bohemia many different groups came together to oppose this Council. They created “Four Articles” as the basis of the Bohemian resistance: the Word of God would be preached freely, communion would be open to the laity, clergy should be deprived of its wealth and gross and public sin would be punished.

The next king was told he had to adhere to these articles and refused, calling a crusade against the Hussites. It failed, other crusades came into Bohemia and these also failed. Finally the church decided to negotiate and brought the church in Bohemia back into the fold. But, many refused and established the “Unitas Fratrum” or Union of Brethren. This church grew rapidly in Bohemia and in Moravia. Later we will see the development of this group into one we call “Moravians.”

March 3 - Reform begins

March 3 – Reform begins

By this point, the church was a mess. In 1409, cardinals from Avignon and Rome decided that the schism had to end. They met – the Council of Pisa – and decided that a church council could make decisions binding the church without necessarily needing a pope. The Council rejected both the French and Italian popes and elected a new Roman bishop. The only problem? Those two popes refused to acknowledge their dismissal. All of a sudden there were three popes on the scene. No one, including the priests knew where the true church was.

A professor of philosophy at Oxford University in England decided that there might be a different way to apply the word ‘church.’ He began teaching that the church wasn’t about the pope, the priests or even the sacraments. The church was about the people called by God to faith in Jesus Christ. He used scripture to teach his message. He also believed that every single person should be able to understand the Bible.

John Wycliffe found himself in trouble with the church quite often and faced down charges of heresy regularly. As he studied scripture, he began to question the official Catholic position on things and their right to power and wealth. He loudly questioned the sale of indulgences – letters pardoning a person’s sin that were sold to benefit the church. He was unhappy with superstitious worship of saints and relics (body parts of dead saints) and he flat out questioned the authority of the pope. He also began to call into question the doctrine of transubstantiation (communion elements actually being transformed into the body and blood of Christ).

These things brought him before bishops and councils on a regular basis with those charges of heresy. Since he lived in England, he found a lot of support. The monarchy and the lesser rulers were glad to support his claims against the church since they resented the church trying to take power and money from them.

For quite awhile, he and his followers – the Lollards – or Poor Preachers, worked with the common people teaching scripture and traveled throughout England. But, as time passed, he lost some of his popularity and in 1377 his writing was banned.

That was fine with John Wycliffe. He began translating the Bible into English so that everyone could read it. He completed a first edition and an improved second edition was published, just after his death. The Lollards continued to distribute that even though it was illegal.

John Wycliffe died in 1384 in good standing with the church, but thirty one years later, he was excommunicated and in 1428 his body was exhumed, burned and scattered on the river Swift.

His ideas began to move through Europe, though and by the time the papacy was in real trouble, the seeds of reformation had begun.

March 2 - Catherine of Siena

March 2 – Catherine of Siena

As a little girl, Catherine desired to be the bride of Christ. When she was 16 years old, she joined a community of Dominicans, spending her time in prayer and fasting. One day she had a vision that she was to care for the poor. Along with other Dominicans, she came back to the real world and took care of people through the time of the plague.

She was a scholar and wrote many letters, 300 of which still exist. She wrote to everyone, from everyday folks to the pope, who was still in Avignon. She encouraged Gregory XI to return to Rome in order to heal the church’s difference. While she traveled, she preached against the ‘stench of sin’ that was coming from Avignon. She finally traveled to visit him in Avignon and he made the decision to move the papacy back to Rome.

Catherine’s letters are considered great works of Tuscan literature. She wrote to Queens and Kings, Popes and mercenaries. Her other major work is a story of a soul rising to God and God Himself – “The Dialogue of Divine Providence.”

In 1377 the pope did return to Rome, but the struggle wasn’t over. They were tired of a French pope and wanted a Roman. When he died, the cardinals compromised and elected an Italian to the papacy.

Pope Urban VI did not support the French and this created a new Schism. The French cardinals went back to Avignon and Clement VII was elected. This dual papacy lasted for 39 years.

Catherine died in 1380 at the age of thirty-three. She had quit eating and for awhile quit taking in any water, but stopped that because of the severity of it. The only food she took in was the wafer of bread from communion which she took every day. She hadn’t fixed the issue of the dual papacy, but her care for the church and its people gave her a great place in the history of the church. Along with Francis of Assisi, she is a patron saint of Italy.

March 1 - Black Death

March 1 – Black Death

In 1337, King Edward III of Britain declared himself the monarch of France as well and thus began the hundred (+) years war. For the next 116 years or so, this series of wars would define the political craziness that occurred in Europe. So from this point until 1453, every bit of history is set against a backdrop of battles and political uprising.

Until this time, people considered themselves natives of a city or a county, but now they were speaking of belonging to France, England, Scandinavia. The church no longer held power over the people of Europe and in fact, with the move of the papacy to Avignon, France established a right to elect a pope. The countries no longer cared whether or not the church supported their activities. They were glad to disobey if they felt the pope wasn’t offering good leadership. In fact, once the papacy moved back to Italy, France simply had a rival pope elected when they didn’t agree with what was coming from the head of the church. This division caused a great loss of prestige and authority within the church as countries aligned themselves with one or the other of the popes.

The Bubonic plague was brought into the middle of this mess in 1347. Trading was extensive between Europe and the Mediterranean. The plague broke out in the Black Sea, moved to Italy and from there sweat the entire continent within three years, decimating the population. This destroyed economies, increased political turmoil, there were riots. In fact, things were so bad that it took Europe several hundred years to regain stability.

People were terrified and in their misunderstanding, they even slaughtered Jewish communities where the Black Death seemed to leave fewer victims. More than likely, this is because Christians were afraid of cats – associated with witchcraft and refused to have them around. Cats killed rats which carried the plague and were abundant in the Jewish ghettos.

The plague nearly destroyed Constantinople, the seat of the Byzantine Empire. Nearly 88% of the population died there.

Religious leaders were just as afraid of the plague and refused to offer assistance to the people which brought more distrust of the church. The Black Death had come to the continent, it had destroyed much within just a short period of time. It finally abated, but showed up again in smaller forms every decade or so.