Today in History: Michael Servetus

Michael Servetus was executed in Europe by the European reformers (sic). From Wikipedia:
As Servetus was not a citizen of Geneva, and legally could at worst be banished, the government had consulted with other Swiss Reformed cantons (Zurich, Bern, Basel, Schaffhausen), which universally favored his condemnation and the suppression of his doctrine, but without saying how that should be accomplished.[22] Martin Luther had condemned his writing in strong terms. Servetus and Philip Melanchthon had strongly hostile views of each other. Those who went against the idea of his execution, the party called "Libertines", drew the ire of much of Christendom. On 24 October Servetus was sentenced to death by burning for denying the Trinity and infant baptism. When Calvin requested that Servetus be executed by decapitation rather than fire, Farel, in a letter of September 8, chided him for undue lenity[23], and the Geneva Council refused his request. On 27 October 1553 Servetus was burned at the stake just outside Geneva with what was believed to be the last copy of his book chained to his leg. Historians record his last words as: "Jesus, Son of the Eternal God, have mercy on me."[24]

You can also read my article titled The Right to Heresy to learn more about this event.


27 Oct, 2008 | Virgil
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Comments


by sammy - 28 Oct, 2008 - 00:57:51
ugh

by Cheftony - 28 Oct, 2008 - 09:54:46
I am always astounded by good people who work so hard to justify the murderous Calvin. He, by the measure of Jesus' words was not under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit nor Love of Christ when he took on the rationality of hostility rather than the Patients and Love of Gog...to love your enemies and DO good to them...

Oh well, like politics, people through honesty out the window to protect the image of "the team".

Chef Tony

by Cheftony - 28 Oct, 2008 - 09:56:04
...the Patients and Love of God...to love your enemies and DO good to them...

by Rich - 28 Oct, 2008 - 11:03:34
Thanks for the reminder Virgil. In fact, I am going to sit down and re-read your article again. I remember it being fantastic!

-Rich

by flypaper - 28 Oct, 2008 - 11:08:10
This is the first time I ever heard about this Calvin guy's mean streak- oh and I grew up my whole life in "church."

Tis' quite horrendous and strikes a mean pang of reality into my understanding of events past.

by Windpressor - 28 Oct, 2008 - 13:36:53
*********

Before there was disparagement of "Restorationism" there were
Traces of the Kingdom

A Web Site devoted to autonomous congregations who baptised believers for the forgiveness of sins whereby they were added to the church of our Lord - The church of Christ - Rom.16:16.
..
This is a brief history of those churches in Great Britain and Europe before the American Restoration Movement.
==========
Featley, an enemy of the Lord's church, declares there were members of the church of Christ, in London, that they had existed in England during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, James I! These congregations existed separately from the Church of England and dismissed infant baptism, baptising those who could give an account. Featly confirmed these congregations immersed for the remission of sins (Dippers Dipt), from elsewhere we know they were congregational and opposed Calvinism, being "Free-Willers".

But Featly was wrong on one account, such congregations existed prior to 1525, being pre-reformation!
......................

by Virgil - 28 Oct, 2008 - 15:32:36
Windpressor, that is interesting; I wonder how the "Church" saw those congregations in that context.

by Windpressor - 29 Oct, 2008 - 04:57:18
Virg,

Read some fascinating history not widely expounded upon.
They were persecuted.
They were prosecuted under various false charges of heresy such as Manichaeism or Witchcraft.
Remember that owning a Bible was "illegal"

From the next page --
Andreas Ammonius, (Latin secretary to Henry VIII) under the date of November 8, 1531, wrote to Erasmus (Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, who produced the printed Greek New Testament) of the great numbers of Christians in England, which he calls anabaptists. He says: "It is not astonishing that wood is so dear and scarce the heretics cause so many holocausts, and yet their numbers grow".

Erasmus replied that Ammonius "has reason to be angry with the heretics for increasing the price of fuel for the coming Winter" (Brewer, Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, I. p. 285/297). This was horrible jesting concerning the burning alive of brave Christians and shows the true state of the thinking of the Roman Catholic Church in that period towards those who desired to turn the(sic) the scriptures for authority.
.....................

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