Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre « Heidelblog

St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre « Heidelblog

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Heidelblog by Dr. Scott Clark always offers scholarly commentary from the Reformed perspective.

Posted lest we forget.

Wikipedia.org has a decent article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew%27s_Day_Massacre. It has long been known to this scribe that: (1) Elizabeth's chief spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, a Calvinist's Calvinist, was in Paris during the time in question and barely escaped with his life. (2) The pope led celebrations in Rome leading with the Te Deum Laudamus. The picture above is famous in connection with the Massacre.

Von Ranke, a top drawer historian, in his famous and meticulous three-volume History of The Popes, said,” At the request of the Pope, Philip of Spain sent the French an auxilary force of practised troops under experienced leaders. Pius V caused collections to be made in the States of the Church and gathered contributions from Italian princes; nay, the holy father himself despatched a small body of troops across the Alps; that same army to whose leader he gave the ferorious command to kill every Huguenot that might fall into his hands ,and grant quarter to none.” (vol.II, p.45)

Robert Kingdon on the French Wars of Religion is recommended by Dr. Scott Clark of Westminster California. Dr. Clark has much to teach Anglican clerics about Reformed theology--and they need to read him. And as well, historic Anglicans have some things to teach Reformed Churchmen. Early Anglican leaders listened to their brethren on the Continent, including Calvin.


Dr. Clark at Heidelblog has called attention to "no small thing." This Massacre alerted True Catholic Churchmen, Protestants, as to the bloody and tyrannous nature of Pius IV, V, and Rome. The ascendancy of Elizabeth 1 (versus Mary 1) and the English Reformation, including the defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588, and a host of other factors, provided the framework for the Gospel in the West and in this nation.

Otherwise, we might might have become French-Spanish-Italian, doing rosary beads and submitting to that abomination of the Papal Mass--and it is that. W'e'll have more to say on that as we continue to get at Bishop Ridley's teachings.


As a result, England, Scotland and the West became a Bible-reading and literate culture.


Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster, took his reports back to England with briefings of Elizabeth and Lord Burghley, a premier councillor. A review of the Elizabethan "injunctions" are explicit--Romanism was to be driven off of English soil. That would provide a framework for later developments including Puritanism also; this is no small matter that Dr. Clark has noted.


This is important for post-modern youths to learn. It's important for True Catholic Churchmen to remember.


I recently--like today--met a retired USMC Colonel, a Romanist, who, at age 65, was just received for diaconal orders. As a pre-Vatican 2 man, he's never read the Bible. He grew up being warned about the "Protestant Bible." As such, he still won't do it. That has changed somewhat, but as a lad, I expicitly recall that perspective with Romanists. I saw and heard it today.

Thank God for the English Reformation.

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