15
May 1556 A.D The Warrior-Saint John
Knox Called Before Church of Black Friars, Edinburgh, to Face Legal
Proceedings. (Days Later in the Same Year, Thomas Cranmer, would be burned at
stake.)
But before proceeding, a few verses from “For All the Saints.” The video is at the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQcTn_oEuxU
The story is resume. Christianitytoday.com tells its version of
the story at: http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/john-knoxs-friends-turn-the-tables-11629996.html
When Knox first preached, his
sermons consisted largely of fulminations against Roman Catholic practices.
They gave his listeners something to protest against, but nothing to put in
place of that which they were asked to discard. In 1556, after a visit to
Geneva, Knox began to preach a new kind of sermon, a sermon in which he not
only tore down the old but showed his listeners that as God's elect they must
build a new kind of church in place of that which they removed.
Many nobles came to hear him
speak of the new nation he envisioned, a nation in which the true Kirk
(church), with Christ at its head, would triumph. The bishops of the old order
trembled. Should Knox have his way-- and his growing popularity indicated he
might--they would be robbed of their authority. Typical of the opposition he
faced was their summons to appear at the Church of the Blackfriars in Edinburgh
and face legal proceedings. He appeared in Edinburgh on this day May 15, 1556.
Perhaps the bishops had hoped to
humble him. Instead he turned the tables. Many men of high standing, including
the noble William Keith, the Earl Marischal, appeared with him. Regent Mary of
Guise (mother of Mary, Queen of Scots) dismissed the summons, and Knox went on
to preach to large crowds in Edinburgh. He also wrote her a letter of thanks,
asking for toleration of all Protestants. She treated it with contempt.
But Scotland was not yet ready
for the Knox brand of reform. The nobles wanted to revive feudalism; the
government's advisors sought to put down the Scots with a mercenary army. Once
again John Knox left for Geneva where he ministered to fellow exiles. In Geneva
he embarrassed Calvin by issuing over the Reformer's objections a notorious
"blast" against women rulers. When reform-minded Elizabeth came to
the throne of England, Knox had to find a way out of his words because he needed
her help.
When Knox returned to Scotland,
he thundered loudly for reform. Riots broke out and the rioters smashed Roman
Catholic images. These riots provoked war. Several times the reformer and the
Queen of Scotland met face to face. Each found in the other a powerful
opponent. Knox told her solemnly, "...I am sent to preach the evangel of
Jesus Christ to such as please to hear it; and it hath two parts, repentance
and faith." Mary did not accept his brand of faith. In the end she
abdicated after a scandal and the mysterious murder of her husband. John Knox
remained preeminent in the life of his nation. When the constitution of the
Church of Scotland was formulated, he was a key player.
Knox is remembered as the
"Thundering Scot." More than any other major reformer, his teaching
allowed room for revolution. He believed that under some circumstances, duly
constituted Christian leaders have an obligation to revolt against tyranny.
Bibliography:
1. Boreham, F. W. "John Knox's
Text" in Life Verses, vol 1. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel, 1995.
2. MacGregor, Geddes. The Thundering
Scot; a portrait of John Knox. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1957.
3. Knox, John. History of the
Reformation in Scotland.
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