Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Reformers before the Reformation

Does anyone else get tired of hearing the phrase, "ever since Martin Luther Christians have been calling for new reformations?"  Are evangelicals just ignorant of church history, or are we profoundly narcissisic? We need to come to grips with the fact that there were reformers and reformations before "THE" Reformation.

The Monastic Movement:

"A majority of the monks were laymen. At first they were looked at somewhat askance by many of the officials of the Catholic Church, but before long monasticism became a recognized feature of the Catholic Church. In an age when the majority in that church were conforming less and less to Christian standards, monks represented a surge of life which endeavored in a nominally Christian but essentially non-Christian society to realize fully Christian, community living. --Kenneth Scott Latourette

St. Anthony (c. 250-356),
Basil of Caesarea and Gregory Nazianzus,
Macrina
Pachomius (c. 285 or c. 292-346),
St. Martin of Tours
Jerome (c. 342-420).
Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-c. 544).

10th century
The Cluniac Reform
Dunstan (c. 909-998).
Bernard of Menthon (923-1008),

11th century
The Bishops of Canterbury: Lanfranc and Anselm,
Bruno and the Cartesians 11th century
Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153),
Pope Leo IX
Peter Damien (1007-1072)
Pope Alexander II
Gregory VII (Hildebrand) (c. 1023-1085).
 Urban II (c. 1088-1099)
Innocent III (reigned (1198-1216) and Fourth Lateran Council

12th century:
The Cistercian Reform
Peter of Bruys and Arnold of Brescia,
Peter Waldo and the Waldenses
Francis of Assisi (1181 or 1182 to 1226).
Clare of Assisi
Dominic (c. 1170-1221),

13th century
The Mendicant Orders of the : Franciscans and DOminicans

14th century
Catherine of Siena (1347-1380),
Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498).
John Wyclif (c. 1320-1384).
John Hus (c. 1373-1415),
Bohemian Brethren (the Unitas Fratrum),
Geert Groote (1340 – 1384) and the Brethern of the Common Life

15th century
Jacques Lefèvre d’Ètaples (c. 1455-1536)
Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466-1536),
 Ximénes de Cisneros (1436-1517),

For more, here is a helpful article:
The Pre-Reformation Catholic Church"
also read
Kenneth Scott Latourette's "Christianity Through the Ages"

2 comments:

Brad Boydston said...

Reformata et semper reformanda

Ann said...

The Waldensians were the only non-Catholic Italian church when we lived in Torino in the mid-80's. I had to do some research to see their historic connections to reformation within the RCC, until they were declared heretical. The history I've read seems to indicate that Italy is the only place where Waldensians survived, and weren't absorbed into other reformist movements.