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

Saturday, February 22, 2014

22 Feb 303: Roman Emperor Diocletian Orders Persecution of Christians

22 February 303 AD.

John Foxe, the old Reformed and Anglican Churchman, that sufferer for the faith, that famed martyriologist (whom the 19th century revisionists and the TFOs didn't like), that old graduate of Geneva during the Marian times, that old non-conformist (refusing state-mandated church uniforms), that old scholar whom Elizabeth  1 called "our dear Father Foxe," that old scholar who refused preferrments, that old scholar who opposed burnings of Anabaptists at the
stake (which happened under Elizabeth), reports this about the Roman Emperor, Diocletian.

Foxe, John. The New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 2001.

In Nicomedia, the eastern capital of Diocletian’s (eastern) Roman Empire, he [Diocletian] issued the edict to “eliminate Christianity from the Empire,” including the “burning of books” and the leveling of “Christian buildings.” All Christians were to “be arrested as traitors to the empire.”

But, of note, we would add, this affected Northern Africa as well, resulting in church splits over Donatism. Those who sold out and abandoned their Churchmanship and Christ Himself, but later wanted readmission to the Catholic Church, were denied readmission by the Donatists. That fight would have legs for decades. Augustine would support the party that argued for forgiveness and readmission.

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