16 October 1555 A.D. Ridley & Latimer—2 English Bishops Burned at Stake
16 October 1555 A.D. Ridley
& Latimer—2 English Bishops Burned at Stake
No author. “Bishops Ridley and Latimer Burned.” Christianity.com. Apr 2007.
http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/bishops-ridley-and-latimer-burned-11629990.html. Accessed 2 Jun 2014.
Queen Mary ascended the throne of
England in 1553. In subsequent years, she had at least two hundred people put
to death (often by fire) for their religious convictions. To history she became
known as "Bloody Mary," although, in truth, she killed far fewer
people per year than her brutal father. It was the godliness of many of her
victims made them stand out.
Mary's father, King Henry VIII had
separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic church, but he had not
reformed the church's practices or doctrines. On Henry's death, his young son
Edward became King. Many of Edward's advisors tried to move the English church
in the direction of a more Bible-based Christianity. Two such men were Nicholas Ridley and Hugh
Latimer.
The scholar Nicholas Ridley had
been a chaplain to King Henry VIII and was Bishop of London under his son
Edward. He was a preacher beloved of his congregation whose very life portrayed
the truths of the Christian doctrines he taught. In his own household he had
daily Bible readings and encouraged Scripture memory among his people.
Hugh Latimer also became an
influential preacher under King Edward's reign. He was an earnest student of
the Bible, and as Bishop of Worcester he encouraged the Scriptures be known in
English by the people. His sermons emphasized that men should serve the Lord
with a true heart and inward affection, not just with outward show. Latimer's
personal life also re-enforced his preaching. He was renowned for his works,
especially his visitations to the prisons.
When Mary became Queen of England,
she worked to bring England back to the Roman Catholic Church. One of her first
acts was to arrest Bishop Ridley, Bishop Latimer, and Archbishop Thomas
Cranmer. After serving time in the Tower of London, the three were taken to
Oxford in September of 1555 to be examined by the Lord's Commissioner in
Oxford's Divinity School.
When Ridley was asked if he
believed the pope was heir to the authority of Peter as the foundation of the
Church, he replied that the church was not built on any man but on the truth
Peter confessed -- that Christ was the Son of God. Ridley said he could not
honor the pope in Rome since the papacy was seeking its own glory, not the
glory of God. Neither Ridley nor Latimer could accept the Roman Catholic mass
as a sacrifice of Christ. Latimer told the commissioners, "Christ made one
oblation and sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and that a perfect
sacrifice; neither needeth there to be, nor can there be, any other
propitiatory sacrifice." These opinions were deeply offensive to Roman
Catholic theologians.
Both Ridley and Latimer were
burned at the stake in Oxford on this day, October 16, 1555. As he was being tied to the stake,
Ridley prayed, "Oh, heavenly Father, I give unto thee most hearty thanks
that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee, even unto death. I beseech
thee, Lord God, have mercy on this realm of England, and deliver it from all
her enemies."
Ridley's brother had brought some
gunpowder for the men to place around their necks so death could come more
quickly, but Ridley still suffered greatly. With a loud voice Ridley cried,
"Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit...", but the wood was
green and burned only Ridley's lower parts without touching his upper body. He
was heard to repeatedly call out, "Lord have mercy upon me! I cannot
burn..Let the fire come unto me, I cannot burn." One of the bystanders
finally brought the flames to the top of the pyre to hasten Ridley's death.
Latimer died much more quickly; as
the flames quickly rose, Latimer encouraged Ridley, "Be of good comfort,
Mr. Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God's
grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out."
The martyrdoms of Ridley, Latimer,
and Thomas Cranmer are today commemorated by a Martyrs' monument in Oxford. The
faith they once died for can now be freely practiced in the land.
Bibliography:
Durant, Hugh. The
Reformation. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957.
Hendrickson, Ford. Martyrs and
Witnesses. Detroit: Protestant Missionary Pub Co., [1917]
"Latimer, Hugh" and
"Ridley, Nicholas." Dictionary of National Biography.
Edited by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. London: Oxford University Press, 1921
- 1996.
"Latimer, Hugh" and
"Ridley, Nicholas." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
Ryle, J. C. Five English
Reformers. Banner of Truth Trust, 1961.
Stuart, Clara H. Latimer;
Apostle to the English. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1986.
Last updated July, 2007.
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