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Forerunners of the Reformation

The Forerunners of the Reformation developed many ideas which inspired Luther. Among them Pierre Valdo was the first, in the XII^th century.

The Reform of the Church

Well before Luther and Calvin, men had worked at reforming the Church. The picture to the right suggests this symbolic filiation.

They advocated a return to the simplicity of the Gospel, called into question the hierarchy of the Church and believed in the exclusive authority of the Bible

The main forerunners of the Reform movement were :

Pierre Valdo in the XII^th century in France,
John Wyclif in the XIV^th century in England,
Jan Hus between the XIV^th and the XV^th century in Bohemia

Their doctrine influenced Luther and the reformers of the XVI^th century.

Bibliography

Books
- FRIDENTHAL R., Jan Hus, hérétique et rebelle, Calmann-Lévy, 2005

Associated notes

Pierre Valdo (1140-1217) and the Waldenses

Pierre Valdo started the Waldenses movement, which spread throughout southern Europe.

John Wyclif (c. 1328-1384) and the Lollards

Wyclif, a distant precursor of the Reformation, challenged the Church’s authority and hierarchy. His followers, the Lollards, instigated a peasant revolt. They denounced the established Church.

Jan Hus (1369-1415) and the Hussite wars (1419-1436)

Hus was a Czech priest, who, a century before Luther, called for a reform of the Chuch and was burnt at the stake. His death set off a religious, political...

Jean Calvin (1509-1564)

A generation after Luther, the Frenchman Jean Calvin became the organiser of the Reformation : he organised the Church, shaped the doctrine and defined the role of the Church in state government.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Martin Luther’s theology is based on the Bible and not on dogmas. Referring to Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he claims that salvation is given through God’s grace and not...

Intérieur de la Basilique St Pierre à Rome

Christianity in the West in 16th century

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Church of Rome had been in a state of moral and political crisis for two centuries, but had not managed to overcome...

Jacques Lefèvre d’Etaples (1450-1537)

Jacques Lefèvre d’Etaples was a theologian who founded the “Cenacle of Meaux” and was the first to translate the Bible into French.

The revolution of printing

Block print technology was now highly developed and had a considerable impact on the dissemination of ideas – it was thanks to printing that the ideas of the Reformation spread...

Renaissance and Humanism in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries

At the end of the Hundred Years’ War in 1453, Europe was peaceful for a while as there were less disease epidemics and less conflicts. The population grew, cities developed...