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Key Persons In Reformation

Key People Involved

The following, in no particular order, are some of the key people involved with The Reformation

John Calvin(1509-1564)-was one of the chief leaders of the Prostant Reformation. Calvin's brilliant mind, power preaching, many books andlarge correspondence, and capacity or organization and administration made him a dominant figure of the reformation. he was especially influetial in Switzerland, England, Scotland, and colonial north America

Desiderius Erasmus(1469-1536)- Left the monastery, and wander around England, France & Italy. During his travels, he wrote The Praise of Folly and began translating the Greek New Testament exposing the Roman Catholic Church, and society as a whole. His work more or less inspiredThe Reformation. Until his death, Erasmus tried to make peace between the warring Protestant and Catholic camps.

John Huss(1374-1415)- He picked up John Wycliff's teachins at the university of Prague, in the early 1400's. Huss tramslated Wycliff's works into Czech and gave life to the reform ideals to the people This stirred fear in the heads of church officialdom. In 1414 Huss was called to the council of Constance to explain himself but was arrested by the council and burned at the stake in 1415.

John Knox John Knox was the Great Protestant reformer of Scotland. John helped direct Scotland to Calvinist Protestentism in the mid 1500's and also left a powerful political legacy within the Calvinst or Reformed branch of Prostestantism, a political legacy called "Presbyterianism". As with many Protestan Reformers, Knox began as a Catholic Priest, highly discontent with the moral and spiritual corruption that had overtaken the mother church. Knox left England and made his way eventually to Geneva Switzerland where he joined a community of English expantriates living and studying under the direction of the Great Genevan reformer, John Calvin.

Martin Luther Martin Luther was a German monk who taught theology at the university of Wittenberg, He taught, fasted, and prayed with deep feeling. Luther concluded that if fait alone could bring a soulution, then the services of the church and the Pope were not necessary. Luthers original goal was to reform the church. Luthter nailed a theses, or arguments, to the door of the Wittenberg church. These were known as the Ninety-Five Theses.

John Wycliffe Lived in the 1300's, he helped launch the Protestant Reformation. He was a scholar at Oxford University in England, and he taught people that they needed only the Bible, not priests for salvation. He criticized worldy riches of the Clergy. His influence can be seen clearly in the ideas that are central to Protestantism, he died peacefully but his body was not left to rest, because 30 years later he was dug up and his body was burned by his opposers.