Inauguration (1517-1565)

Ulrich Zwingli

Ulrich Zwingli Affirmed the Protestant Doctrine of Original Sin – PART 1

You can download this complete paper in pdf format here. Introduction During the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s, one of the prominent disagreements between the Roman Catholics and Protestants was over the doctrine of original sin. The debate was not over what original sin is in all mankind from conception, for both Protestants and Roman Catholics agreed that original sin condemns all mankind. Rather, the debate was over… Read More »Ulrich Zwingli Affirmed the Protestant Doctrine of Original Sin – PART 1

Council of Trent

Council of Trent (1545-1563)

A brief description of the Council of Trent, a response to the Protestant Reformation: By the 1540s, the Reformation was exploding in growth and influence. As a result, leaders in the Roman Catholic church gathered at the Council of Trent in 1545 to officially answer Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. The council took 18 years to conclude.[1] At their twenty-fifth and final session on December 23, 1563, The Council… Read More »Council of Trent (1545-1563)

Peter Martyr Vermigli

Peter Martyr Vermigli (1500-1562)

A brief bio of Peter Martyr Vermigli, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation: Peter Martyr Vermigli was an Italian Reformer. He began as an Augustinian priest and labored for reform in the Roman Catholic Church until he was converted to the Protestant gospel between 1537 and 1540. He fled for his life in 1542, eventually landing at Strassburg, where he taught with Martin Bucer from 1542 to 1547, with… Read More »Peter Martyr Vermigli (1500-1562)

Henry Bullinger

Henry Bullinger (1504-1575)

A brief bio of Henry Bullinger, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation: When Zacharias Ursinus was crafting “The Heidelberg Catechism,” Henry Bullinger was serving as Ulrich Zwingli’s successor in Zurich. Bullinger was converted to the Protestant gospel in the early 1520s through reading the Church Fathers and Martin Luther’s early works. He grew to be the successor of Zwingli beginning in 1531 and served until his death in 1575.[1]… Read More »Henry Bullinger (1504-1575)

Zacharias Ursinus

Zacharias Ursinus (1534-1583)

A brief bio of Zacharias Ursinus, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation: Not long after Wolfgang Musculus became a leading Reformer, Zacharias Ursinus was born into a Lutheran family in 1534. At age 15, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg University where he became a student of and close friends with Philip Melanchthon. When he completed his studies in 1557, he traveled the Reformed world, meeting John Calvin,… Read More »Zacharias Ursinus (1534-1583)

Wolfgang Musculus

Wolfgang Musculus (1496-1563)

A brief bio of Wolfgang Musculus, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation: Wolfgang Musculus had a similar story as other Reformers. When he was sixteen years of age, he became a monk, and stayed one for fifteen years. In 1518, he read some of Martin Luther’s writings and was won to the Protestant gospel. Once he was ordained a priest, he began preaching in the monastery and local churches… Read More »Wolfgang Musculus (1496-1563)

Guido de Bres

Guido de Brès (1522-1567)

A brief bio of Guido de Brès (1522-1567), an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation: While John Calvin and Theodore Beza were teaching in Switzerland, Guido de Brès was preaching the doctrines of the Reformation in The Netherlands. De Brès was converted to the Protestant gospel by reading the Bible in 1547. He set to preaching and became known as “The Reformer of the Netherlands,” but had to flee for… Read More »Guido de Brès (1522-1567)

Theodore Beza

Theodore Beza (1519-1605)

A brief bio of Theodore Beza, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation While Thomas Cranmer was working for reformation in England, Theodore Beza was laboring for reformation under John Calvin. Beza was raised a Roman Catholic, but gradually became disenchanted with Roman Catholicism until he was converted to the Protestant gospel, condemned as a heretic, and fled to Geneva in 1548. John Calvin welcomed him. At the request of… Read More »Theodore Beza (1519-1605)

Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)

A brief bio of Thomas Cranmer, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation: John À Lasco was not alone in his labors for reformation. He had many co-laborers, and one of the most influential was Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer became Archbishop of Canterbury, England in 1533. He battled Roman influence for fifteen plus years under Henry VIII, until Henry died, and his ten year-old son, Edward VI, took the throne. Then… Read More »Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)

John à Lasco

John à Lasco (1499-1560)

A brief bio of John à Lasco, an early Reformer in the Protestant Reformation John à Lasco had a similar beginning as some of the other Reformers. He was a Catholic priest who was influenced by Erasmus, and then by Ulrich Zwingli. Around 1538 he was converted to the Protestant gospel, and by 1543, he was the leader of the Protestant Churches in Emden, Germany. When, due to political alliances,… Read More »John à Lasco (1499-1560)