WEBVTT

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There was a time when the earth was dark.

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It was an age of grinding poverty,
disease, and death.

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The common people were illiterate.

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They lived in fear of the judgment and
hell.

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The state church controlled all aspects of
life from birth until death.

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And for a price, the priest assured a
better afterlife.

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But this all changed with a new dawn in
England.

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Minds were awakened.

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And once the flame of the reformation was
lit, it was never to be put out again.

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This is a story of courage and fortitude
against all odds.

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The burning of heretics and those who
risked their lives to follow the light.

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It is a struggle of ideas about men's
souls, their dreams, and the purpose in

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life.

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The state church responded by hunting down
anyone who supported these radical new

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beliefs to put them to death.

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Join us as we uncover the heroic lives of
those who led out in this movement and

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changed the world forever.

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This is the story of Light Unshackled.

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In the first century AD, a new religion
swept across the Roman Empire.

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One man with a simple life and profound
teachings transformed the world of his

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day.

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His name was Jesus Christ.

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He claimed to be the Son of God and shared
a message that changed lives and gave hope

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to many.

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Paul, who at first bitterly persecuted
this new religion, was brought face to

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face with Christ during a miraculous
encounter.

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Shocked to think that he might be fighting
on the wrong side, he re-studied the

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scriptures.

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As the word illuminated his mind,
he became convinced that this was truth.

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He dedicated the rest of his life to
spreading this message.

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He traveled 10,000 miles on foot and
thousands more by ship as he carried the

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message of Christ across the Roman Empire.

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In Rome, these new teachings were not
popular.

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Christianity, by its very nature,
demanded exclusive worship of the God of

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Heaven.

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Pagan deities from the surrounding tribes
in Asia Minor fit well alongside the Roman

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gods of Juno, Neptune, and Mars.

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Even some of the emperors were considered
gods.

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Christians called these pagan deities
false gods.

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It's not hard to imagine why Christianity
became very unpopular within pagan Rome.

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Thus begin generations of persecution.

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A battle raged between culture and
scripture, paganism and truth.

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Such philosophies cannot coexist any more
than can darkness and light.

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So Paul was arrested, carried down this
road to await trial in Rome.

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Paul was kept under house arrest for two
years till his trial.

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Once condemned, he was transferred to the
Mamertine prison to await his execution.

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We're standing in the Mamertine prison.

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It's incredible to think that right here
was where Paul sat awaiting his execution.

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It's dark, it's damp.

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This was not a place where you wanted to
be for any period of time.

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Paul, being taken from this prison,
was beheaded outside the city wall of

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Rome.

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Two years after Paul's execution,
on a hot summer night, a fire broke out in

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Rome.

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It started among the shops near the Circus
Maximus and burned uncontrollably for six

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days.

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When the smoke had cleared, a large part
of Rome lay in the ashes.

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Rumors swirled that Nero had caused the
fire.

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For some time, Nero had wanted to tear
down a third of the city of Rome to build

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a series of palaces called the Neuropolis,
but the Senate had opposed him.

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Now, with the city in ashes, he could
pursue his ambitions.

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As the rumors spread that he had caused
the fire, he began looking for a scapegoat

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and his gaze fixed on the Christians.

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Persecution spread across the empire.

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Pleasure-seeking crowds, craving
excitement and entertainment, flocked to

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amphitheaters and coliseums where
gladiators fought to the death and

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starving wild beasts attacked armed men.

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It's hard to imagine that this
weed-infested field used to be the Circus

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Maximus Grove.

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Around the outside of this field,
over 250,000 people would gather.

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But it's what happened in between the
races that I find most fascinating.

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An altar would be set up and Christians
would be dragged before this altar and

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forced to make the ultimate choice.

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Who were they going to follow?

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God or the emperor?

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With just a pinch of incense, they could
save their lives.

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But these Christians would not compromise.

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Instead, they chose to die one of the most
horrible deaths that could be imagined.

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One elderly man, Polycarp, a leader in the
early Christian church, was dragged into

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an amphitheater filled with thousands of
bloodthirsty people.

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The atmosphere changed as they watched
this aged man brought before the pagan

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altar in the center.

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The pro-council, wishing to save his life,
offered him his freedom if he would just

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put a pinch of incense on the altar.

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But Polycarp refused.

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Eighty and six years I have served him and
he has done me no wrong.

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How can I deny my Lord now?

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He chose to die.

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The fire was lit, but the wind blew the
flames away from him.

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As the crowd began to express their
sympathy, a soldier stepped forward and

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thrust a spear into his side.

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The impact on the onlookers as they
watched these early Christians die was

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evident.

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It is said that the blood of martyrs is
seed, and when one died, many more would

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spring up to take their place.

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Over the next 200 years, persecution of
Christians continued in various parts of

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the Roman Empire.

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But in 284 AD, as Diocletian came to
power, Christians were to face the worst

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persecution they had endured yet.

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The Roman Empire was on the verge of
collapse.

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Diocletian tried to strengthen the empire
by reviving practices of the ancient Roman

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religion, paganism.

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Christianity was outlawed.

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Intense persecution across the empire took
place from 303 to 313 AD.

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As the terrible persecution raged on,
a new emperor came to power who would

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change the Roman Empire forever.

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Christianity was about to face its
greatest change and its most dangerous

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enemy.

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Blight was about to become shackled.

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The turning point came as Constantine
prepared to battle with Maxentius,

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a rival for the throne.

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The day before the battle, he claimed to
have had a vision of the Christ and have

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heard the words, in this sign thou shalt
conquer.

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Being a man of action, he went back to his
troops and had them put the sign of the

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cross on their shields and also make it
one of their standards to be carried into

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battle.

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The next day, as Constantine's armies
marched towards Maxentius, the enemy broke

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ranks and fled, and Maxentius himself
drowned in the river here below.

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This convinced Constantine that
Christianity was the true religion.

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He had his soldiers march through the
river and told all of them that they were

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now baptized Christians, and he himself
claimed to become a follower of Christ.

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As the sun set on that momentous day,
few realized what had just happened.

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Constantine and Rome were embracing
Christianity.

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The world would never be the same again.

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In 330 AD, Constantine moved the capital
of the Roman Empire to a strategic

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location in the east.

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He named the city after himself,
calling it Constantinople.

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Today, it is known as Istanbul,
Turkey.

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For nearly eight centuries, Constantinople
was the wealthiest and largest city in

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Europe.

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It was credited with having the most
advanced defenses of any city in the

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empire.

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Constantine also issued the Edict of
Milan, which legalized Christianity and

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supported those who practiced it.

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He also mandated that Sunday should become
a universal day for rest and worship

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across the empire rather than Saturday
kept by the Jews and the apostles.

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As controversies developed in
Christianity, a shift began to take place.

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Rather than searching the scriptures for
the truth, the church councils or the

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emperor himself decided the beliefs and
doctrines for the church.

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These teachings often conflicted with the
Bible.

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Over the following centuries, a major rift
began to form.

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Those who refused to allow others to
determine their biblical beliefs continued

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to be persecuted and the church split into
the state indoors church and an

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underground movement of believers
scattered across Europe.

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The Roman Empire had stood for centuries
but was deteriorating from within and

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being attacked by barbarian invaders from
without.

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Rome could no longer withstand the
pressure and it finally collapsed.

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As the empire declined, the church in Rome
rose to prominence and power in its place.

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As the 5th century came to a close,
a fundamental shift was taking place

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within Rome.

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Once the pagan political superpower,
it was now becoming the center of

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Christianity within Europe.

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Recall the period of time following this
collapse, the dark ages.

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Roaming tribes of bandits and barbarians
pillaged the countryside.

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Roads became overgrown with weeds.

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Without proper maintenance, the aqueducts
ceased to carry water into the cities and

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the streets overflowed with sewer.

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As raw material became scarce,
people pillaged the coliseums,

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temples, and theaters for stones to build
their houses.

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Smallpox, dysentery, and the plague
ravaged the land in waves, sometimes

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wiping out up to half of the population.

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As barbarian tribes were settling in
Western Europe, Clovis, a powerful king of

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the Franks, adopted the Christian faith.

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This was significant, as barbarians were
pagan, not Christian.

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Thousands of his subjects followed his
example and were baptized as Christians.

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He even allowed his army to fight for the
Bishop of Rome.

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Christianity appeared to be gaining ground
rapidly.

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While Christianity was rising in the West,
dramatic changes were taking place in the

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eastern city of Constantinople.

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The night of July 31st, 528, Justinian the
Great was on the verge of taking the

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throne after the death of his father,
Justin.

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That night, he had a dream of a universal
empire with one state, one law,

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and one church, which ruled them all.

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Justinian determined to make this dream a
reality while he was emperor.

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Five years later, Justinian passed the
Corpus Juris Civilis, overhauling the

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Roman legal code.

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For the first time in history,
Christianity was the mandated law of the

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land, and all dissenting views were to be
persecuted.

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The Codice Justinianus mandated the
following, that reading the Bible for

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anyone but the clergy was forbidden,
that only the state church could conduct

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baptisms, that heretics were forbidden to
gather for worship, and that the property

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of heretics could be confiscated by the
church, and finally, that all magistrates

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and soldiers must swear that they are
members of the church.

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It's hard to imagine that those who had
endured such horrific persecution for

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hundreds of years were now the
persecutors.

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A light was being shackled away from the
people by the edicts of men.

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Meanwhile, back in the Western Empire,
the city of Rome had fallen to the

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barbarian tribe of the Ostrogoths.

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They did not recognize Justinian's laws,
and also refused many of the tenets of the

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Roman state church.

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In the winter of 537, Justinian with his
general Bullicerius arrived to liberate

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Rome.

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By the end of 538, Rome was freed from the
Ostrogoths, and the Codice Justinianus

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became the law of the entire Roman Empire.

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But the religious freedoms once enjoyed
under the Ostrogoths were now lost,

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and persecution began to rise for the
first time from inside the Christian

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church.

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For the next 1260 years, from the years
538 to 1798, the state church became both

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a political and religious authority within
Christendom.

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Ornate cathedrals were built, convents and
monasteries multiplied, and became the

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center of education within Europe.

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While the Bible was copied and transcribed
by monks and religious scholars,

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it was locked away from the common person.

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Scriptures were translated into Latin,
the language of the highly educated.

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Only the priests, monks, and scholars were
believed to be holy enough to read and

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interpret the scriptures.

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Tradition and edicts of councils became
the basis of authority.

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In the 8th century, Charlemagne became
king of the Franks.

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Through military conquests and an alliance
with the state church, he consolidated his

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power.

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In 782 AD, he issued an edict condemning
to death any pagan who did not convert to

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Christianity.

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On December 25, in the year 800,
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor

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of the Western Roman Empire.

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In doing this, the pope demonstrated the
church had superior authority.

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The church was not only cooperating with
the state, it was superseding state power.

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Another example of the church's power over
the state is seen in the story of Henry IV

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in the 11th century.

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A church council further limited imperial
authority, and when Henry objected,

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the pope threatened him with
excommunication.

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Under this threat, his nobles were
unwilling to support his rule.

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In the middle of the winter of 1077,
Henry traveled over the Alps toward the

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castle of Canossa, where Pope Gregory VII
was staying.

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Standing outside the castle gate,
barefoot in the snow, King Henry waited

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for three days as penance before being
admitted to beg pardon from the pope.

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The church was the most powerful
institution in Europe, and it was willing

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to demonstrate this authority to advance
its purposes.

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But the light was not wholly extinguished.

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Small groups of believers hidden in the
Italian Alps kept the Bible alive in their

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language.

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They carried the Bible through centuries
of bitter persecution and spread its light

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across Europe.

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These were the people who kept the
flickering flame of truth shining in the

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darkness of their age.

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These were the Waldensians.

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The Waldensians were a small band of
believers living here in the shadow of the

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Italian Alps.

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Having been evangelized in the time of the
apostles, they carefully preserved

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precious truths that had been taught to
them from the Bible.

17:54.200 --> 17:59.160
As much of Europe fell into the shadow of
the state church, the Waldensians became

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the focus of intense indoctrination.

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The state church assumed the authority to
mandate the beliefs and practices of all

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believers.

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She was to be the conscience of society.

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As a result, most of Europe, without the
ability to compare church teachings with

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scripture, succumbed to superstition.

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They lived in fear of a stern God,
supernatural activity, and also fear of

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the judgment.

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But the Waldensians had none of these
fears, as they had discovered the loving

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God of the Bible.

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Industrious and generous, the Waldensians
were farmers, shepherds, and craftsmen.

18:46.520 --> 18:50.760
They spent many hours transforming these
rocky mountains into fertile lands

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bursting with flowers and vegetation.

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Often, after a hard day's work,
they would gather together to read the

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Bible, sing songs, or memorize large
passages of the scriptures.

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The Waldensians were strong believers in
biblical education.

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They built this school, the College of the
Barbs, to train their young men in the

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scriptures.

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Here, they would memorize and transcribe
large portions of the Bible.

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Not content to keep their knowledge of the
Bible to themselves, they felt compelled

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to lead others out of darkness into the
light of God's word.

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Each school would be composed of 10 to 12
young people who were carefully educated

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to prepare them for missionary service.

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Here in this school, elders instructed
them in the teachings of scripture and the

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art of sharing it with others.

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Upon completion, they would travel across
Europe as craftsmen and merchants,

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carrying the precious truth of the Bible
with them.

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Some went as students to prestigious
university towns such as Oxford,

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Prague, or Paris as secret missionaries to
share the Bible with those interested.

20:21.780 --> 20:26.380
Because Bibles were outlawed, they
carefully sewed pages of scripture in

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their clothes and between layers of their
coats and looked for individuals that

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might be receptive to the gospel.

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But this was dangerous work.

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It was hard to know who you could trust.

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Was the person you were talking to
genuinely interested?

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Or was it a priest trying to catch you?

20:46.280 --> 20:51.540
One mistake or misspoken word in the
presence of the wrong person could lead to

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your imprisonment, torture, or death.

20:55.220 --> 20:58.180
Being a member of the underground church
was risky.

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The relations between the state church and
the Waldenses were tense.

21:07.810 --> 21:12.750
The Waldenses rejected the mysticism of
the communion service, refused to confess

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sins to a priest, as the Bible taught that
only God could forgive sins.

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They practiced baptism of adults instead
of infants, and perhaps most surprisingly,

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worshiped on the seventh-day Sabbath of
the Bible, just as the apostles who

21:30.070 --> 21:32.610
evangelized their valleys in the first
centuries had done.

21:35.270 --> 21:41.450
By the year 1160, the state church
condemned the Waldenses as heretics and

21:41.450 --> 21:45.350
demanded that they either recant their
beliefs and come in line with the

21:45.350 --> 21:48.910
teachings of the church, or face its
wrath.

21:50.030 --> 21:52.450
The Waldenses refused to compromise.

21:53.450 --> 21:58.090
The response was a call for the
extermination of these peaceful mountain

21:58.090 --> 21:58.570
people.

22:01.190 --> 22:05.490
Instead of pointing people back to the
Bible as a source of truth, the church

22:05.490 --> 22:06.670
pointed the sword.

22:07.570 --> 22:13.590
In 1209, Pope Innocent III called for a
crusade against the Waldenses and a

22:13.590 --> 22:16.850
related group of in the south of France,
the Albigenses.

22:17.490 --> 22:19.970
What followed was a horrific slaughter.

22:21.330 --> 22:24.990
When asked by the soldiers what should be
done with the refugees streaming from the

22:24.990 --> 22:31.470
besieged city of Bazaar, the papal legate
responded, kill them all, God will sort

22:31.470 --> 22:31.870
his own.

22:33.070 --> 22:38.150
The entire population, up to 30,000
people, were massacred.

22:40.110 --> 22:43.790
Centuries of relentless persecution nearly
wiped them out.

22:44.790 --> 22:49.450
Armies spurred on by priests marched
through these valleys, raiding and

22:49.450 --> 22:50.410
plundering homes.

22:51.070 --> 22:57.230
Bibles were burned, farmland destroyed,
and bodies lay strewn across the ground.

22:58.190 --> 23:03.490
At a moment's notice, the Waldenses had to
be ready to flee up these mountain paths

23:03.490 --> 23:04.870
deep into the Alps.

23:07.130 --> 23:11.430
As the enemy approached, they hid their
families in caves or behind massive

23:11.430 --> 23:12.330
mountain bulwarks.

23:12.910 --> 23:17.270
The landscape was a natural defense
against the soldiers, but the Waldenses

23:17.270 --> 23:20.190
were not always able to escape their
enemies.

23:21.850 --> 23:27.890
In one raid, over a thousand Waldensians
were marched to the top of this mountain.

23:28.750 --> 23:35.830
Men, women, and children were then thrown
over the Castelluzo to their deaths below.

23:42.890 --> 23:47.590
Often, small bands of believers would
gather in secluded forests or hidden caves

23:47.590 --> 23:48.110
for worship.

23:49.190 --> 23:52.950
Many times, they would be discovered and
brutally murdered.

23:56.470 --> 24:01.870
In the year 1655, the Ducas of Huy
determined to put an end to these

24:01.870 --> 24:02.390
heretics.

24:03.190 --> 24:08.150
In the dead of winter, he ordered the
Waldensians to attend a mass or move to

24:08.150 --> 24:09.530
the upper valleys of their homeland.

24:10.150 --> 24:14.210
He expected that they would give in to the
order rather than face the freezing snow

24:14.210 --> 24:14.730
and cold.

24:17.170 --> 24:21.470
Over 12,000 people abandoned their homes
and fled to the upper valleys.

24:22.130 --> 24:27.730
Men, women, children, and even the sick
waded across the icy streams, ascended the

24:27.730 --> 24:32.590
frozen peaks, before arriving in the upper
valleys where they were warmly received.

24:35.430 --> 24:39.350
Thwarted in his purpose, the Duke then
chose to use trickery.

24:40.490 --> 24:46.210
On April 24, 1655, he asked the
Waldensians to temporarily house his

24:46.210 --> 24:46.510
soldiers.

24:47.550 --> 24:52.790
Being loyal citizens, they consented and
garrisoned thousands of soldiers in their

24:52.790 --> 24:54.490
homes all through the valley.

24:56.110 --> 24:58.730
After a few days, at 4 a.m.

24:58.830 --> 25:03.850
on Easter morning, the soldiers turned
against their host, slaughtering,

25:04.290 --> 25:06.970
imprisoning, and torturing them
mercilessly.

25:07.670 --> 25:10.550
Over 1,700 Waldensians were killed.

25:10.970 --> 25:13.930
Thousands more were imprisoned and many
starved to death.

25:15.050 --> 25:19.910
The survivors were given two options,
either convert or leave the country

25:19.910 --> 25:20.750
immediately.

25:21.830 --> 25:26.510
Unwilling to compromise, they climbed over
the frozen Alps to find refuge in

25:26.510 --> 25:26.870
Switzerland.

25:30.290 --> 25:35.410
As news of the massacre spread,
people responded with horror and

25:35.410 --> 25:36.090
indignation.

25:36.930 --> 25:40.350
Protestant countries opened their borders
and offered asylum to the remaining

25:40.350 --> 25:41.050
Waldensians.

25:41.910 --> 25:46.530
Oliver Cromwell, who was Lord Protector in
London, began petitioning on their behalf,

25:47.170 --> 25:51.990
began writing letters, raising funds,
calling a day of fasting and prayer,

25:52.570 --> 25:56.470
and even threatening military force to
come and rescue them.

26:06.120 --> 26:10.860
I have to wonder, which of their beliefs
brought so much persecution?

26:11.740 --> 26:14.080
Was it because they believed in a personal
God?

26:14.500 --> 26:17.920
Or perhaps because they refused to confess
their sins to a man?

26:18.800 --> 26:22.760
Or maybe it was because they had the Bible
in their own language.

26:24.040 --> 26:28.980
Whatever it was, the Waldensians were
mercilessly slaughtered.

26:40.310 --> 26:44.050
There was a widening gap between the
wealthy and the poor.

26:44.850 --> 26:49.010
The rich made their fortunes off the sweat
of the working class, offering minimal

26:49.010 --> 26:51.050
protection in return for their labors.

26:51.770 --> 26:56.290
For the poor, the struggle to survive was
nearly all-consuming.

26:58.790 --> 27:03.850
Books were rare, as they had to be copied
by hand, and most of the common people

27:03.850 --> 27:04.570
were illiterate.

27:05.350 --> 27:10.010
Stained glass windows and ornate statues
in the churches were the only instructions

27:10.010 --> 27:11.910
many had in the stories of the Bible.

27:13.170 --> 27:17.770
Services in Latin held little practical
meaning for the worshippers, who could not

27:17.770 --> 27:19.810
even read in their own language.

27:22.030 --> 27:25.610
The state church rose to the zenith of
power.

27:26.390 --> 27:28.490
No other authority held her accountable.

27:29.370 --> 27:34.970
She claimed power over kings and rulers,
and even above the requirements and laws

27:34.970 --> 27:35.490
of scripture.

27:36.770 --> 27:39.070
Money became the lifeblood of the church.

27:40.250 --> 27:45.290
Multi-century construction projects,
valued in the millions, were undertaken to

27:45.290 --> 27:46.670
build great cathedrals.

27:47.650 --> 27:51.510
Positions of spiritual leadership and
influence were at times given to the

27:51.510 --> 27:52.150
highest bidder.

27:53.910 --> 27:56.190
Europe was in desperate need of change.

27:57.030 --> 27:59.930
People wondered if anything could stop the
tide of corruption.

28:00.810 --> 28:04.270
The darkness was so deep, few thought
there was a way out.

28:04.810 --> 28:06.970
It was time for change.

28:07.650 --> 28:10.650
It was time for the morning star of the
Reformation.

28:18.910 --> 28:23.750
It was during this dark hour that a man
stepped onto the stage who would herald

28:23.750 --> 28:24.490
the coming morning.

28:25.370 --> 28:29.130
He arose from the edges of the Holy Roman
Empire in the country of England.

28:29.830 --> 28:32.110
His name was John Wycliffe.

28:35.530 --> 28:40.530
As a young man, Wycliffe arrived at Oxford
University to study theology.

28:40.530 --> 28:45.290
He quickly was recognized as a diligent
scholar and deep thinker.

28:45.550 --> 28:51.430
While he was at Oxford, in the summer of
1348, the Black Death arrived in England.

28:52.150 --> 28:55.310
Hundreds of thousands of people died from
this ravishing disease.

28:56.010 --> 28:59.530
Carts would rumble down the streets in the
morning to pick up those who had died

28:59.530 --> 29:00.190
during the night.

29:01.250 --> 29:05.190
As church cemeteries filled up,
many were thrown into mass graves and

29:05.190 --> 29:05.950
hastily buried.

29:06.750 --> 29:10.750
There was hardly a family to be found who
had not lost a loved one to the plague.

29:12.390 --> 29:17.250
Wycliffe was deeply impacted by what he
saw, as he contemplated the dead and the

29:17.250 --> 29:17.610
dying.

29:18.870 --> 29:22.010
He, along with much of Europe,
began to question the traditions of the

29:22.010 --> 29:22.330
church.

29:23.470 --> 29:26.710
As a professor at Oxford, he had access to
the scriptures.

29:27.630 --> 29:30.110
He began spending more and more time
reading them.

29:30.950 --> 29:37.150
Within its pages he found answers and hope
to the deep and painful questions surging

29:37.150 --> 29:37.910
through his mind.

29:40.130 --> 29:45.950
As England's social conditions were
deteriorating, friars and monks swarmed

29:45.950 --> 29:48.910
through the English countryside begging
for money and food.

29:50.070 --> 29:55.170
Though the monks had vows of poverty,
the monasteries did not, and they became

29:55.170 --> 29:57.070
very, very wealthy.

29:57.790 --> 30:01.650
The gulf between the church and the people
was growing.

30:03.630 --> 30:05.790
This infuriated Wycliffe.

30:06.330 --> 30:10.490
Having deeply studied the Bible and the
teachings of the church, he found major

30:10.490 --> 30:11.150
discrepancies.

30:11.710 --> 30:16.130
He boldly began to preach and write
against any unscriptural practice.

30:17.250 --> 30:22.690
He saw penance and indulgences as ways to
manipulate people to donate money.

30:23.690 --> 30:28.470
He rejected the idea of confessing one's
sins to a priest, and that a man could

30:28.470 --> 30:29.330
forgive sins.

30:29.890 --> 30:34.570
Based on the Bible, he denounced many of
the religious practices of the state

30:34.570 --> 30:39.670
church, including celibacy, the authority
of the priest over God and the mass,

30:40.090 --> 30:46.470
idol worship, pilgrimages, the veneration
of the saints, and prayers to and for the

30:46.470 --> 30:46.710
dead.

30:48.130 --> 30:52.450
When the church told the English monarch
that he must pay a church tax,

30:53.170 --> 30:58.550
Wycliffe spoke to Parliament, arguing
eloquently that such demand was not in

30:58.550 --> 30:59.430
harmony with the Bible.

31:00.290 --> 31:05.110
Wycliffe's influence convinced the king to
refuse the financial demands of the pope.

31:05.790 --> 31:10.010
In this, he had touched the church's
source of money.

31:13.150 --> 31:17.050
Enraged that his influence was greater
than their own, the church stirred up

31:17.050 --> 31:19.490
controversy against him and forced him out
of Oxford.

31:20.230 --> 31:23.870
He withdrew to Lutterworth and pastored
this rural congregation behind me.

31:24.830 --> 31:28.510
The church thought that this would
decrease his influence, but he was about

31:28.510 --> 31:30.930
to release the greatest ally to the
Reformation.

31:31.890 --> 31:36.210
Wycliffe translated the Bible from Latin
into English.

31:39.480 --> 31:42.040
This was in direct opposition to Rome.

31:42.680 --> 31:45.580
The state church had a long history of
suppressing the Bible.

31:46.300 --> 31:51.680
In 1199, Pope Innocent III stated that the
Bible should not be in the language of the

31:51.680 --> 31:55.840
common person, for the unlearned would be
unable to interpret it properly.

31:56.920 --> 32:02.260
The Council of Toulouse in 1229 condemned
anyone who translated or owned a Bible.

32:03.080 --> 32:09.120
And just a few years later, in 1234,
the Council of Tarragona decreed the

32:09.120 --> 32:13.840
following, no one may possess the books of
the Old and New Testament in the common

32:13.840 --> 32:14.320
language.

32:14.960 --> 32:19.820
And if anyone possesses them, he must turn
them over to the local bishop within eight

32:19.820 --> 32:22.620
days of this decree, so that they may be
burned.

32:28.190 --> 32:32.630
Not only did Wycliffe translate the Bible
into English, but he trained a group of

32:32.630 --> 32:34.230
lay pastors called Lawlords.

32:35.230 --> 32:39.330
Fanning out across Europe, these men
distributed thousands of handwritten

32:39.330 --> 32:42.170
copies of the Bible, as well as writings.

32:43.590 --> 32:46.150
The church opposed his teachings and
writings.

32:46.930 --> 32:50.910
Over his lifetime, Wycliffe was put on
trial three separate times.

32:51.470 --> 32:53.470
But each time, he was able to escape.

32:53.990 --> 32:59.070
During one trial, he gave a thundering
response for his belief in God and the

32:59.070 --> 33:02.830
Bible as God's word, and then simply
walked out.

33:03.630 --> 33:05.430
His accusers sat stunned.

33:06.710 --> 33:11.510
It was as if God's hand was over this
brilliant scholar, protecting him from a

33:11.510 --> 33:12.170
martyr's grave.

33:13.790 --> 33:19.550
It was during this time that the Roman
church was rocked by a major scandal that

33:19.550 --> 33:22.610
distracted its attention and protected
Wycliffe.

33:23.410 --> 33:28.790
Three separate men claimed to be the sole
pope of the church, and proceeded to

33:28.790 --> 33:32.110
excommunicate the others in what is now
called the Western Schism.

33:33.030 --> 33:36.530
They strongly denounced their opponents as
being the Antichrist.

33:37.510 --> 33:42.910
Speaking of the Pope of Rome and the Pope
of Avignon, France, Wycliffe said that

33:42.910 --> 33:48.130
they were two halves of Antichrist,
making up the perfect man of sin between

33:48.130 --> 33:48.450
them.

33:48.890 --> 33:52.930
He encouraged people to look away from the
men to the word of God.

33:53.950 --> 33:59.070
He said even though there were a hundred
popes, and though every mendicant monk was

33:59.070 --> 34:06.010
a cardinal, they would be entitled to
confidence only insofar as they agree with

34:06.010 --> 34:06.450
the Bible.

34:08.210 --> 34:13.530
The Western Schism lasted almost 40 years,
and was finally resolved at the Council of

34:13.530 --> 34:14.110
Constance.

34:14.610 --> 34:18.650
The three popes were removed, and another
pope was elected to take their place.

34:19.650 --> 34:24.010
While the church was fighting,
the truth of God was able to spread.

34:25.290 --> 34:29.650
As the dust settled, the state church
began to focus on rooting out the

34:29.650 --> 34:30.550
Reformation movement.

34:31.350 --> 34:34.430
They found many in England had accepted
Wycliffe's teachings.

34:35.090 --> 34:39.990
In fact, one papal delegate complained,
you could not meet two persons on the

34:39.990 --> 34:43.010
street, but one of them was a lawlord.

34:44.070 --> 34:48.730
The Queen of England was herself a convert
to Wycliffe's teachings, and worked to

34:48.730 --> 34:49.290
protect him.

34:49.730 --> 34:53.990
During one of his trials, she set word to
the council forbidding them to pass

34:53.990 --> 34:54.950
sentence against him.

34:55.770 --> 35:00.290
She was a princess from Bohemia,
and through her influence, the reformer's

35:00.290 --> 35:03.190
writings were widely circulated in her
native country.

35:05.190 --> 35:07.690
Wycliffe has been called the morning star
of the Reformation.

35:08.490 --> 35:12.850
Just before the sunrise, he was like a
bright light in the darkened sky.

35:13.710 --> 35:16.450
Morning was dawning, and light was
beginning to spread.

35:17.310 --> 35:21.750
As the lawlords carried the scriptures far
and wide across Europe, concepts from the

35:21.750 --> 35:24.430
Bible were being embraced by the people.

35:27.580 --> 35:31.750
The Bible had been translated into the
Bohemian language, but over time,

35:32.230 --> 35:33.110
it was outlawed.

35:33.890 --> 35:37.910
In its place, ignorance and superstition
took hold.

35:41.350 --> 35:44.850
But the rumblings of change could be heard
in the distance.

35:45.390 --> 35:50.570
Jerome, a fiery preacher and professor
from Bohemia, came to Oxford University in

35:50.570 --> 35:51.950
England to continue his studying.

35:52.470 --> 35:55.670
While there, he came across some pamphlets
by Wycliffe.

35:56.370 --> 35:59.430
While he read them, he became convinced
that these were truth.

35:59.990 --> 36:04.490
Copying them down, he took them back with
him to Bohemia and shared them with a

36:04.490 --> 36:07.610
professor by the name of Jan Hus.

36:11.120 --> 36:16.020
Hus was named after the town he was from,
Hassinic, or Goosetown.

36:16.870 --> 36:21.640
His gentle and winning deportment earned
him admiration from classmates and

36:21.640 --> 36:22.560
professors alike.

36:23.560 --> 36:28.620
He graduated in 1396 and was asked to
become a faculty member of the university

36:28.620 --> 36:29.460
in Prague.

36:30.360 --> 36:34.500
Over the following years, Hus and Jerome
became close friends.

36:35.440 --> 36:37.420
Their personalities complemented each
other.

36:38.500 --> 36:44.220
Hus was thoughtful, wise, and discerning,
while Jerome was passionate, charismatic,

36:44.880 --> 36:46.280
and a powerful speaker.

36:47.800 --> 36:52.000
Jerome encouraged Hus to study the
writings of Wycliffe that he had brought

36:52.000 --> 36:52.880
back from England.

36:53.840 --> 36:57.160
Hus was intrigued and agreed with what he
was reading.

36:58.080 --> 37:02.880
He found Wycliffe's teachings to be
supported in scripture and believed the

37:02.880 --> 37:07.280
church would benefit from these
rediscovered beliefs found in the Bible.

37:09.300 --> 37:13.580
In 1402, Hus was appointed rector of the
Bethlehem Chapel in Prague.

37:14.180 --> 37:18.160
It was in this church that week after
week, Hus preached, not in Latin,

37:18.740 --> 37:20.020
but in the language of his members.

37:20.880 --> 37:24.980
Thousands came out to hear about a savior
that loved them and cared about them

37:24.980 --> 37:25.560
personally.

37:26.120 --> 37:31.300
From his pulpit and from his classroom,
light was shining and reaching much of

37:31.300 --> 37:39.100
Prague and Bohemia and converting them to
the The trouble was brewing at the

37:39.100 --> 37:40.120
University of Prague.

37:40.760 --> 37:45.460
Johann Hübner, a fellow professor,
strongly challenged 45 points of

37:45.460 --> 37:50.120
Wycliffe's teachings, including that the
Bible was the only basis of authority for

37:50.120 --> 37:50.820
Christian doctrine.

37:52.040 --> 37:55.560
He was determined to have Wycliffe's
writings declared heretical by the state

37:55.560 --> 37:56.000
church.

37:56.940 --> 38:02.540
Three years later, Pope Innocent VII
ordered the Archbishop of Prague to

38:02.540 --> 38:05.920
suppress the reading, teaching,
and studying of Wycliffe's writings.

38:07.300 --> 38:11.900
But Hus had seen the light of the Bible
shining through the writings of Wycliffe

38:12.640 --> 38:14.900
and felt compelled to continue sharing
them.

38:16.700 --> 38:22.340
By the time Hus was preaching the Reformed
doctrines, just under 20 years had passed

38:22.340 --> 38:23.400
since Wycliffe's death.

38:24.360 --> 38:28.700
The church authorities in Bohemia appealed
to the new pope, Alexander V.

38:29.440 --> 38:34.060
They were upset at Hus for criticizing the
selling of indulgences to raise funds.

38:34.960 --> 38:37.940
He accused the church of acting out of
selfish interest.

38:38.800 --> 38:41.180
It wasn't long before Rome responded.

38:42.240 --> 38:47.620
In 1412, Hus received a letter demanding
that he travel to Rome to stand trial for

38:47.620 --> 38:48.160
his faith.

38:49.220 --> 38:53.140
He knew that if he went to Rome,
it was certain torture and death.

38:53.960 --> 38:56.380
Not surprisingly, he refused to go.

38:58.800 --> 39:02.720
Enraged at his disobedience, the pope
issued the ultimate punishment.

39:03.480 --> 39:05.380
Hus was excommunicated.

39:06.380 --> 39:10.080
In the eyes of the church, he was now
condemned to burn in hell for all

39:10.080 --> 39:10.460
eternity.

39:11.660 --> 39:15.080
To the medieval mind, this was to be
dreaded more than anything else.

39:15.740 --> 39:18.700
But Hus's mind had been lit by the word of
God.

39:19.600 --> 39:24.400
How could a human authority condemn
someone to burn in hell for obeying divine

39:24.400 --> 39:24.900
commands?

39:26.360 --> 39:28.920
The Bible was his only authority.

39:29.620 --> 39:31.060
To it, he would bow.

39:32.020 --> 39:35.400
Unafraid of a piece of paper, he continued
to preach every single week.

39:36.240 --> 39:40.600
Thousands in the city of Prague followed
his example and packed the chapel to hear

39:40.600 --> 39:41.860
the word of God for themselves.

39:44.400 --> 39:50.400
As the Bohemian people accepted and spread
the newfound light, there was an awakening

39:50.400 --> 39:53.180
to the principles of grace and hope.

39:54.460 --> 39:58.620
The Waldenses continued pouring young
missionaries from their valleys into

39:58.620 --> 39:59.360
Central Europe.

40:00.280 --> 40:04.320
The Lawlerts from England joined them in
spreading the light.

40:06.740 --> 40:09.440
Rome was rapidly losing ground to the
Reformation.

40:10.200 --> 40:14.020
In a desperate attempt to stop its
advancement, it put the city of Prague

40:14.020 --> 40:14.780
under interdict.

40:15.640 --> 40:20.900
No one could marry, receive communion,
or even be buried in the church cemetery

40:20.900 --> 40:24.740
until Jan Hus was removed as pastor in
Prague.

40:30.220 --> 40:35.240
To protect the people, Hus left the city
to continue preaching and writing from the

40:35.240 --> 40:35.620
countryside.

40:36.480 --> 40:41.580
As he was leaving, he clearly stated that
he no longer trusted indecisive kings,

40:42.160 --> 40:44.700
hostile popes, or ineffective councils.

40:47.160 --> 40:52.880
He appealed directly to Jesus Christ as
his judge, and the scriptures as the

40:52.880 --> 40:54.160
foundation of his faith.

40:55.280 --> 40:59.920
Bypassing the structure and traditions of
the medieval church, he argued that Christ

40:59.920 --> 41:05.380
alone is the head of the church,
and that a pope, through ignorance and

41:05.380 --> 41:11.600
love of money, can make many mistakes,
and that to follow the Bible, even if a

41:11.600 --> 41:15.420
pope demands otherwise, is to obey Christ.

41:16.640 --> 41:20.840
For the Bohemian Reformation, this step
was monumental.

41:22.100 --> 41:26.460
Bohemia as a nation was accepting a new
authority, the Bible.

41:30.100 --> 41:35.260
The state church realized that any attempt
to force Hus to come to Rome would be

41:35.260 --> 41:35.680
futile.

41:35.680 --> 41:39.560
So they pressured the emperor of Bohemia
to deal with the heresy.

41:40.040 --> 41:44.220
Hus was summoned to Constance,
Germany to answer the charges that had

41:44.220 --> 41:45.300
been leveled against him.

41:52.400 --> 41:56.780
Emperor Sigismund promised him the
protection of a safe conduct, and his

41:56.780 --> 42:01.740
appearance was presented as an opportunity
to dialogue and to share new light with

42:01.740 --> 42:02.860
the emperor and his courts.

42:07.100 --> 42:08.900
But the dialogue was not to be.

42:09.520 --> 42:13.520
For the first few weeks in Constance,
Hus was allowed his freedom, but on

42:13.520 --> 42:19.260
November 28, 1414, he was arrested and
eventually thrown into the dungeon beneath

42:19.260 --> 42:20.220
the tower behind me.

42:21.200 --> 42:24.760
He was left to rot for months in this
awful place.

42:26.520 --> 42:31.140
Emperor Sigismund thought to release him,
but the pope's representatives argued that

42:31.140 --> 42:35.240
the agreements with heretics were not
binding and that Hus should be punished

42:35.240 --> 42:37.420
immediately for his apostasy.

42:38.840 --> 42:42.660
Sigismund wavered, and Hus stayed in
prison.

42:44.220 --> 42:47.960
When Jerome heard that Hus had been
captured, he rushed to Constance without

42:47.960 --> 42:49.660
any guarantee of a safe conduct.

42:50.540 --> 42:56.080
He arrived in April of 1415 to the
surprise of many, but he quickly realized

42:56.080 --> 42:58.140
there was nothing he could do to help his
friend.

42:58.940 --> 43:02.600
He tried to escape back to Bohemia,
but was captured along the route,

43:02.960 --> 43:05.520
brought back to Constance, and thrown into
jail.

43:10.320 --> 43:15.700
The enemies of Hus wanted to have him
executed without a trial, but powerful

43:15.700 --> 43:21.760
Bohemian princes pled for Hus to be given
a hearing, and to this, Sigismund finally

43:21.760 --> 43:22.180
relented.

43:23.160 --> 43:27.680
On June 8, 1415, Hus was summoned to
appear before the court.

43:28.760 --> 43:33.320
As he stepped before the court here in the
church, he was barely recognizable.

43:34.880 --> 43:40.880
After months in a dark, filthy dungeon,
he was sick, gaunt, and physically and

43:40.880 --> 43:42.040
emotionally exhausted.

43:43.640 --> 43:47.700
One man, standing against the most
powerful authorities in the kingdom,

43:49.060 --> 43:52.500
but this man stood on the authority of the
Bible.

43:54.900 --> 43:56.580
The trial was a sham.

43:57.540 --> 43:59.280
Thirty articles were read against him.

43:59.800 --> 44:04.340
When he attempted to respond or correct
different areas, he was told to be quiet.

44:06.500 --> 44:12.160
In the end, his options were to renounce
his teachings and beliefs, or die at the

44:12.160 --> 44:12.440
stake.

44:16.200 --> 44:21.400
Hus protested his innocence, and to refuse
to renounce anything until he was clearly

44:21.400 --> 44:23.460
shown from scripture where he was wrong.

44:24.240 --> 44:28.880
As he attempted to speak, loud shouts
echoed through the hall in an attempt to

44:28.880 --> 44:29.440
silence him.

44:30.180 --> 44:33.680
At this, Hus turned and looked directly at
Sigismund.

44:34.260 --> 44:37.560
It was on his promise of a safe conduct
that Hus had come.

44:38.960 --> 44:43.220
Sigismund's face turned a crimson red,
and he turned away in shame.

44:45.080 --> 44:51.820
And so, Hus was condemned by the church
authorities on July 6, 1415, and handed

44:51.820 --> 44:54.340
over to secular authorities to be burned.

44:56.060 --> 45:00.560
Realizing that he was about to die,
Hus fell to his knees and prayed aloud,

45:01.200 --> 45:06.460
Lord Jesus Christ, I implore thee,
forgive all mine enemies for thy great

45:06.460 --> 45:07.400
mercy's sake.

45:10.400 --> 45:12.060
This used to be an open field.

45:12.700 --> 45:15.400
Where this rock is, is where the stake was
set up.

45:16.060 --> 45:20.280
The emperor's marshal asked Hus one last
time to recant.

45:20.720 --> 45:22.420
Hus refused.

45:24.380 --> 45:28.340
God is my witness, he responded,
that the evidence against me is false.

45:28.940 --> 45:33.220
I have never thought nor preached except
with the intention of winning men,

45:33.520 --> 45:35.620
if possible, from their sins.

45:36.200 --> 45:38.800
Today, I will gladly die.

45:41.520 --> 45:43.660
His fate was sealed.

45:45.360 --> 45:51.220
Straw, wood, and kindling were piled up
around his body, and pages from Wycliffe's

45:51.220 --> 45:55.160
handwritten Bible were torn out and used
to start the flames.

45:57.100 --> 46:02.220
As the blistering fire licked at his body,
he sang, Lord, be merciful to me,

46:02.240 --> 46:02.580
a sinner.

46:03.740 --> 46:08.240
He could be heard reciting the Psalms
until the flames silenced his voice.

46:09.320 --> 46:16.700
Finally, a godly man, whose only desire
was to save souls, was gone.

46:28.440 --> 46:31.100
But Hus' enemies were not satisfied.

46:32.060 --> 46:37.920
They wanted his doctrines, his teachings,
and his memory destroyed.

46:40.960 --> 46:46.960
The executioners scooped up his ashes and
threw them into the Rhine River to prevent

46:46.960 --> 46:50.600
a burial site that could promote the fame
of the reformer.

46:51.840 --> 46:57.060
But his ashes were carried to Switzerland,
France, Germany, the Netherlands,

46:57.600 --> 46:59.600
and into the expanse of the North Sea.

47:00.740 --> 47:06.120
Little did Hus' enemies know that just as
his ashes were carried to distant shores,

47:06.460 --> 47:12.020
so the truth he uncovered would spread
throughout the world.

47:17.640 --> 47:22.460
The death of Hus deeply impacted Jerome,
who was still rotting in prison.

47:23.340 --> 47:27.520
He had already suffered immensely,
and the thought of burning alive terrified

47:27.520 --> 47:27.880
him.

47:28.420 --> 47:33.820
In fear, he renounced his beliefs and
pledged to follow the doctrines of the

47:33.820 --> 47:34.440
state church.

47:35.900 --> 47:40.100
But his sufferings were far from over,
and he was thrown back into prison.

47:41.220 --> 47:44.880
As he lay in his cell, his guilty
conscience tortured him.

47:45.780 --> 47:47.640
How could he have denied his Lord?

47:48.460 --> 47:51.240
How could he have gone against the
teachings he believed in?

47:52.200 --> 47:56.960
He was again brought before the council
and urged to even more clearly renounce

47:56.960 --> 47:57.560
his beliefs.

47:58.900 --> 48:01.440
But Jerome had changed.

48:02.400 --> 48:04.300
Gone was his former cowardice.

48:06.140 --> 48:12.580
He said, you condemned Wycliffe and Jan
Hus, not for having shaken the doctrines

48:12.580 --> 48:17.620
of the church, but simply because they
exposed the scandals proceeding from the

48:17.620 --> 48:23.720
clergy, their pomp, their pride,
and all the vices of the prelates and the

48:23.720 --> 48:24.100
priests.

48:25.200 --> 48:32.600
The things which they have affirmed,
and which are irrefutable, I also affirm.

48:34.720 --> 48:38.980
The council was furious and condemned him
to die.

48:44.690 --> 48:52.150
A year after the execution of Jan Hus,
on May 30, 1416, Jerome was burned.

48:53.570 --> 48:58.110
As he stood there with his hands tied to
the stake and kindling piled up around his

48:58.110 --> 49:00.330
legs, he was unflinching.

49:01.050 --> 49:02.570
Gone was his former cowardice.

49:02.950 --> 49:09.090
As the executioner came up behind him to
light the fire, Jerome said, come and

49:09.090 --> 49:10.390
kindle it before my eyes.

49:10.570 --> 49:13.830
If I was afraid of it, I would not have
come to this place.

49:14.990 --> 49:21.050
As the flames flicked up around him,
his last words were, this soul,

49:21.870 --> 49:24.270
in flames, I offer.

49:31.390 --> 49:36.650
The enemies of the Reformation were
gearing up to wipe the Bible and its

49:36.650 --> 49:38.290
followers off the map.

49:39.730 --> 49:45.970
Those in Bohemia received the news of Hus
and Jerome's death with fear and

49:45.970 --> 49:46.750
consternation.

49:49.090 --> 49:54.430
Rumors swirled that Emperor Sigismund was
amassing a vast army to once and for all

49:54.430 --> 49:57.370
deal with those in the state church called
heretics.

49:58.230 --> 50:05.190
In 1420, Pope Martin V issued a papal bull
calling for a crusade against the

50:05.190 --> 50:08.270
Wyclifites, the Hussites, and all other
heretics.

50:08.290 --> 50:13.810
In Bohemia, the church promised wealth,
adventure, and a guaranteed entrance to

50:13.810 --> 50:15.850
heaven for all those who fought alongside
her.

50:17.030 --> 50:20.690
Fear gripped the heart of the people,
and they looked to God to raise up a

50:20.690 --> 50:21.170
deliverer.

50:21.810 --> 50:23.110
It did not have long to wait.

50:23.730 --> 50:25.890
God was already moving on a man.

50:26.510 --> 50:29.090
His name was Jan Žižka.

50:30.550 --> 50:34.030
As a military leader, there are few equals
to Žižka.

50:34.690 --> 50:37.290
Brilliant, courageous, and humble.

50:37.290 --> 50:40.950
He is in a rare group of generals who
never lost a battle.

50:42.630 --> 50:47.110
As he heard of a personal God who would
forgive sins through faith in Jesus

50:47.110 --> 50:50.690
Christ, he was determined to give his life
to him.

50:51.830 --> 50:56.930
When the forces gathered to eradicate the
reformation from Prague, Žižka stood ready

50:56.930 --> 51:00.830
to lead the small armies of Bohemia
against the invaders.

51:02.070 --> 51:10.350
On June 30, 1420, Emperor Sigismund,
with over 80,000 crusaders, arrived

51:10.350 --> 51:12.550
outside the walls of Prague.

51:13.470 --> 51:18.910
The sea of soldiers, like the fog of
impending doom, spread out around the

51:18.910 --> 51:19.130
city.

51:20.170 --> 51:22.550
The citizens of Prague were terrified.

51:23.550 --> 51:27.910
They were greatly outnumbered,
were not trained in war, and had few

51:27.910 --> 51:28.290
weapons.

51:29.390 --> 51:33.450
It appeared that the reformation was about
to be snuffed out.

51:34.110 --> 51:39.290
With intense earnestness, the town turned
to the Lord for help.

51:41.570 --> 51:43.370
What happened next is incredible.

51:44.210 --> 51:48.830
Sigismund ordered his elite cavalry to
take an outpost not far from the city of

51:48.830 --> 51:49.150
Prague.

51:50.230 --> 51:55.790
3,000 of his cavalry marched across the
river and made their way towards the

51:55.790 --> 52:02.170
outpost, which was guarded by 26 men,
2 women, and 1 small child.

52:03.350 --> 52:07.030
They were reduced to throwing stones and
using sticks to keep the enemy at bay.

52:08.010 --> 52:11.710
It appeared that they were about to lose,
when one of the women, whose name has been

52:11.710 --> 52:17.690
lost to history, charged towards the
enemy, shouting, No true Christian will

52:17.690 --> 52:19.230
retreat from Antichrist.

52:20.050 --> 52:25.370
This inspired the others, and this handful
of people were able to hold the thousands

52:25.370 --> 52:30.430
at bay until Žižka could mobilize his
reinforcements and come to their aid.

52:31.030 --> 52:35.170
But his reinforcements were badly
outnumbered and ill-prepared to fight the

52:35.170 --> 52:35.870
elite cavalry.

52:36.650 --> 52:41.850
But they came, singing hymns, praying,
and trusting in the power of God to

52:41.850 --> 52:42.430
deliver them.

52:42.970 --> 52:48.510
As they approached, the elite cavalry felt
a supernatural terror come over them,

52:48.870 --> 52:50.350
and they fled from a choir.

52:51.150 --> 52:54.710
Throwing themselves off the cliff and
drowning in the river before, they were

52:54.710 --> 52:59.390
completely routed by a choir singing hymns
and praising God.

53:00.370 --> 53:05.470
Over the next 15 years of the Hussite
wars, General Žižka led his army from

53:05.470 --> 53:06.850
victory to victory.

53:07.590 --> 53:12.650
Even after he lost sight in both of his
eyes, he was able to envision the

53:12.650 --> 53:15.250
battlefield and guide his soldiers
accordingly.

53:16.010 --> 53:20.110
His leadership protected the Reformation
in its infancy.

53:21.310 --> 53:25.690
Žižka and his generation eventually died,
and the old guard was replaced with

53:25.690 --> 53:29.430
moderate leadership who were willing to
compromise for the sake of peace and

53:29.430 --> 53:29.770
safety.

53:30.630 --> 53:34.890
The call for unity within the Church was
promoted as more important than following

53:34.890 --> 53:35.930
the teachings of Scripture.

53:37.010 --> 53:42.530
Eventually, the state church regained
control, and light was shackled away from

53:42.530 --> 53:42.950
the people.

53:45.190 --> 53:49.950
Wycliffe, Huss, and Jerome passed,
but their work of sharing the Bible with

53:49.950 --> 53:52.270
the common person had planted seeds of
light.

53:53.230 --> 53:55.690
They had not formulated the principles of
the Reformation.

53:56.350 --> 54:00.670
Rather, they discovered these principles
by simply reading the Bible.

54:01.890 --> 54:06.690
As people followed the light, God blessed
with even more light.

54:09.430 --> 54:14.050
Contained within the Scriptures is the
path to forgiveness and peace with God.

54:14.690 --> 54:19.950
It teaches that salvation is through Jesus
Christ, not a church, and that it's free

54:19.950 --> 54:22.590
and personal without the need of a priest.

54:23.350 --> 54:27.190
This cut at the very foundation of the
religious hierarchy.

54:27.830 --> 54:33.270
The Church taught that for a short life of
sin, God would condemn a person to burn in

54:33.270 --> 54:34.630
hell for all eternity.

54:35.830 --> 54:40.550
This put an emphasis on the need to
purchase forgiveness, but created a vast

54:40.550 --> 54:43.410
chasm between God and man.

54:45.050 --> 54:48.910
As Huss stood before the council that
condemned him to die, he said,

54:49.510 --> 54:53.470
today you are going to burn a goose,
but in a century you will have a swan

54:53.470 --> 54:55.910
which you can neither roast nor boil.

54:57.230 --> 55:01.830
This he said referring to himself as the
goose from goose town, but he also

55:01.830 --> 55:06.370
referred to the coming of a reformer who
the church would be unable to silence,

55:06.730 --> 55:11.310
whose hammer thundering against the door
of a church would advance the Reformation

55:11.310 --> 55:13.710
with explosive power.

55:26.500 --> 55:32.100
On November 10, 1483, Martin Luther was
born here in Eisleben, Germany.

55:33.460 --> 55:37.140
His parents were poor German peasants who
desired a better life for their son.

55:37.840 --> 55:42.400
Through great sacrifice, they sent him to
the university to become a lawyer.

55:46.550 --> 55:49.810
Luther was a natural student and excelled
in his studies.

55:51.370 --> 55:55.090
He would have walked through this arch to
enter the university library.

55:55.970 --> 56:00.910
One day, while Luther was examining the
books, he came across an entire Latin

56:00.910 --> 56:01.230
Bible.

56:02.090 --> 56:04.870
Up to this point, he didn't even know that
a whole Bible existed.

56:05.590 --> 56:09.510
He had only heard portions of the Gospels
and Psalms recited by the priests.

56:10.410 --> 56:15.490
He stood in awe, holding not just a few
passages, but the entire Bible.

56:16.670 --> 56:20.430
His soul stirred within him and he
thought, oh that God would give me such a

56:20.430 --> 56:21.430
book for myself.

56:23.490 --> 56:28.350
This was quite possibly the beginning of
his desire to make the Bible available to

56:28.350 --> 56:30.750
the common person in their own language.

56:32.550 --> 56:37.590
In 1505, Luther was traveling back to
Erfurt, where he was attending school,

56:38.050 --> 56:40.110
when a massive thunderstorm blew in.

56:41.310 --> 56:45.150
He fought to press on, but fear gripped
him as he remembered that a friend had

56:45.150 --> 56:46.050
been killed by lightning.

56:47.090 --> 56:50.510
In terror, he cried out, save me St. Anne,
and I'll become a monk.

56:51.450 --> 56:54.590
The storm abated, and Luther did indeed
survive.

56:55.930 --> 57:00.970
He kept his promise, and much to his
father's dismay, left law school to join a

57:00.970 --> 57:01.410
monastery.

57:02.370 --> 57:04.950
Luther's entire life had been filled with
fear.

57:06.010 --> 57:10.090
Like many living in the Dark Ages,
he was terrified of demons and of

57:10.090 --> 57:11.170
supernatural activity.

57:12.130 --> 57:15.710
In a desperate attempt to find peace,
he entered a monastery.

57:16.450 --> 57:20.270
Perhaps there he could find genuine rest
for his soul.

57:21.650 --> 57:25.770
In the monastery, Luther spent hours in
confession, and when he was finished,

57:26.110 --> 57:27.610
he would start all over again.

57:28.570 --> 57:31.370
Finally, his confessor, Father Staupitz,
had had enough.

57:31.790 --> 57:35.250
Look, he said, if you want Christ to
forgive you, come with something to

57:35.250 --> 57:35.510
forgive.

57:36.550 --> 57:40.770
He assured Luther that his sins had been
forgiven, that he had peace in Jesus

57:40.770 --> 57:41.270
Christ.

57:41.630 --> 57:44.470
But Luther's mind still troubled him.

57:46.210 --> 57:49.570
One day, while walking through the
library, Luther came across a book

57:49.570 --> 57:50.970
containing Jan Hus sermons.

57:50.970 --> 57:56.430
Intrigued, he said, I could not understand
for what cause they had burnt so great a

57:56.430 --> 58:00.850
man, who explained the Bible with so much
gravity and skill.

58:08.210 --> 58:12.850
Several years after joining the monastery,
Luther was sent to Rome on official

58:12.850 --> 58:13.370
business.

58:14.110 --> 58:18.650
He and another monk made the 800-mile
journey on foot, staying at monasteries

58:18.650 --> 58:19.350
along the way.

58:20.290 --> 58:22.450
Rome was a culture shock.

58:29.630 --> 58:34.250
Here was immeasurable wealth, luxury,
and levity.

58:35.810 --> 58:40.110
Everywhere he turned, he found profanity
in the place of sanctity.

58:41.430 --> 58:46.350
Well, in Rome, Luther visited many of the
holy sites, including Pilate's staircase.

58:47.490 --> 58:51.410
The church taught that anyone who ascended
these stairs on their knees would receive

58:51.410 --> 58:54.050
a full pardon for any sins that had been
committed.

58:55.050 --> 59:00.010
As Luther ascended each stair,
about halfway up, the verse came vividly

59:00.010 --> 59:06.830
to his mind from Romans chapter 1 and
verse 17, the just shall live by faith.

59:07.890 --> 59:12.890
As the light illuminated his mind,
Luther understood for the first time that

59:12.890 --> 59:16.650
it wasn't his works that would save him,
but Jesus Christ alone.

59:19.030 --> 59:24.190
Around this time, St. Peter's Basilica was
under construction in Rome.

59:25.250 --> 59:30.130
The Pope's extravagant lifestyle had
emptied the treasury, and church leaders

59:30.130 --> 59:33.690
decided to use a creative and effective
fundraising tool.

59:34.410 --> 59:36.990
They would print paper indulgences for
sale.

59:37.630 --> 59:42.590
Half of the income would go to the local
bishop in Germany, and the other half of

59:42.590 --> 59:44.010
the proceeds would go to Rome.

59:44.650 --> 59:49.370
To sell these indulgences, the church
would send emissaries of the Pope to

59:49.370 --> 59:50.510
encourage people to buy.

59:51.150 --> 59:55.750
Johann Tetzel was sent to Saxony,
Germany near Wittenberg.

59:57.630 --> 01:00:00.530
Johann Tetzel was a master salesman.

01:00:01.010 --> 01:00:04.670
He traveled to various parts of Germany
and preached on the horrors of purgatory,

01:00:05.010 --> 01:00:10.790
and also on the graciousness of the church
to offer pardon and forgiveness for so

01:00:10.790 --> 01:00:11.350
little money.

01:00:12.710 --> 01:00:17.770
Why, he would say, as soon as the coin in
the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory

01:00:17.770 --> 01:00:18.430
springs.

01:00:19.030 --> 01:00:24.870
And then he would ask, how could anyone be
so selfish that they would not relieve

01:00:24.870 --> 01:00:28.230
their deceased relatives from the terrible
suffering in purgatory?

01:00:29.530 --> 01:00:33.290
The ignorant and superstitious,
plagued by fears of death and torment,

01:00:33.530 --> 01:00:34.850
eagerly accepted this offer.

01:00:35.410 --> 01:00:39.290
Money poured into the treasury as people
paid to have their sins forgiven,

01:00:39.290 --> 01:00:41.830
and their relatives freed from purgatory.

01:00:42.350 --> 01:00:46.230
To Luther, this was simply religious
manipulation.

01:00:47.930 --> 01:00:50.650
And here was the problem with indulgences.

01:00:51.050 --> 01:00:53.270
It didn't bring about any heart change.

01:00:53.890 --> 01:00:57.830
While in theory, a person was supposed to
demonstrate signs of repentance,

01:00:58.690 --> 01:01:00.650
the system was poised for corruption.

01:01:01.970 --> 01:01:06.010
Tetzel was to discover this firsthand in
Leipzig, Germany.

01:01:10.590 --> 01:01:14.350
A man asked if it was possible to buy an
indulgence for a future sin.

01:01:15.230 --> 01:01:18.550
Tetzel assured him this was not a problem
with the payment of a large sum of money.

01:01:19.290 --> 01:01:23.590
The man paid and left with the indulgence
and the official seal of the Pope.

01:01:25.270 --> 01:01:30.450
As Tetzel left the town, he was attacked
and beaten, and the large chest of money

01:01:30.450 --> 01:01:31.010
was stolen.

01:01:32.330 --> 01:01:36.030
Tetzel was enraged and demanded the thief
be brought to justice.

01:01:36.610 --> 01:01:40.610
However, when brought before the
magistrate, the man proved to be the same

01:01:40.610 --> 01:01:43.610
one who had purchased an indulgence
earlier for a future sin.

01:01:44.710 --> 01:01:48.630
He assured the magistrate that this was
the sin he had intended when he purchased

01:01:48.630 --> 01:01:48.910
it.

01:01:49.510 --> 01:01:52.790
Much to the chagrin of Tetzel,
the man was allowed to go free.

01:02:03.400 --> 01:02:08.720
The idea of purchasing the forgiveness of
sins, past or future, was in Luther's mind

01:02:08.720 --> 01:02:12.120
something of pagan origin and not to be
found anywhere in the Bible.

01:02:12.740 --> 01:02:16.700
He preached to his congregations with
increasing conviction that all their

01:02:16.700 --> 01:02:18.660
beliefs must be based upon the Bible.

01:02:19.300 --> 01:02:23.880
Large crowds came to hear him preach,
but preaching was not enough.

01:02:25.220 --> 01:02:29.920
Christianity and the church were about to
be shaken to their core.

01:02:40.480 --> 01:02:47.560
In 1517, Duke Frederick, Elector of
Saxony, had an incredible dream.

01:02:48.740 --> 01:02:54.100
He saw a monk nailing something to a
church door with letters so large you

01:02:54.100 --> 01:02:55.740
could read it from a great distance.

01:02:56.920 --> 01:03:01.880
The monk used a goose quill to write,
and the quill became a beam that grew

01:03:01.880 --> 01:03:11.220
large and reached to Rome, knocking the
men tried to break the pen, but it was

01:03:11.220 --> 01:03:13.640
like steel and could not be broken.

01:03:14.620 --> 01:03:17.020
Then he saw other pens writing all around.

01:03:17.880 --> 01:03:23.660
The duke had this continuing dream three
times that fretful night and finally awoke

01:03:23.660 --> 01:03:28.840
to the morning of October 31st,
1517.

01:03:35.140 --> 01:03:39.060
Luther made his way to the castle church
door here in Wittenberg, Germany,

01:03:39.380 --> 01:03:40.700
a piece of paper in his hand.

01:03:41.520 --> 01:03:47.200
On it he outlaid 95 points or theses
arguing that indulgences were not to be

01:03:47.200 --> 01:03:50.120
found in the teachings of Jesus or even
within the Bible.

01:03:51.260 --> 01:03:54.240
His intent was to generate discussion
within Wittenberg.

01:03:54.780 --> 01:03:59.760
Little did he realize what an impact this
paper would have, not just on Wittenberg,

01:04:00.180 --> 01:04:01.180
but all of Christianity.

01:04:02.040 --> 01:04:07.680
In a few days it had spread throughout
Germany, and in a few weeks it had spread

01:04:07.680 --> 01:04:08.880
across all of Europe.

01:04:09.980 --> 01:04:13.820
One new machine made it all possible,
the printing press.

01:04:15.040 --> 01:04:19.720
Thousands of copies of the 95 theses were
quickly printed and distributed among the

01:04:19.720 --> 01:04:20.000
people.

01:04:20.900 --> 01:04:22.800
The points became the talk of all Germany.

01:04:23.560 --> 01:04:25.580
What was so startling about this document?

01:04:26.220 --> 01:04:27.620
Why was it so revolutionary?

01:04:28.660 --> 01:04:34.080
Over the last 1500 years the church had
become the final authority on religion and

01:04:34.080 --> 01:04:34.480
doctrine.

01:04:35.240 --> 01:04:40.520
Luther was striking at the very foundation
of state church structure.

01:04:49.570 --> 01:04:55.570
In July of 1519, Johann Eck debated Luther
in order to challenge his teachings.

01:04:56.570 --> 01:04:59.530
Eck was considered to be the master
debater in Germany.

01:05:00.550 --> 01:05:05.290
In the debate, Luther stated that the
scripture alone was the basis of Christian

01:05:05.290 --> 01:05:05.730
belief.

01:05:06.450 --> 01:05:10.850
He condemned the sale of indulgences as a
means of reducing time in purgatory,

01:05:11.470 --> 01:05:13.950
as there was no mention of purgatory in
the Bible.

01:05:15.350 --> 01:05:20.150
When the theologians saw that they could
make no progress with Luther, the Pope

01:05:20.150 --> 01:05:25.710
sent out an order excommunicating him and
commanding that his books and pamphlets be

01:05:25.710 --> 01:05:26.010
burned.

01:05:27.290 --> 01:05:31.550
Upon receiving the condemning document,
Luther, along with fellow professors and

01:05:31.550 --> 01:05:36.470
students, gathered underneath this tree
and burned the papal excommunication

01:05:36.470 --> 01:05:36.770
letter.

01:05:37.510 --> 01:05:39.030
The battle was on.

01:05:42.590 --> 01:05:47.890
The Emperor, a supporter of the Pope,
summoned Luther to appear before his court

01:05:47.890 --> 01:05:49.390
in Worms, Germany.

01:05:53.060 --> 01:05:58.020
The building has since been destroyed,
but this is the place where Martin Luther

01:05:58.020 --> 01:05:59.380
would have stood before the court.

01:06:00.460 --> 01:06:03.200
The table in front of him contained all
his writings.

01:06:04.140 --> 01:06:06.380
The court demanded that he recant.

01:06:07.980 --> 01:06:13.520
He trembled, and in a subdued voice asked
for more time to be able to give a

01:06:13.520 --> 01:06:13.960
response.

01:06:14.980 --> 01:06:17.520
He was given till the next day.

01:06:18.580 --> 01:06:20.440
He spent hours that night in prayer.

01:06:21.220 --> 01:06:23.120
It felt like the world was standing
against him.

01:06:24.420 --> 01:06:25.620
Finally, the morning came.

01:06:26.320 --> 01:06:30.800
He was ushered into the chamber,
and a response was demanded.

01:06:33.100 --> 01:06:36.600
All was hushed as Luther spoke.

01:06:39.040 --> 01:06:45.820
Unless I am convinced by the testimony of
Holy Scripture, or by evident reason,

01:06:47.220 --> 01:06:51.620
for I can believe neither Pope nor
councils alone, as it is clear that they

01:06:51.620 --> 01:06:54.960
have erred repeatedly and contradict
themselves.

01:06:56.360 --> 01:07:02.220
I consider myself convicted by the
testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my

01:07:02.220 --> 01:07:02.800
basis.

01:07:03.920 --> 01:07:07.180
My conscience is captive to the word of
God.

01:07:08.720 --> 01:07:15.460
Thus I cannot, and I will not,
recant, because acting against one's

01:07:15.460 --> 01:07:19.360
conscience is neither safe nor sound.

01:07:20.600 --> 01:07:21.500
God help me.

01:07:25.630 --> 01:07:30.750
I can imagine the silence in the room,
one man bravely standing on the authority

01:07:30.750 --> 01:07:33.350
of the Bible against the most powerful men
on earth.

01:07:34.190 --> 01:07:39.310
His courageous manner impressed many that
were present, but his reasoning fell on

01:07:39.310 --> 01:07:40.890
the deaf ears of church leadership.

01:07:43.650 --> 01:07:46.610
Luther was declared to be an outlaw.

01:07:47.230 --> 01:07:50.730
His accusers urged the emperor to arrest
Luther on the spot.

01:07:51.770 --> 01:07:55.310
After all, they said, faith need not be
kept with heretics.

01:07:56.450 --> 01:08:00.890
But Emperor Charles remembered when
Emperor Sigismund had violated the safe

01:08:00.890 --> 01:08:06.230
conduct for husks and replied,
I should not like to have to blush like

01:08:06.230 --> 01:08:06.870
Sigismund.

01:08:11.250 --> 01:08:16.670
As Luther traveled home, he was secretly
kidnapped and secluded in a mountain

01:08:16.670 --> 01:08:19.210
fortress, the Warper Castle.

01:08:20.250 --> 01:08:25.170
Frederick, the Elector of Saxony,
who had had the miraculous dream of a monk

01:08:25.170 --> 01:08:29.450
nailing something to the door of a church,
had determined to save his friend.

01:08:32.860 --> 01:08:38.220
It was here, in this room, that Luther
translated the entire New Testament into

01:08:38.220 --> 01:08:38.520
German.

01:08:39.460 --> 01:08:44.620
In just 11 weeks, he accomplished one of
his greatest life goals, to give his

01:08:44.620 --> 01:08:46.640
people the scriptures in their language.

01:08:48.120 --> 01:08:50.400
Luther's disappearance caused quite a
stir.

01:08:51.720 --> 01:08:53.300
Rumors wildly circulated.

01:08:53.960 --> 01:08:55.080
Some thought he was dead.

01:08:55.560 --> 01:08:56.600
His enemies rejoice.

01:08:57.680 --> 01:09:02.180
But as his new publishings came off the
press, it became clear that he was not

01:09:02.180 --> 01:09:03.880
dead, but alive.

01:09:05.560 --> 01:09:11.600
However, with Luther physically hidden
away, a dark and sinister shadow began to

01:09:11.600 --> 01:09:13.660
fall across the Reformation movement.

01:09:14.940 --> 01:09:19.180
A peasant revolt swept through the
countryside, and the enemies of the

01:09:19.180 --> 01:09:24.020
Reformation were quick to blame it on the
teachings of Martin Luther.

01:09:25.060 --> 01:09:28.140
The Reformation was on the verge of
falling apart.

01:09:28.880 --> 01:09:33.680
Torn from within and opposed from without,
Luther could no longer stay hidden.

01:09:34.460 --> 01:09:38.560
He left the castle without protection and
entered the pulpit, preaching,

01:09:39.120 --> 01:09:41.340
rebuking, and encouraging his followers.

01:09:42.200 --> 01:09:47.340
The Reformation was safe, but opposition
from the state church was far from over.

01:09:48.000 --> 01:09:52.880
The next movements would determine the
future of Europe and the world.

01:09:56.950 --> 01:10:03.730
In 1526, the Imperial Diet met for the
first time in Speyer, Germany.

01:10:05.130 --> 01:10:09.890
The leaders from across the country met
here in the Speyer Cathedral to discuss

01:10:09.890 --> 01:10:14.610
important decisions, one of which was the
spread of the Reformation.

01:10:18.600 --> 01:10:22.700
Emperor Charles V knew that he would have
to walk a very delicate line.

01:10:23.380 --> 01:10:27.540
He, along with the state church,
was desirous to snuff out the Reformed

01:10:27.540 --> 01:10:28.100
heresy.

01:10:28.500 --> 01:10:32.520
But he also knew that some of the princes
were pushing for freedom to practice

01:10:32.520 --> 01:10:34.380
religion as their conscience dictated.

01:10:35.140 --> 01:10:38.860
The fledgling Reformation hung in the
balance.

01:10:44.490 --> 01:10:49.570
To protect the Reformation, God raised up
an unlikely ally from the east.

01:10:50.110 --> 01:10:52.750
The Ottoman Turks were advancing towards
Europe.

01:10:53.590 --> 01:10:55.630
Every kingdom had fallen before them.

01:10:56.510 --> 01:11:01.270
Seventy-five years before the Imperial
Diet, Constantinople had fallen to the

01:11:01.270 --> 01:11:01.610
Turks.

01:11:02.410 --> 01:11:07.910
This was significant in the European mind
as Constantinople was considered the queen

01:11:07.910 --> 01:11:10.530
of cities because of its advanced
fortifications.

01:11:11.390 --> 01:11:15.490
For over a thousand years, these walls had
stood unbreached.

01:11:16.730 --> 01:11:22.110
A massive chain would be hauled across the
harbor to prevent any ships from being

01:11:22.110 --> 01:11:23.350
able to attack from the sea.

01:11:23.810 --> 01:11:28.330
No matter how the city was approached,
it was considered to be impregnable.

01:11:28.950 --> 01:11:32.770
That is until the Ottoman Turks attacked.

01:11:35.880 --> 01:11:40.960
One of the original cannons used to
destroy Constantinople still exists today.

01:11:41.820 --> 01:11:44.540
I've traveled to Fort Nelson in England to
see it.

01:11:49.640 --> 01:11:51.900
The Turks advanced on Constantinople.

01:11:52.500 --> 01:11:56.120
They came with the largest cannon that had
ever existed up to that point.

01:11:56.280 --> 01:11:57.520
17 feet long.

01:11:57.940 --> 01:12:03.940
It could shoot projectiles that weighed up
to 670 pounds over a mile in distance.

01:12:05.120 --> 01:12:09.640
As they arrived, I can imagine the terror
that the inhabitants must have felt as

01:12:09.640 --> 01:12:15.640
they looked over the wall and saw the
massive army of the Turks who gathered

01:12:15.640 --> 01:12:20.880
around with these huge cannons beginning
to shake and destroy their wall.

01:12:25.950 --> 01:12:32.710
Even now, as the Diet was taking place,
the Ottoman Turks were sweeping north and

01:12:32.710 --> 01:12:34.870
nearing the borders of Charles V's empire.

01:12:36.030 --> 01:12:40.150
At the Battle of Mohacs, the Hungarian
army had been destroyed.

01:12:41.310 --> 01:12:47.030
There was no longer a buffer between the
fierce Ottoman Empire and the rest of

01:12:47.030 --> 01:12:47.310
Europe.

01:12:48.570 --> 01:12:50.810
The emperor had made up his mind.

01:12:51.530 --> 01:12:53.110
Luther had already been outlawed.

01:12:53.790 --> 01:12:55.870
The Reformation must be stopped.

01:12:57.010 --> 01:13:02.810
But as long as the Turks were advancing,
Charles V needed the cooperation and

01:13:02.810 --> 01:13:07.730
military support of the Protestant
princes, and he was forced to tolerate

01:13:07.730 --> 01:13:22.110
their reforms to save his The Diet met
again, and a law was proposed that would

01:13:22.110 --> 01:13:25.090
allow the Reformed areas to remain
reformed.

01:13:25.210 --> 01:13:30.170
However, the spread of biblical doctrines
to other areas would be prohibited.

01:13:31.730 --> 01:13:36.370
While on the surface, this appeared to be
a concession, the Reformed leaders

01:13:36.370 --> 01:13:40.230
realized that if truth could not spread,
it would die.

01:13:41.730 --> 01:13:46.690
Many Germans, even under Catholic princes,
had accepted the Reformed doctrine.

01:13:47.790 --> 01:13:51.950
If these restrictions were implemented,
civil war was imminent.

01:13:53.490 --> 01:13:58.650
The Reformed German princes put their life
and lands on the line as they

01:13:58.650 --> 01:14:03.470
respectfully, but forcefully, lodged a
formal protest against the edict.

01:14:04.710 --> 01:14:06.490
They said, let us reject this decree.

01:14:06.930 --> 01:14:10.290
In matters of conscience, the majority has
no power.

01:14:11.490 --> 01:14:13.070
The proposed laws failed.

01:14:14.810 --> 01:14:17.770
Charles saw that his plans had been
thwarted again.

01:14:18.290 --> 01:14:21.850
He needed these princes and their men to
fight against the Turks.

01:14:22.970 --> 01:14:30.930
The term Protestant was coined in honor of
these princes who protested against the

01:14:30.930 --> 01:14:31.710
unfair laws.

01:14:32.890 --> 01:14:37.390
Through an unexpected source, the
Reformation had been protected once again.

01:14:38.470 --> 01:14:43.550
If the Ottoman Turks had not been pressing
from the east, the Reformation could have

01:14:43.550 --> 01:14:44.210
been crushed.

01:14:45.310 --> 01:14:48.930
While the advancement of the Turks was
checked during the siege of Vienna in

01:14:48.930 --> 01:14:54.390
1529, their continued presence distracted
the armies and allowed the flickering

01:14:54.390 --> 01:14:57.670
flame of the Reformation to become a
steady blaze.

01:15:00.820 --> 01:15:06.160
In England, another giant of faith was
rising during the early 1500s.

01:15:06.600 --> 01:15:11.440
This man would significantly shape the
English language and religion perhaps more

01:15:11.440 --> 01:15:12.020
than any other.

01:15:12.620 --> 01:15:14.920
His name was William Tyndale.

01:15:15.920 --> 01:15:20.900
In 1494, Tyndale was born here in
Gloucestershire, England, an area

01:15:20.900 --> 01:15:22.280
dominated by the wool industry.

01:15:23.220 --> 01:15:25.860
He grew up among farmers and textile
workers.

01:15:27.040 --> 01:15:32.020
It was this humble beginning that laid the
foundation for his future success.

01:15:33.600 --> 01:15:38.660
He attended Oxford University where he
received one of the finest educations

01:15:38.660 --> 01:15:39.880
available in his day.

01:15:41.500 --> 01:15:45.540
Tyndale moved back to Gloucestershire,
England and became a tutor for the Welsh

01:15:45.540 --> 01:15:45.920
family.

01:15:46.940 --> 01:15:51.580
His hosts would often have the leading men
of the city over and Tyndale loved to sit

01:15:51.580 --> 01:15:55.380
down with them and discuss the new ideas
which were sweeping through Europe.

01:15:56.320 --> 01:16:01.000
One evening, he was discussing with a
group of monks when one of them said that

01:16:01.000 --> 01:16:03.560
he would rather have the laws of the Pope
than the Bible.

01:16:04.460 --> 01:16:09.680
Tyndale was appalled and heatedly
responded, I defy the Pope and all his

01:16:09.680 --> 01:16:09.860
laws.

01:16:09.880 --> 01:16:14.540
If God spares my life, ere these many
years, I will translate a Bible into

01:16:14.540 --> 01:16:18.920
English so that the plow boy may know more
scripture than you.

01:16:21.180 --> 01:16:27.120
Little did they realize how Tyndale,
the lowly son of a farmer, was destined to

01:16:27.120 --> 01:16:30.540
shape the English language, perhaps more
than any other.

01:16:32.300 --> 01:16:36.520
After the fall of Constantinople,
documents began to flow west as people

01:16:36.520 --> 01:16:37.800
fled from the Turks.

01:16:38.440 --> 01:16:42.820
As these manuscripts arrived in western
Europe, there was a renewed interest in

01:16:42.820 --> 01:16:43.740
Greek and Hebrew.

01:16:44.500 --> 01:16:47.580
Scholars wanted to study the Bible in its
original language.

01:16:48.240 --> 01:16:53.160
One of them, Erasmus, compiled the many
Greek New Testament versions into one

01:16:53.160 --> 01:16:53.720
compilation.

01:16:54.340 --> 01:16:57.960
He published this as a single New
Testament with Greek and Latin side by

01:16:57.960 --> 01:16:58.340
side.

01:16:59.120 --> 01:17:03.880
This was invaluable to Tyndale as he
translated the Bible into English.

01:17:05.560 --> 01:17:10.260
As Tyndale continued his study in
translation of the Bible, tension with

01:17:10.260 --> 01:17:11.960
local religious authorities rose.

01:17:12.840 --> 01:17:17.600
And in order to avoid the charge of
heresy, Tyndale fled to London where he

01:17:17.600 --> 01:17:20.740
hoped to get permission to publish a Bible
in English.

01:17:22.220 --> 01:17:26.200
In London, he asked Tunstall, who was
Bishop of Durham, for permission to

01:17:26.200 --> 01:17:26.880
publish his Bible.

01:17:27.680 --> 01:17:31.320
But Tunstall was a strong believer that
the Bible should not be in the language of

01:17:31.320 --> 01:17:31.680
the people.

01:17:31.680 --> 01:17:36.840
He let Tyndale know in no uncertain terms
that his Bible was not welcome in London

01:17:37.440 --> 01:17:40.720
and made sure to shut every other door for
publishing as well.

01:17:43.160 --> 01:17:47.160
With legal permission denied, Tyndale
decided to go underground.

01:17:48.360 --> 01:17:54.700
Within a short time, he had boarded a
ferry and left England, never to return.

01:17:56.080 --> 01:17:59.860
He must have known this would make him a
hunted man for the rest of his life.

01:18:02.660 --> 01:18:08.020
Once in Europe, Tyndale was constantly
moving, translating long hours each day

01:18:08.020 --> 01:18:09.920
and in continual danger of capture.

01:18:10.940 --> 01:18:16.840
In 1525, he completed the New Testament
and started printing 3,000 copies in

01:18:16.840 --> 01:18:17.160
Cologne.

01:18:18.020 --> 01:18:23.300
Unfortunately, the printer shop was raided
and Tyndale barely escaped with his life.

01:18:24.500 --> 01:18:30.000
Managing to save some of the pages of the
translated work, he traveled to the city

01:18:30.000 --> 01:18:31.680
of Worms to finish.

01:18:32.880 --> 01:18:35.380
Finally, he was able to print it.

01:18:35.960 --> 01:18:40.220
His Bible, though it was expensive,
was an instant bestseller.

01:18:41.340 --> 01:18:45.900
Because of the invention of the printing
press, it no longer took 11 months to copy

01:18:45.900 --> 01:18:46.880
the Bible by hand.

01:18:47.640 --> 01:18:51.180
Now, a Bible could be produced in a matter
of days.

01:18:52.940 --> 01:18:57.200
Soon, much to the distress of the
authorities, Tyndale's New Testament

01:18:57.200 --> 01:18:58.700
started showing up in England.

01:18:59.340 --> 01:19:03.460
Merchants were smuggling them in
containers filled with food and wool.

01:19:04.380 --> 01:19:08.060
Even though they were expensive,
people bought them as soon as they became

01:19:08.060 --> 01:19:08.460
available.

01:19:09.140 --> 01:19:11.980
They were small and easily fit inside your
pocket.

01:19:12.620 --> 01:19:18.080
This was important, as owning one always
came at the risk of losing your life.

01:19:19.840 --> 01:19:24.340
The state church, in a desperate attempt
to keep Tyndale's Bible away from the

01:19:24.340 --> 01:19:28.640
people, bought up hundreds of copies and
brought them here to St. Paul's Cathedral

01:19:28.640 --> 01:19:29.880
in London to be burned.

01:19:30.660 --> 01:19:35.440
But the proceeds from these sales were
sent back to Tyndale, who used them to

01:19:35.440 --> 01:19:36.920
print even more Bibles.

01:19:38.920 --> 01:19:43.500
In 1535, Tyndale was betrayed by a man he
trusted.

01:19:44.440 --> 01:19:48.080
He was captured near his residence by
officers of Charles V.

01:19:51.310 --> 01:19:55.890
In Vilvoorde, Tyndale was imprisoned under
deplorable conditions.

01:19:56.510 --> 01:20:00.370
We still have a letter that he wrote to
the prison warden asking for warmer

01:20:00.370 --> 01:20:05.450
clothes, oil for his lamp, and his books
so that he could continue translating the

01:20:05.450 --> 01:20:06.090
Old Testament.

01:20:07.310 --> 01:20:14.050
Finally, after 15 months of imprisonment,
he was led from his cell to be burned.

01:20:23.770 --> 01:20:25.190
He was led to the stake.

01:20:26.110 --> 01:20:29.150
The wood was piled around him and the fire
was lit.

01:20:30.110 --> 01:20:34.430
His final words were, Lord, open the king
of England's eyes.

01:20:35.990 --> 01:20:40.610
When he'd finished burning, they scooped
up his ashes and threw them into the river

01:20:40.610 --> 01:20:41.210
behind me.

01:20:42.810 --> 01:20:44.610
And why did they burn him?

01:20:45.730 --> 01:20:46.930
For translating the Bible.

01:20:52.860 --> 01:20:56.600
Within four years, Tyndale's dying prayer
was answered.

01:20:57.360 --> 01:21:03.720
In England, Miles Coverdale was able to
publish the Coverdale Bible, based almost

01:21:03.720 --> 01:21:06.080
entirely on Tyndale's work.

01:21:07.220 --> 01:21:12.500
In 1539, King Henry VIII authorized the
publishing of the Great Bible,

01:21:13.240 --> 01:21:16.460
the first authorized Bible in English
history.

01:21:17.420 --> 01:21:23.620
In 1611, King James Version, the most
famous Bible of all times, was published.

01:21:24.360 --> 01:21:28.980
Over 84% of the King James New Testament
is Tyndale's work.

01:21:29.720 --> 01:21:34.680
75% of the Old Testament books that
Tyndale was able to translate found its

01:21:34.680 --> 01:21:37.800
way directly into the King James Version.

01:21:39.120 --> 01:21:46.480
In it was life, and the life was the light
of men, and the light shineth in darkness,

01:21:46.960 --> 01:21:49.480
and the darkness comprehended it not.

01:21:51.240 --> 01:21:56.880
The reformers, such as Martin Luther and
William Tyndale, shared one great desire.

01:21:57.660 --> 01:22:01.920
That the Bible be made available,
not just to the priests and the monarchs,

01:22:02.240 --> 01:22:04.520
but also to the common plowboy.

01:22:05.660 --> 01:22:11.480
The shadows of the dark ages were lifting,
as people were able to read the Bible for

01:22:11.480 --> 01:22:12.120
themselves.

01:22:18.120 --> 01:22:22.880
Around the time that Martin Luther was
preparing his 95 Theses, and Tyndale was

01:22:22.880 --> 01:22:27.160
translating the Bible into English,
the light of truth lit in the country of

01:22:27.160 --> 01:22:30.700
Switzerland through a man by the name of
Ulrich Zwingli.

01:22:31.700 --> 01:22:36.300
On a cold January morning, 1484,
Zwingli was born.

01:22:36.460 --> 01:22:38.160
In a farmhouse out of the country.

01:22:39.760 --> 01:22:44.220
His parents must have early recognized
that Zwingli had a sharp and inquisitive

01:22:44.220 --> 01:22:50.220
mind, as they sent him to Basel to pursue
his secondary education at the tender age

01:22:50.220 --> 01:22:51.420
of 10 years old.

01:22:52.220 --> 01:22:57.320
He became a highly educated scholar and
priest at a time when the majority of the

01:22:57.320 --> 01:22:58.760
priests could not even read.

01:22:59.780 --> 01:23:04.240
Many monasteries had become more like
party houses than places of reverence and

01:23:04.240 --> 01:23:04.640
worship.

01:23:05.560 --> 01:23:09.180
Positions in the church were bought and
sold for large sums of money.

01:23:12.840 --> 01:23:16.920
A year after Martin Luther nailed his 95
Theses to the castle church door,

01:23:17.700 --> 01:23:21.620
Zwingli was transferred to the large
church here in Zurich, Switzerland.

01:23:22.460 --> 01:23:27.180
It was here that he began to uncover the
light of truth and boldly proclaimed it

01:23:27.180 --> 01:23:27.800
from the pulpit.

01:23:30.220 --> 01:23:34.760
Zurich was a destination town for many
pilgrims who hoped to decrease their time

01:23:34.760 --> 01:23:37.020
in purgatory by visiting the different
relics.

01:23:38.260 --> 01:23:42.060
Zwingli noticed that many of these
pilgrims thought that their salvation was

01:23:42.060 --> 01:23:43.640
dependent upon this journey.

01:23:44.400 --> 01:23:47.180
But this contradicted what he was
uncovering in the Bible.

01:23:48.200 --> 01:23:53.600
As he read verses like Galatians 2 and
verse 16, that we might be justified by

01:23:53.600 --> 01:23:56.560
faith in Christ and not by the works of
the law.

01:23:57.300 --> 01:23:59.840
For by the works of the law, no flesh
shall be justified.

01:24:00.560 --> 01:24:06.060
He became convinced that faith in Christ
alone could save people.

01:24:07.060 --> 01:24:11.720
From the pulpit, he thundered against the
abuses that he believed were in the

01:24:11.720 --> 01:24:12.020
church.

01:24:12.900 --> 01:24:16.900
He led his congregation chapter by chapter
through the Bible.

01:24:18.120 --> 01:24:22.320
As they opened the Word of God,
the superstitions that had held their

01:24:22.320 --> 01:24:24.500
minds in darkness began to break.

01:24:26.760 --> 01:24:31.820
Shortly after he arrived in Zurich,
the dreaded Black Plague broke out.

01:24:32.840 --> 01:24:36.020
Highly contagious, it rapidly spread
across the city.

01:24:36.940 --> 01:24:38.600
Thousands began to die.

01:24:41.700 --> 01:24:46.740
The disease was spread by rats and mice
with infected fleas that were being

01:24:46.740 --> 01:24:49.880
transported in shipping containers from
port to port.

01:24:50.840 --> 01:24:55.700
From the coast, it quickly swept inland,
devastating the population.

01:24:56.940 --> 01:25:01.800
In places, over half of the people died
from the Black Plague.

01:25:04.060 --> 01:25:08.400
Zwingli's friends urged him to flee,
but he believed that Christ had called him

01:25:08.400 --> 01:25:13.380
to tend for his flock, and that included
when they were sick and dying.

01:25:14.680 --> 01:25:19.460
Faithfully, he attended to those
afflicted, even at the extreme risk to

01:25:19.460 --> 01:25:19.940
himself.

01:25:21.800 --> 01:25:25.280
Ultimately, Zwingli caught the disease and
nearly died.

01:25:26.460 --> 01:25:29.380
His selfless acts moved the town of Zurich
deeply.

01:25:29.740 --> 01:25:32.340
They saw that his was a faith deeper than
talk.

01:25:32.800 --> 01:25:36.000
He was a pastor, in the truest sense of
the word.

01:25:37.980 --> 01:25:43.620
As the devastation of the epidemic began
to subside, a Dominican friar came to

01:25:43.620 --> 01:25:45.160
Zurich to sell indulgences.

01:25:45.740 --> 01:25:48.340
The timing could not have been worse.

01:25:48.860 --> 01:25:51.120
Over one-third of the town had died.

01:25:51.980 --> 01:25:53.280
Families were fragmented.

01:25:54.140 --> 01:25:57.140
The grief and pain of loss was deep.

01:25:57.880 --> 01:26:03.020
And now the survivors, who were barely
scraping by, were asked to pay money to

01:26:03.020 --> 01:26:04.880
release their loved ones from purgatory.

01:26:06.380 --> 01:26:10.980
The grieving people were deeply offended
by the perceived callousness of the

01:26:10.980 --> 01:26:11.280
church.

01:26:12.140 --> 01:26:15.700
Zwingli strongly denounced this with clear
biblical reasoning.

01:26:16.460 --> 01:26:21.160
And the city supported their beloved
pastor and refused to allow the friar to

01:26:21.160 --> 01:26:21.400
stay.

01:26:22.580 --> 01:26:26.200
But the sale of indulgences was not the
only thing that Zwingli felt needed to be

01:26:26.200 --> 01:26:27.360
reformed within the church.

01:26:27.900 --> 01:26:30.980
There were other practices and teachings
that were also false.

01:26:32.240 --> 01:26:36.800
The state church taught that in the mass,
the priest had the power to miraculously

01:26:36.800 --> 01:26:41.640
transform the bread and wine into the
actual body and blood of Jesus,

01:26:42.320 --> 01:26:44.780
placing the priest above God.

01:26:46.180 --> 01:26:50.860
As Zwingli compared scripture with
scripture, he saw that the bread and wine

01:26:50.860 --> 01:26:53.900
could not be the physical body and blood
of Jesus.

01:26:54.800 --> 01:26:58.700
When Christ said, this is my body which
was broken for you, he was still

01:26:58.700 --> 01:26:59.960
physically there in the room.

01:27:00.620 --> 01:27:03.260
It wasn't until the next day that he would
die on the cross.

01:27:03.740 --> 01:27:07.860
After the cross, Hebrews 12 and verse 2
tells us that Christ ascended into the

01:27:07.860 --> 01:27:10.740
heavenly sanctuary to stand at the right
hand of the Father.

01:27:11.620 --> 01:27:15.100
Looking more closely, Zwingli discovered a
deeper spiritual meaning.

01:27:16.040 --> 01:27:20.700
Just as when Christ said, I am the door,
I am the vine, he wasn't saying that he

01:27:20.700 --> 01:27:23.240
was a physical door or a literal vine.

01:27:24.140 --> 01:27:27.380
So the bread and wine illustrated
important spiritual lessons.

01:27:28.180 --> 01:27:33.480
As the believer partakes of the word of
God, he is sustained spiritually.

01:27:35.140 --> 01:27:39.420
However, these teachings did not settle
well with the state church.

01:27:40.720 --> 01:27:45.000
The bishop overseeing Zwingli's district
demanded that the city of Zurich deal with

01:27:45.000 --> 01:27:45.600
the reformer.

01:27:46.600 --> 01:27:51.580
In response, the city demanded that there
be a debate between both sides so that

01:27:51.580 --> 01:27:53.380
they could choose which one was truth.

01:27:55.700 --> 01:28:01.120
At the appointed time, the bishop sent a
representative to debate Zwingli and show

01:28:01.120 --> 01:28:02.840
him the errors of his teachings.

01:28:04.160 --> 01:28:08.260
Zwingli wrote up a treatise with all of
his arguments and scriptural support

01:28:08.260 --> 01:28:09.160
neatly outlined.

01:28:10.320 --> 01:28:13.960
The representative was not prepared for
such a logical explanation.

01:28:15.260 --> 01:28:17.580
He said, we don't have to answer.

01:28:18.120 --> 01:28:22.080
I'm not allowed to talk higher theology in
front of common people.

01:28:23.080 --> 01:28:27.440
The state church desired to put an end to
Zwingli and his followers.

01:28:28.160 --> 01:28:33.260
But Zurich had firmly grasped
Protestantism and faithfully protected

01:28:33.260 --> 01:28:33.800
their leader.

01:28:39.380 --> 01:28:45.420
On October 11, 1531, Zurich was attacked
by neighboring cities upset with the

01:28:45.420 --> 01:28:47.200
reforms that Zwingli had initiated.

01:28:48.220 --> 01:28:50.640
Zwingli joined his forces as a chaplain.

01:28:51.160 --> 01:28:52.860
During the battle, he was injured.

01:28:53.460 --> 01:28:55.480
The papists discovered him underneath this
tree.

01:28:56.420 --> 01:28:58.180
They ordered him to recant.

01:28:58.600 --> 01:28:59.860
Zwingli refused.

01:29:00.880 --> 01:29:01.860
So they killed him.

01:29:03.240 --> 01:29:06.860
Thus ended the life of a man who had
uncovered great light.

01:29:12.220 --> 01:29:17.180
Among the reformed movement in Zurich,
a group of believers called the

01:29:17.180 --> 01:29:21.800
Anabaptists believed the Bible should be
taken just as it reads.

01:29:22.900 --> 01:29:27.840
As they studied, they realized that
nowhere does a Bible talk about baptizing

01:29:27.840 --> 01:29:31.700
babies, but rather adults who can make a
conscious decision.

01:29:32.880 --> 01:29:36.880
They were a peace-loving people and
believed that individuals should have the

01:29:36.880 --> 01:29:39.120
freedom to follow their own consciences.

01:29:40.020 --> 01:29:45.360
As they shared these truths with others,
the concept of adult baptism was still new

01:29:45.360 --> 01:29:48.160
and not readily welcomed by either party.

01:29:49.000 --> 01:29:51.480
And religious persecution broke out
against them.

01:29:52.320 --> 01:29:56.300
Many Anabaptists were imprisoned,
tortured, or drowned.

01:30:06.610 --> 01:30:10.650
Dirk Willems, a native of the Netherlands,
accepted the Anabaptist message and was

01:30:10.650 --> 01:30:11.830
baptized as an adult.

01:30:12.870 --> 01:30:16.270
He began to share this message with others
and started a small church.

01:30:18.070 --> 01:30:22.090
As people learned of his new doctrines,
there was strong opposition.

01:30:23.970 --> 01:30:30.190
In the winter of 1569, Dirk Willems was
captured by local authorities and thrown

01:30:30.190 --> 01:30:32.870
into the castle tower that used to stand
here behind me.

01:30:33.890 --> 01:30:37.290
Sitting in his cell, he devised a means of
escape.

01:30:37.910 --> 01:30:41.750
He tied the bedsheets together,
threw them out the window, and climbed

01:30:41.750 --> 01:30:43.090
down to the frozen ice pool.

01:30:43.910 --> 01:30:45.010
The ice was thin.

01:30:45.930 --> 01:30:50.050
Dirk was light and had no trouble making
his way across the ice towards the woods

01:30:50.050 --> 01:30:50.430
beyond.

01:31:00.620 --> 01:31:04.980
As he crossed, he was spotted by a guard
who quickly gave chase.

01:31:05.500 --> 01:31:08.560
But the guard was heavier than Dirk and
fell through the ice.

01:31:09.020 --> 01:31:10.900
In terror, he screamed for help.

01:31:11.420 --> 01:31:14.200
Other guards came around, but none of them
dared step on the ice.

01:31:15.160 --> 01:31:15.680
Dirk slowed.

01:31:16.780 --> 01:31:21.300
He knew he was the only one who could help
the guard, but he also knew that to go

01:31:21.300 --> 01:31:24.040
back meant to face capture and certain
death.

01:31:24.920 --> 01:31:28.760
As he hesitated, the words of Christ
flashed into his mind.

01:31:29.340 --> 01:31:30.740
Love your enemies.

01:31:31.360 --> 01:31:34.760
Do good for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you.

01:31:35.960 --> 01:31:37.340
His decision was made.

01:31:38.860 --> 01:31:44.060
He carefully traversed the ice,
grabbed the guard's hand, and pulled him

01:31:44.060 --> 01:31:45.440
out of the icy waters.

01:31:46.200 --> 01:31:48.600
Slowly, they made their way back to the
other side.

01:31:49.780 --> 01:31:53.040
Grateful for Dirk saving his life,
the guard pled for him to be released.

01:31:54.040 --> 01:31:54.840
But to no avail.

01:32:06.400 --> 01:32:10.660
Dirk Willems was seized again and hauled
to the top of the church tower.

01:32:10.880 --> 01:32:15.620
His feet were put in the stocks and he was
held for over a month in the freezing

01:32:15.620 --> 01:32:16.040
cold.

01:32:16.800 --> 01:32:21.560
Finally, he was taken outside and burned
at the stake.

01:32:36.340 --> 01:32:39.860
Dirk had paid the ultimate price for his
faith.

01:32:40.640 --> 01:32:42.900
He didn't have to turn back to help the
guard.

01:32:43.360 --> 01:32:44.620
He could have gone free.

01:32:45.780 --> 01:32:50.420
But he decided to put more value in the
life of his enemy than in his own.

01:32:51.320 --> 01:32:55.540
Dirk made the decision to be faithful to
what he knew was right.

01:32:56.140 --> 01:32:59.600
And it was this decision that sealed his
fate.

01:33:02.860 --> 01:33:07.820
As thousands joined the Reformation,
the state church struggled to regain

01:33:07.820 --> 01:33:08.340
control.

01:33:09.240 --> 01:33:13.060
It became more and more extreme in its
opposition to the Reformation.

01:33:13.940 --> 01:33:17.960
The Order of the Jesuits was created to
counteract the Reform movement.

01:33:18.860 --> 01:33:21.820
The church was unrelenting in its
persecution.

01:33:22.820 --> 01:33:28.220
The Inquisition, an institution of
secretive trials that ended in torture and

01:33:28.220 --> 01:33:31.320
death, spread its pallor over the land.

01:33:32.000 --> 01:33:37.160
Anyone who did not accept the church's
authority was suspect by the Inquisitors.

01:33:40.720 --> 01:33:47.060
In 1509, in the little town of Bacardi,
France, a child by the name of John Calvin

01:33:47.060 --> 01:33:47.600
was born.

01:33:49.120 --> 01:33:53.300
Calvin early showed signs of brilliance as
parents enrolled him in the best school

01:33:53.300 --> 01:33:54.100
they could afford.

01:33:54.660 --> 01:34:00.320
By the age of 12, he was appointed
chaplain of a small church in their town.

01:34:06.720 --> 01:34:11.760
When Calvin was 14 years old, the Black
Death swept through his hometown.

01:34:12.340 --> 01:34:16.320
In terror, many of the citizens fled the
city, hoping to save their lives.

01:34:17.300 --> 01:34:19.080
Calvin's parents were also concerned.

01:34:19.640 --> 01:34:24.820
So in 1523, they sent him to the safety of
Paris to pursue his education.

01:34:25.740 --> 01:34:31.180
The rectors of his new school realized
that Calvin was a sharp and inquisitive

01:34:31.180 --> 01:34:31.600
student.

01:34:32.760 --> 01:34:37.820
He often studied late into the night,
poring over his books and eagerly soaking

01:34:37.820 --> 01:34:38.500
up knowledge.

01:34:42.100 --> 01:34:47.600
As a dedicated follower of the state
church, Calvin reverently obeyed all the

01:34:47.600 --> 01:34:49.360
required rites and ceremonies.

01:34:50.140 --> 01:34:53.120
He not only read, but mastered the
writings of the church fathers.

01:34:53.860 --> 01:34:58.420
As his professors saw his genius,
they cherished the idea that he would be a

01:34:58.420 --> 01:35:01.040
future leader and defender of the faith.

01:35:02.480 --> 01:35:06.800
However, his cousin Olivetan also moved to
Paris.

01:35:07.920 --> 01:35:12.860
Living in the same city, Calvin and
Olivetan spent many hours together in

01:35:12.860 --> 01:35:13.800
heated discussion.

01:35:14.920 --> 01:35:19.480
Their debates often centered on the new
Reformation ideas sweeping through France.

01:35:20.580 --> 01:35:25.660
Calvin was torn between believing in the
traditions he'd always known and the new

01:35:25.660 --> 01:35:27.620
ideas Olivetan was sharing.

01:35:30.840 --> 01:35:35.520
One day, while these thoughts were
troubling his mind, Calvin walked through

01:35:35.520 --> 01:35:37.740
the Place de Grave in Paris, France.

01:35:38.440 --> 01:35:41.560
He saw a crowd gathering to watch a
Protestant be burned.

01:35:42.600 --> 01:35:47.020
Calvin watched as the dreadful flames did
their work and the man peaceably gave his

01:35:47.020 --> 01:35:48.100
life for his faith.

01:35:49.360 --> 01:35:50.840
Deeply impacted, he left.

01:35:51.720 --> 01:35:55.400
This man, he thought, has a peace which I
do not possess.

01:35:56.320 --> 01:35:57.600
Maybe my cousin's right.

01:36:00.020 --> 01:36:03.660
Finally, Calvin picked up the Bible and
began to read.

01:36:04.500 --> 01:36:09.700
At first, the Bible caused his guilt to
increase, but as he continued reading,

01:36:10.060 --> 01:36:12.700
he began to see the faint outline of the
cross.

01:36:13.540 --> 01:36:18.360
Light was breaking through the dark
superstitions which had caused such

01:36:18.360 --> 01:36:18.760
torment.

01:36:19.940 --> 01:36:25.100
Calvin came to understand that it was not
saints, confession to priests,

01:36:25.960 --> 01:36:28.960
pilgrimages, or penance that could save
him.

01:36:29.760 --> 01:36:32.600
Salvation was only found in Christ.

01:36:33.420 --> 01:36:36.140
And in him, he finally found peace.

01:36:37.600 --> 01:36:42.220
With his new understanding of the gospel,
Calvin could no longer, in good

01:36:42.220 --> 01:36:46.360
conscience, lead people to worship before
the deceased saints and meaningless

01:36:46.360 --> 01:36:46.900
relics.

01:36:47.760 --> 01:36:52.400
He left the study of the priesthood and
studied law for a short time before

01:36:52.400 --> 01:36:54.500
fueling the call back into ministry.

01:36:55.220 --> 01:37:00.600
He began sharing his newfound faith in the
quietness of people's homes across Paris.

01:37:02.160 --> 01:37:08.340
In 1536, while traveling in southern
Europe, Calvin's route was blocked by the

01:37:08.340 --> 01:37:09.420
armies of Charles V.

01:37:10.280 --> 01:37:15.100
He was forced to take a detour that
brought him to the gates of Geneva,

01:37:15.720 --> 01:37:16.160
Switzerland.

01:37:17.840 --> 01:37:21.340
Calvin intended to stay briefly,
but his plans were interrupted.

01:37:22.080 --> 01:37:26.380
William Ferrell, an ardent believer in the
Reformation and a leader in Geneva,

01:37:26.580 --> 01:37:28.040
heard that Calvin had arrived.

01:37:28.940 --> 01:37:31.040
Geneva was at a critical point.

01:37:32.200 --> 01:37:36.160
The Reformation had swept through the
city, and many of its citizens had

01:37:36.160 --> 01:37:38.300
wholeheartedly embraced these new
teachings.

01:37:39.100 --> 01:37:43.320
But as the light of God's word caused them
to question their spiritual authorities,

01:37:44.000 --> 01:37:47.620
there was a danger that they would throw
off all authority.

01:37:49.360 --> 01:37:53.260
Lawlessness and revolt could follow and
destroy the Reformation.

01:37:54.560 --> 01:37:59.420
A brilliant godly man was needed to help
establish the people in the Protestant

01:37:59.420 --> 01:38:02.400
faith and protect the city from extremism.

01:38:04.040 --> 01:38:06.040
But Calvin would not be persuaded.

01:38:06.900 --> 01:38:11.420
Shy by nature, he was determined to go on
to Basel where he could study and write in

01:38:11.420 --> 01:38:11.780
peace.

01:38:12.340 --> 01:38:16.320
Finally, in exasperation, William Ferrell
pounded the table and called down the

01:38:16.320 --> 01:38:21.560
curse of God on him if he would put his
desire for study ahead of God's calling in

01:38:21.560 --> 01:38:22.100
his life.

01:38:23.560 --> 01:38:28.200
Calvin realized the voice of God was
speaking through this man, and he chose to

01:38:28.200 --> 01:38:31.420
stay and help establish the Reformation in
Geneva.

01:38:32.360 --> 01:38:37.180
Calvin threw himself into the work,
together with Ferrell labored to establish

01:38:37.180 --> 01:38:38.380
Protestantism here.

01:38:39.260 --> 01:38:43.860
He started a school where young people
from all over Europe studied and learned

01:38:43.860 --> 01:38:44.960
the doctrines he taught.

01:38:45.600 --> 01:38:50.200
They took these back to their homes and so
his teachings became widely known.

01:38:52.560 --> 01:38:56.320
Calvin saw the Bible as the basis for all
doctrine and practice.

01:38:57.260 --> 01:39:01.160
As a leader in the Reformation,
he helped establish the Protestant faith

01:39:01.160 --> 01:39:04.460
in Switzerland and across all of Europe.

01:39:06.320 --> 01:39:11.320
From the time of Calvin onward,
Geneva was a city of refuge for all

01:39:11.320 --> 01:39:13.620
Christians persecuted across Europe.

01:39:14.720 --> 01:39:20.020
In a letter to a friend, John Knox wrote,
Geneva is the most perfect school of

01:39:20.020 --> 01:39:24.320
Christ that ever was in the earth since
the days of the apostles.

01:39:25.940 --> 01:39:30.880
The Waldenses fled here after intense
persecution and expulsion from Italy in

01:39:30.880 --> 01:39:31.720
1687.

01:39:32.560 --> 01:39:37.040
They were forced to cross the Elbe River
and January, some not surviving the

01:39:37.040 --> 01:39:37.300
journey.

01:39:37.880 --> 01:39:43.760
They stumbled, half frozen into Geneva,
and it was in this city of Christian grace

01:39:43.760 --> 01:39:46.580
and mercy that they found refuge.

01:39:48.260 --> 01:39:52.280
Through Calvin's influence, many in
northern France accepted the Protestant

01:39:52.280 --> 01:39:54.560
message and became known as Huguenots.

01:39:55.360 --> 01:40:01.060
Persecution increased following the St
Bartholomew's Massacre of 1572 where many

01:40:01.060 --> 01:40:02.420
of the Huguenots were killed.

01:40:03.120 --> 01:40:05.640
Over two million Protestants fled France.

01:40:07.000 --> 01:40:11.680
Instead of strengthening France as the
church promised, the persecution drove out

01:40:11.680 --> 01:40:13.660
the brightest and the most talented.

01:40:15.580 --> 01:40:19.120
While the Reformation championed the
freedom to follow the Bible as one's

01:40:19.120 --> 01:40:24.960
conscience dictated, there arose in France
a different revolution, one which threw

01:40:24.960 --> 01:40:26.380
off all religious restraint.

01:40:27.340 --> 01:40:31.620
As they rejected the church, they also
rejected the God whom the church had

01:40:31.620 --> 01:40:32.420
misrepresented.

01:40:33.260 --> 01:40:37.040
Atheism and the goddess of reason became
their religion.

01:40:38.220 --> 01:40:40.440
The godless reason has no moral compass.

01:40:41.560 --> 01:40:46.140
Survival of the fittest, when empowered by
the state, can lead to carnage of

01:40:46.140 --> 01:40:47.320
unimaginable magnitude.

01:40:48.340 --> 01:40:52.180
What followed was a horrific reign of
terror in which tens of thousands of

01:40:52.180 --> 01:40:56.440
people were murdered in what became known
as the French Revolution.

01:40:57.640 --> 01:41:02.920
With the new state church religion being
atheism, France's relationship with the

01:41:02.920 --> 01:41:04.800
state church was tense.

01:41:05.620 --> 01:41:11.160
In 1798, Bullion's general Berthier
overthrew the pope, took him captive,

01:41:11.740 --> 01:41:13.460
and exiled him from Rome.

01:41:14.380 --> 01:41:19.320
This ended the power of the state church
to use universal secular authority to

01:41:19.320 --> 01:41:21.700
persecute those that disagreed with her
teachings.

01:41:23.180 --> 01:41:27.920
1260 years after it began, the absolute
authority of the state church over Western

01:41:27.920 --> 01:41:30.240
Europe was finally broken.

01:41:35.930 --> 01:41:40.550
In spite of persecution, the Reformation
was advancing in England.

01:41:41.130 --> 01:41:46.190
In the early 1600s, a group of Christians
called the Puritan Separatists studied the

01:41:46.190 --> 01:41:49.450
Bible and applied the light they uncovered
to their lives.

01:41:49.910 --> 01:41:53.950
They were willing to follow its principles
even if it led them to separate from the

01:41:53.950 --> 01:41:54.490
Church of England.

01:41:55.470 --> 01:41:58.530
Not surprisingly, they were persecuted for
their beliefs.

01:41:59.630 --> 01:42:04.450
They fled to Holland to escape the strong
opposition and they found more religious

01:42:04.450 --> 01:42:04.870
freedom.

01:42:05.750 --> 01:42:10.210
But as they learned about the new country
of America, they decided to seek out a

01:42:10.210 --> 01:42:14.590
place where they could truly worship God
according to their conscience.

01:42:16.010 --> 01:42:20.210
Just before loading the Mayflower,
the pilgrims gathered for one final

01:42:20.210 --> 01:42:21.010
worship service.

01:42:21.730 --> 01:42:26.690
Their pastor, John Robinson, who was
staying behind, addressed them with one

01:42:26.690 --> 01:42:28.810
final, moving appeal.

01:42:30.630 --> 01:42:36.890
I charge you before God and his blessed
angels to follow me no further than I have

01:42:36.890 --> 01:42:37.650
followed Christ.

01:42:38.690 --> 01:42:44.130
If God should reveal anything to you by
any other instrument of his, be as ready

01:42:44.130 --> 01:42:48.110
to receive it as ever you were to receive
any truth of my ministry.

01:42:49.030 --> 01:42:54.490
For I am very confident that the Lord hath
more truth and light yet to break forth

01:42:54.490 --> 01:42:55.570
out of his holy word.

01:42:56.830 --> 01:43:01.130
Though the reformers were burning and
shining lights in their time, yet they

01:43:01.130 --> 01:43:03.930
penetrated not into the whole counsel of
God.

01:43:04.870 --> 01:43:09.690
But were they now living, would be as
willing to embrace further light as that

01:43:09.690 --> 01:43:11.370
which they first received.

01:43:14.810 --> 01:43:19.010
It was with mixed feelings that the
pilgrims loaded the Mayflower from these

01:43:19.010 --> 01:43:19.410
steps.

01:43:20.170 --> 01:43:22.970
Behind them were family and friends they
would never see again.

01:43:23.810 --> 01:43:26.510
Ahead of them were unknown challenges and
difficulties.

01:43:27.670 --> 01:43:31.530
On September 6, 1620, they sailed towards
America.

01:43:32.410 --> 01:43:35.270
The harrowing trip lasted 66 days.

01:43:35.830 --> 01:43:38.550
They endured cramped, wet, and cold
conditions.

01:43:39.150 --> 01:43:40.310
Many of them got sick.

01:43:40.810 --> 01:43:44.110
The Mayflower was nearly torn apart by the
rough seas.

01:43:56.030 --> 01:44:00.490
As the pilgrims set foot on the soil of
the new land, they knelt and prayed,

01:44:01.050 --> 01:44:04.090
thanking God for his protection over the
perilous ocean journey.

01:44:04.710 --> 01:44:08.270
He had brought them to a new land where
they could worship him according to the

01:44:08.270 --> 01:44:09.430
dictates of their conscience.

01:44:10.170 --> 01:44:13.610
But that first year was to be extremely
hard.

01:44:17.250 --> 01:44:22.830
Inadequate shelter, ravishing disease,
and extreme hunger exacted a heavy toll.

01:44:24.010 --> 01:44:28.710
45 of the 102 immigrants died that first
winter and are buried here in this

01:44:28.710 --> 01:44:29.010
cemetery.

01:44:30.330 --> 01:44:31.930
But the survivors carried on.

01:44:32.450 --> 01:44:37.410
They were establishing a new country
without a king, and a new church without a

01:44:37.410 --> 01:44:37.690
pope.

01:44:38.510 --> 01:44:43.150
Wiping their eyes, they bravely carried
the light of truth forward.

01:44:48.480 --> 01:44:53.420
That spring, as the Mayflower left for
England, not one pilgrim was on board.

01:44:54.180 --> 01:44:57.900
The freedom to worship God was more
valuable to them than life itself.

01:44:58.620 --> 01:45:02.400
These early pilgrims were the first of
millions who would find safety and

01:45:02.400 --> 01:45:04.160
protection on these shores.

01:45:15.150 --> 01:45:19.250
Back in England, a child by the name of
Roger Williams was born.

01:45:20.250 --> 01:45:23.990
Growing up near the Smithfield Plaza,
he witnessed the death of faithful

01:45:23.990 --> 01:45:24.630
martyrs.

01:45:25.270 --> 01:45:29.550
As he watched these men and women die,
he longed for a country where people could

01:45:29.550 --> 01:45:31.130
worship however they chose.

01:45:32.310 --> 01:45:36.250
So in 1631, he boarded a ship and set sail
for the New World.

01:45:37.090 --> 01:45:40.950
As he settled in the city of Boston,
he was disappointed at the narrow view of

01:45:40.950 --> 01:45:41.610
the colonists.

01:45:42.610 --> 01:45:46.910
They were just as intolerant of differing
religious views as the leaders back in

01:45:46.910 --> 01:45:47.150
England.

01:45:48.110 --> 01:45:52.930
He began to express the need for a clear
separation between church and state.

01:45:53.770 --> 01:45:56.450
But this was considered heretical.

01:45:57.590 --> 01:46:02.630
On a cold January night in 1636,
Williams was warned that he was about to

01:46:02.630 --> 01:46:04.390
be arrested and shipped back to England.

01:46:05.390 --> 01:46:09.910
Hastily, he packed his bags and said
goodbye to his wife and small children and

01:46:09.910 --> 01:46:11.410
fled to the safety of the wilderness.

01:46:12.550 --> 01:46:16.870
There he hid in logs until finally being
taken in by friendly Indians.

01:46:18.750 --> 01:46:22.470
Eventually, Roger Williams bought this
plot of land from his Indian friends.

01:46:22.990 --> 01:46:27.410
He called it Providence and wrote the king
of England asking for permission to start

01:46:27.410 --> 01:46:28.850
a colony in Rhode Island.

01:46:29.570 --> 01:46:34.650
Providence, Rhode Island became the only
colony in the Americas to mandate the

01:46:34.650 --> 01:46:36.790
separation of church and state.

01:46:37.750 --> 01:46:42.450
The ideas of religious liberty began to
spread until they were incorporated into

01:46:42.450 --> 01:46:45.350
the Bill of Rights of the United States of
America.

01:46:45.970 --> 01:46:46.270
Over

01:46:49.750 --> 01:46:54.050
the years, the issues of the Reformation
have been nearly forgotten.

01:46:55.110 --> 01:46:57.150
Some have asked, is the Reformation over?

01:46:57.870 --> 01:47:02.410
Was it simply a misunderstanding or even
worse, a dreadful mistake?

01:47:03.430 --> 01:47:05.530
So what was the impact of the Reformation?

01:47:06.410 --> 01:47:09.810
Put simply, it transformed society.

01:47:10.510 --> 01:47:13.510
More than any other force, it unlocked the
Word of God.

01:47:14.090 --> 01:47:18.010
No longer was it hidden in another
language or chained to a monastery wall,

01:47:18.290 --> 01:47:19.990
but it was available to all.

01:47:21.850 --> 01:47:25.690
It released language and literacy,
science and medicine improved.

01:47:26.030 --> 01:47:28.250
People learned to think for themselves.

01:47:29.570 --> 01:47:34.950
And the freedoms we enjoy today found
their foundation in the Protestant

01:47:34.950 --> 01:47:35.510
Reformation.

01:47:36.450 --> 01:47:38.330
But the Reformers were not perfect.

01:47:38.790 --> 01:47:42.150
As they came out of centuries of intense
darkness, they were not ready to

01:47:42.150 --> 01:47:44.690
comprehend all of the light that the Bible
contained.

01:47:46.070 --> 01:47:49.850
Gradually, as they were ready,
God revealed more truth.

01:47:50.870 --> 01:47:54.390
New denominations reformed as old
denominations stopped searching the Bible

01:47:54.390 --> 01:47:55.150
for more truth.

01:47:56.630 --> 01:48:01.130
Anticipating this continual unshackling of
light, Pastor John Robinson told the

01:48:01.130 --> 01:48:04.830
departing pilgrims, expect more light to
be uncovered.

01:48:05.510 --> 01:48:07.770
Continue to search the Bible for more
truth.

01:48:08.670 --> 01:48:10.330
He was just repeating the words of
Scripture.

01:48:10.970 --> 01:48:16.850
Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 18 says,
the path of the just is as a shining light

01:48:16.850 --> 01:48:20.150
and shineth more and more unto the perfect
bill.

01:48:22.110 --> 01:48:27.150
It was not for abstract facts or dusty
doctrines that these Reformers were

01:48:27.150 --> 01:48:27.850
willing to die.

01:48:28.670 --> 01:48:32.190
The Bible illuminates a path to a personal
relationship with Christ.

01:48:33.050 --> 01:48:35.090
Talks of a coming climax to human history.

01:48:36.350 --> 01:48:38.890
In the Word of God, they found Jesus
illuminated.

01:48:39.930 --> 01:48:43.690
To follow Him, they were willing to give
possessions, lose their reputation,

01:48:44.550 --> 01:48:46.310
even their own lives.

01:48:47.690 --> 01:48:53.990
Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants
of faith, men and women who are willing to

01:48:53.990 --> 01:48:56.450
give everything to preserve the Bible.

01:48:57.050 --> 01:48:59.410
The torch has been passed.

01:49:00.270 --> 01:49:03.350
It now rests on us to continue studying
the Bible.

01:49:03.850 --> 01:49:09.130
When we discover new truth there,
to follow it, hold on to it, and proclaim

01:49:09.130 --> 01:49:09.450
it.

01:49:10.210 --> 01:49:15.410
If we do this, light will remain
unshackled.