Baptist History, Heritage & Distinctives – The Waldenses – Peculiarity One – No Human Founder – Church of Rome is False Succession – Part 2

Thomas E Kresal Admin · 2 hrs February 17, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage & Distinctives – The Waldenses – Part 2 Peculiarity One – No Human Founder – Church of Rome is False Succession

FIRST: The Waldenses possessed the Baptist ‘peculiarity’ of regarding Jesus Christ as their founder and head. This is shown from the very reproach cast upon them by their enemies; for they were called Acephali, the headless, because they acknowledged no human head or founder.

Commenius, a Bohemian writer, gave the following account of the claims of the Waldenses in 1644:

“Forasmuch as the said Waldenses declared that they had lawful bishops among them, and a lawful and uninterrupted succession from the apostles themselves; they very solemnly created three of our ministers bishops, conferring upon them the power of ordaining ministers, though they did not think fit to take upon them the name of bishops, because of the antichristian abuse of that name — contenting themselves with the name of elders.”

This very important passage shows that the Waldenses claimed an uninterrupted succession from the apostles. Were they liable to the charge of ‘Popish succession?’ By no means; for their bitter enemy says that: “They affirm that they alone are the Church of Christ, and by his disciples. They declare themselves to be the apostles’ successors; to have apostolic authority, and the keys of binding and loosing.

They hold the Church of Rome to be the whore of Babylon, and that all that obey her are damned, especially the clergy that are subject to her since the time of Pope Sylvester.” (Allix’s Churches of Piedmont, p. 209) It has ever been the case, that those who have claimed the true succession, have borne the most faithful testimony against the false succession of Rome.

In a Waldensian Confession of Faith published in 1655, article twenty-fourth reads as follows: “That God has gathered together a church in this world for the salvation of mankind; but she has but one head and foundation, which is Jesus Christ.” And we have article twenty-sixth, as follows: “That this church can not fail, or be quite destroyed; but that it will always remain.” (Perrin’s History of the Waldenses, p. 295) It has been already observed, that the same class of people called Waldenses in the valleys, were called Paterines, especially in Italy. This name dates back to the Novatians.

Dr. Allix says of them, that: (Allix’s Churches of Piedmont, p. 134) “It appears that the Berengarians, who were of the same stamp with Paterines, did discourse much at the same rate as the Waldenses did afterward. This is evident from Lanfranc, where he tells us that they accused the church to have erred by reason of ignorance, and that the church remained in their party alone ; and they, with the Berengarians, called the Church of Rome the congregation of the wicked and the seat of Satan.”

Thus these early Waldenses maintained that themselves alone were the true. Church of Christ; that they had the true succession; and that Home is Antichrist. The bitterest foes of the Waldenses have never charged them with holding any other founder and head than Jesus Christ. We may consider it a settled point that the Waldenses possessed the Baptist peculiarity which recognizes Jesus Christ alone as the founder and head of his Church.

To Be Continued Tomorrow with Peculiarity Two

Presented by Thomas E. Kresal from: “Baptist Succession” by D.B. Ray, 1871 Edition, pg. 349-351