Baptist History, Heritage & Distinctives – Slaughter of the Waldenses Baptist Peculiarity SEVEN (continued) Baptist Peculiarity SEVEN (continued) – Part 19 in the Series

Thomas E Kresal Admin · 9 hrs March 7, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage & Distinctives – Slaughter of the Waldenses Baptist Peculiarity SEVEN (continued) Baptist Peculiarity SEVEN (continued) – Part 19 in the Series

Again: Ildefonsus, the King of Arragon, issued a cruel edict against the Waldenses in the year 1194, in which is contained language as follows: “Whosoever, therefore, from this day forward, shall presume to receive the said Waldenses and Inzabbati, or any other heretics of whatsoever profession, into their houses, or to be present at their pernicious sermons, or to afford them meat, or any other favor, shall thereby incur the indignation of Almighty God, as well as ours, and have his goods confiscated without the remedy of an appeal, and be punished as if he were actually guilty of high treason.” (Jones ch. Hist., p. 238).

Thus we learn, that in Arragon, now Spain, the penalty for giving food, or showing any other favor to the hated Waldenses, was death, as for high treason. What must have been the wrath and indignation against these poor people, when it was considered a crime worthy of death, for even a Catholic to favor one of them with shelter from the storm, a piece of bread, or a cup of cold water? And in this persecution, “The archbishops and bishops of Guienne and other provinces of France, as well as the clergy throughout the different dioceses, were enjoined to banish the Waldenses, Puritans and Paterines from their territories; to mark them, and take care that they should neither enjoy Christian privileges while living, nor burial when dead.” (Jones Ch. History p.275)

It might have been supposed, that the Catholic fury would have been satiated with the death of these saints, but not so; they persecuted the mutilated bodies of the dead Waldenses, by denying them the poor privilege of a resting-place in the grave. Is this the religion of Jesus? About the time of the marching of the crusading armies against the Albigenses in the south of France, a public discussion was agreed upon, between the Albigenses and the Catholics, who entered into the discussion under pretense of fairness, in order to detain their unsuspecting victims till the arrival of the crusaders when the discussion was terminated with the slaughter of the Albigenses. The discussion had progressed several days, conducted on the part of the Albigenses by Arnold Hot, and on the part of the Catholics by bishop Eusus, when it was suddenly broken up by the Catholic army of the crusaders, which was employed to murder those whom the bishops could not vanquish in debate.

NEXT – Peculiarity Seven continues March 9

Presented by Thomas E. Kresal from: “Baptist Succession” by D.B. Ray, 1871 Edition, pg. 371-73