Travels in Baptist History 12- The Waldensian Trail of Faith Part 2- Barbi College. by Jim Curran

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Travels in Baptist History 12- The Waldensian Trail of Faith Part 2- Barbi College.

The first building that you come to along the trail is the Barbi College- this was where they trained the preachers to go out with the Scripture and lead others to Christ. Barbi was the word that they generally used for their pastors meaning uncle. The process was rigorous- to be caught with the Scripture meant a death sentence by the Roman Catholic authorities. What they did was to commit the entire Bible to memory- a process that happened most extensively among the Barbis but also for the individual Waldensian. The Barbis would go out and sell trinkets and wares. in the process if things seemed right they would tell the person about something else that they had “a pearl of great price” personal faith in what Christ did on the cross. The building was built on three levels. Each of the area has very low doors that required anyone entering to lower their head this giving a few extra seconds for defense. The lowest was for the livestock (whose heat helped to keep the building warmer!) There was also a view port here where they could keep watch. (In the reproduction there is a gallery here that we will look at tomorrow) The middle level was a room with a large stone table where they would memorize and study the Scriptures. They would sleep on the uppermost level (this is unfinished here)