Lectionary Calendar
Friday, September 29th, 2023
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
Historical Writings
Today in Christian History
Friday, October 11
1424
Death in Bohemia of John Ziska, a military genius. He dies of plague after defeating several armies that tried to suppress the Bohemian reformation begun by the martyr Jan Hus.
1521
Leo X conferred the title "Fidei Defensor" (Defender of the Faith) upon England's Henry VIII. Three popes and 13 years later, Henry severed all ties with Rome to establish the Church of England.
1531
Death of Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli in the Battle of Kappel.
1551
The 13th Session of the Council of Trent opened, during which major decisions were reached regarding the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist.
1718
Dedication of New Jerusalem Church in Tranquebar, India.
1752
Death in Benham, Berkshire, England, of Thomas Stackhouse, biblical writer. His main work was a biblical history that addressed many objections by skeptics.
1841
Repose (death) of Leonid of Optina, a monastic leader who had introduced a controversial system of eldership to his monastery.
1895
Birth of Avis B. Christiansen, devotional author. One of the most prolific hymnwriters of the 20th century, two of her most enduring hymns today are "Up Calvary's Mountain" and "Precious Hiding Place."
1914
During World War I, the Cathedral of Notre Dame suffered minor damage during an air raid on Paris. (Notre Dame, the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, is distinguished for both its size and antiquity.)
1920
Death of Archdeacon of the Yukon Hudson Stuck, an Episcopal priest who had explored in Alaska and climbed Denali (aka Mt. McKinley).
1954
Presbyterian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'Doctrinal rightness and rightness of ecclesiastical position are important, but only as a starting point to go on into a living relationship -- and not as ends in themselves.
1962
The first session of the Second Vatican Council opens. It will transform the way the Catholic church relates to other Christian denominations.
Copyright Statement
© 1987-2020, William D. Blake. Portions used by permission of the author, from "Almanac of the Christian Church"
© 1987-2020, William D. Blake. Portions used by permission of the author, from "Almanac of the Christian Church"
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