John Knox
Reformation becomes a reality
John Knox, the most famous Scottish Reformer, was born
near Edinburgh in 1505. He went to his local school and then to
university in St Andrews, before becoming a deacon and a priest in the
(Roman Catholic) Church.
From 1542, Scotland was
governed by Regent Arran as Mary Queen of Scots [link to First
Reformation – Monarchs – Mary QOS] was still a baby. Arran benefited
reform in Scotland in a number of ways. Firstly, he passed a law that
allowed people to read the Bible in their own language. He then
appointed the Protestant Thomas Guillame to preach around Scotland, and
it was through his preaching that John Knox was converted. The biggest
influence on Knox’s life however was George Wishart.
After Wishart’s death in 1546,
Knox taught the sons of a number of Protestants who had captured St
Andrews Castle. Some of those in the castle called Knox to become their
minister. At this he burst into tears and ran off to his room because of
what a responsibility he knew it would be. A few days later however he
accepted the call. In the summer of 1547 French warships attacked the
castle. Knox was taken prisoner, kept aboard in one of the ships and
forced to row it in chains with other galley slaves. After 19 months
however he was set free, and went to England where Archbishop Cranmer
was working to promote the Reformation, and he was appointed as a
preacher [in Berwick]. He attacked the Roman Catholic mass as idolatry
because it was ‘invented by the brain of man’ and not commanded by God.
In 1551 he was invited to live in London and preach before king Edward
VI.
In 1553, the Roman Catholic
Mary I became Queen. Knox was now in danger so he left for Europe. He
became minister in Frankfurt in Germany and then in Geneva in
Switzerland where John Calvin was also a minister. In between he
returned to Scotland to get married and preach, and was surprised at how
far the teaching of the Reformers was spreading. - More.. Pls. click HERE and continue reading.
