Religious Men Who Changed the World

653 Words2 Pages

There are a ton of men who have changed the world in the past and now days. Some of the most impactful men who changed the world spiritually were reformers. They stood up for what they believed in and wouldn’t back down no matter what. They were persecuted, made fun, out casted, and put in jail with a trail. Some of these incredible men are George Wishart, Thomas Bilney, and Ulrich Zwingli.
George Wishart was born in the year 1513 in Scotland. He was tall with black hair and a long beard. He attended University in France. He became a priest. In 1538 he became a school teacher in Montrose, Scotland. He taught the New Testament in the Greek language. This made the bishop of Brechin extremely furious. Wishart fled to Bristol when he got into trouble because of his teachings. He stayed in Switzerland and Germany for the next three years. He began teaching at Cambridge University in 1542. He became well known for his kindness and generosity towards people. He would give his clothes and bed sheets to the poor who didn’t have anything. He returned to Scotland in 1543 to preach in Montrose, Dundee, and the west. A plague broke out in Dundee in 1545; he remained there and cared for the sick while continuing to preach. Cardinal David Beaton, nephew of archbishop, was known for killing Patrick Hamilton and was now after Wishart. He sent the priest to kill him with a dagger. Wishart took the dagger off before defending from an angry crowd. Wishart survived another attack from Beaton after this one. In 1546, however, he was arrested. At that time John Knox was his bodyguard and carried a large two handed sword with him. Wishart was held in St Andrews in the dungeon of the castle. He was given a trial which John was not allowed at per his re...

... middle of paper ...

...iend of Bilney. He was held at the Guildhall where many friends were allowed to visit. He was taken to “The Lollards Pit”, an area in the Bishops Gate in the year 1531. Bilney knelt in a private prayer after a short peroration to the people of the crowd. He was then chained to the stake after casting off his jacket and doublet. The friars and monks continued to rail at him and even ask him to proclaim it wasn’t their fault because they were filled with avarice and greed. Bilney was surrounded by many others. The fire was lit but took a while before his stake caught fire because of wind blowing it away from him.

Works Cited

• http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n4/reformation-sixteenth-century
• http://reformationhistory.org/firstreformation.html
• http://reformationhistory.org/georgewishart.html
• http://www.thereformation.info/Thomas%20Bilney.htm

Open Document