Reformation History Timeline

Jerome Savonarola (1452 - 1498): Burned at the stake for his “meddling” by pope Alexander Borgia, this Italian Dominican monk did not debate doctrinal matters (as Wycliffe and Huss did) but attacked the evil lives and immorality within the church. John Huss (1372 - 1415): The Bohemian monk who was martyred for his faith. He agreed to follow the pope’s teachings, “so far as they agree with the doctrine of Christ, but when I see contrary I will not obey them, even though you burn my body.”

1300 A.D.

1350 A.D.

Martin Luther (1483 - 1546): One of the most influential reformers of church history. His most famous speech was given at the Diet in Worms where, when asked to recant, he said, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God...I cannot, I will not recant. At noon on October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. The following day was “All Saints Day” when multitudes would have attended mass, and the Theses would have hung there for the priests and monks to read. This was the formal beginning of

First printed book on the printing press: the Guttenberg Bible (1454).

the Reformation.

1400 A.D.

John Wycliffe (1320 1384): As a converted Christian, Oxford scholar and Doctor of Theology, Wycliffe wrote vehemently against many of the false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church (Transubstantiation being the most famous) and declared the pope as “Antichrist.” His most famous work is his translation of the Bible from Latin (Jerome’s Vulgate) to English. His Lollards (“poor preachers”) a group of preachers he organized before his death, brought the Gospel to the English countryside with this new Bible in hand. Wycliffe is rightly known as the “Morning Star of the Reformation.” © July, 2003. A Puritan’s Mind — www.apuritansmind.com

Ulrich Zwingli (1484 -1531): Protestant Reformer in Northern Switzerland. Invited as a preacher in Zurich in 1506. Died in battle at the hands of invading Catholics during a civil war while a chaplain for the protestant army.

1450 A.D. The Roman Catholic Church hated Wycliffe so much that after his death, by order of the Council of Constance, his bones were dug up in 1428, burned, and the ashes scattered in the River Swift which runs through Lutterworth.

1500 A.D.

1510 A.D.

Catholic priest Tetzle sells indulgences for money.

Philip Melanchthon (1497 - 1560): Appointed professor of Greek in Wittenberg in 1518 (at 21 years of age). He came into contact with Martin Luther and became a co-worker for Gospel Reformation.

1517 A.D.

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 - 1536): Edited the first printed Greek New Testament in 1516. Wrote the “Diatribe Concerning Free Will” (1524) against Martin Luther’s conceptions of Total Depravity. Luther responded with “The Bondage of the will” in 1525.

The “Solas” of the Reformation Sola Scriptura Sola Gratia Scripture Alone

Grace Alone

Sola Christus

Sola Fide

Christ Alone

Faith Alone

Soli Deo Gloria Glory to God Alone

John Calvin (1509 - 1564): Greatest Reformer in the history of the Protestant church. Wrote the “Institutes of the Christian Religion” (1535) — the most widely read Reformation document ever penned next to Luther’s ”Bondage of the Will.” He preached daily in Geneva and, by God’s grace, transformed the city into an educational capital for students.

1520 A.D.

John Knox (1514 -1572): Scottish Reformer. With the Catholic Mary 1st on the English throne (1553), Knox went into exile living chiefly in Geneva and Frankfurt. In Geneva he consulted with John Calvin on theological questions and thought Geneva to be “heaven on earth.” Under Knox's direction, the Scottish Reformation took shape and a Calvinistic confession of faith was drawn up in 1560. Knox is known for his statement on the furtherance of the Gospel in Scotland— “Give me Scotland else I die.”

Pope Leo X (reigned 1513 - 21): He expended papal revenues on art, letters and music. Under him the Italian Renaissance flourished immensely. However, to continue indulgences, he issued a papal bull against Martin Luther condemning him as a heretic — ”The Wild Boar.”

1530 A.D.

1540 A.D.

Theodore Beza (1519 - 1605): French Calvinist theologian. In 1548 he joined John Calvin at Geneva and soon became his intimate friend and chief aid. From 1549 to 1558 Beza was professor of Greek at Lausanne. In 1558 he became professor of Greek at Geneva, and in 1564 he succeeded Calvin in the chair of theology at Geneva.

1550 A.D.

1560 A.D.

1570 A.D.

William Tyndale (1493 - 1536): Linguistic scholar who translated the New Testament from Greek into English in 1526. He suffered martyrdom for this translation and was burned at the stake. His last prayer, “O Lord, Open the eyes of the king,” was answered after his death and a copy of the translation was placed in every English church by order of the king.

Available Books by Reformation Authors

The Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther Commentary on Romans, by Martin Luther Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Vol., by John Calvin Calvin’s Calvinism, by John Calvin Select Writings of John Knox, by John Knox

Reformation Timeline

Important Figures in Reformation History