History of the Waldenses [Paperback]

J. A. Wylie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

The Waldenses hold a special place in our heritage. We must keep the spirit and knowledge of these people alive. Their defense of the faith of Jesus despite persecution and martyrdom is unique in the Christian church. It is fitting that this newly typeset edition of their history should be reprinted to keep alive the spirit and knowledge of this ancient people.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Aitken Wylie (1808-1890) was a Scottish historian of religion and a Presbyterian minister. He was a prolific writer and is most famous for writing "The History of Protestantism". He lived as a Christian ought to live. Just after his death, it was said of him, "James Wylie was one of the best informed, most genial, and sympathetic of men, and his deep, unaffected humility was one of his greatest charms. It has been said that you could not be long with him without perceiving in him a lover of Christ and of all good men, and his unostentatious piety gave an unmistakable savour to all his life." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Hartland Pubns (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923309306
• ISBN-13: 978-0923309305
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,576,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History of a little-known sect of pre-Reformation reformers, November 3, 2002

By 

David C. Read (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of the Waldenses (Paperback)

The Waldenses were a people that lived in the Italian Alps and, despite living hundreds of years before the reformation, made the Bible their only rule of faith and rejected such papal innovations as the mass, the celibate priesthood, confession, purgatory, indulgences, and infant baptism. The Waldenses rejected the whole complex of pagan practices adopted by the Roman Church during the middle ages, and held that the Pope was anti-Christ.

This work is excerpted from a much longer one; it is a reprint of the Sixteenth Book of Wylie's "History of Protestantism." This is a obviously a protestant view of the Waldenses, and assumes the correctness of their religion vis-a-vis the Roman church. For a Roman Catholic perspective, read the article on the Waldenses in the Catholic Encyclopedia, or read the recent book by a Euan Cameron that is listed on Amazon.com.

Most Catholic and liberal protestant scholars have accepted the view that the Waldenses began with Peter Waldo, a rich man of Lyon, France, who, around 1160 AD, gave all his money to the poor and became an itinerant preacher. The Waldenses themselves, however, who might better be called Vaudois, traced their religion back to apostolic times. Wylie notes that even some Catholic researchers admitted that the Vaudois were "not a new sect in the ninth and tenth centuries . . ." Even if they only date to the 12th century, the Vaudois religion predates the reformation by 300 years.

The Vaudois translated the Scriptures into both Italian and French. From their mountain strongholds, the Vaudois sent out traveling salesmen whose real mission was to witness and give away copies of the Scripture in the people's language. These missionaries were liable to be imprisoned or burned at the stake if Papal authorities discovered their clandestine religious mission, but they were not typically molested in their homelands. Notable exceptions were in the years 1400 and 1488, in which unsuccessful attempts were made to suppress them.

Ironically, the most savage persecution of the Vaudois began only after the protestant reformation was well underway in northern Europe. A major campaign of extermination was mounted in 1561, but again met with only partial success. Finally, in 1655, the valiant Vaudois were very nearly wiped out. Wylie considers the atrocities committed against this simple and inoffensive people too grotesque to be described in detail. The 1655 massacre was so infamous and terrible, however, that the government of England, then under the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, lodged a protest with all of the governments concerned. John Milton was inspired to write the sonnet which begins:

"Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, who bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold,
Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old
When all our fathers worshiped stocks and stones,
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody piedmontese that rolled
Mother and infant down the rocks."

The one bright spot in the story of the 1655 massacre was the remarkable leadership of Joshua Gianavello, of the Village of Rora. Gianavello has become the subject of an historical novel "Rora," for sale on Amazon and glowingly reviewed by no less than Newt Gingrich.

The work of extermination begun in 1655 was nearly completed in 1686, when the remaining Vaudois were either killed, imprisoned, or exiled to Switzerland and Germany. Remarkably, Henri Arnaud led a few hundred of the Vaudois back to their mountain stronghold in 1690 and reclaimed by force their ancient patrimony. Thus, the Vaudois have continued on to the present time.

Interestingly, in 1893, a company of Vaudois migrated to the United States and founded the town of Valdeses, Burke County, North Carolina. At the time, a local newspaper wrote:

"All the little Waldensian children are taught to read and write at a very early age, and their knowledge of the scriptures would put to shame many of our church people of maturer years. They speak both French and Italian very fluently, and are all apparently very bright and intelligent and very anxious to learn the language of this new country."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a true histroy of how the Catholic Church persecuted Christianity?, March 12, 2009

By 

Richard S. Barber "Richard Barber" (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of the Waldenses (Paperback)

If you want a true history of how the Catholic Church persecuted the Christians of the 'dark ages' then this is a great book for your collection.

Come read how the true church of Christ banned together, pressed forward and spread the word of God at the cost of their lives from the fallen church of Rome. Yes, some people will be very upset about this book but it is documented history and stands as an example of what Christianity can cost you if you truly follow Jesus and "Walk, even as He walked".

Rick in Orlando

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for anyone interested in the History of The Christian Faith, February 27, 2008

By 

C. Wooding (Carson City, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: History of the Waldenses (Paperback)

This book is an excerpt from a broader history and was written in the 19th century. It chronicles the struggles & persecutions of a European fundamentalist christian sect. It traces the Waldenses' roots back to the 11th century. If historical chronicling is tedious to you, I recommend James Byron Huggins' epic historical fiction work titled RORA. It is an easy read and might entice you into reading "The Waldenses".