Demetrius Gallitzin, Apostle of the Alleghenies

If you had one of the largest fortunes in Europe, what would you do with it? Demetrius Gallitzin answered that question by putting it to use for God.

It is surprising that Demetrius learned to love God at all. Although his mother had been baptized as a child, she lost her faith at a young age when a tutor taught her atheism. As for Demetrius' father, he was an ambassador from Russia to European courts. He had been raised in the Orthodox Church, but in France he accepted the writings of Voltaire, Diderot and other Freethinkers, and sneered at Christianity. Demetrius was reared on these radical ideas.

But something stirred in his mother's heart. She re-examined the claims of Christianity and returned to her childhood faith. She began to plead with her son, to write him letters, and to pray for him. Demetrius finally made up his mind to study religious systems to see if any were worth following. As a result, he converted to Roman Catholicism. Ever afterward, he believed that this denomination held the only route to salvation.

The young man enlisted in the Austrian army, but political changes forced him out. His father advised him to study engineering in the United States, and so Gallitzin sailed to the new world.
There he was shocked to discover how few Catholics there were. At that time, laws discriminated against Catholics. Demetrius determined to build up the church. His Orthodox Church relatives were dead set against it, but he attended seminary and was ordained in 1795.

Gallitzin took over a small parish in Pennsylvania. It had only a dozen members. Gallitzen traveled, taught and worked without rest. He poured his fortune into buying lands for Catholic settlers and slogged across the Alleghenies carrying the gospel into the untamed heart of the continent. Because of this he is known as "The Apostle of the Alleghenies." His flock grew to 10,000 people.

Gallitzen also defended Catholics against accusations. He wrote in his Defense of Catholic Principles:"The main point to be explained now is, in what manner we believe that Jesus Christ has accomplished the redemption of man, We believe that Jesus Christ, in order to become a victim of propitiation for our sins, assumed human nature, which being united to his divine nature, formed one person. As God, he could not suffer: by becoming a real man, assuming a real human soul, and a real human body, he made himself liable to sufferings; and by being God, his sufferings became an infinite value, and of course adequate as a satisfaction [for man's sins]."

On one of his trips, Demetrius took a nasty fall, which left him with a double hernia. After that, he had to travel by sledge. Forty-one years after he began his work in America, he died on this day, Easter Sunday, May 6, 1840. In all those years, he never took a penny of salary even after Russia confiscated most of his fortune because he had converted to Catholicism.

Bibliography:

1. Gallitzin , Demetrius A. A defence of Catholic principles, in a letter to a Protestant minister. London : W. E. Andrews, 1824.
2. Heyden, Thomas. A memoir on the life and character of the Rev. Prince Demetrius A. de Gallitzin, founder of Loretto and catholicity, in Cambria county, Pa., apostle of the Alleghanies. Baltimore, J. Murphy, New York, Catholic Publication Society, 1869.
3. Kittell, Ferdinand. "Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
4. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/demetrius-gallitzin-apostle-of-the-alleghenies-11630457.html

ISIS Supporters Claim Terror Group Has Spread To Rome, Ready To Fulfill Prophecy Of The Popes & Fatima Destruction

by SkyWatch Editor

ISIS supporters are claiming on social media that the group is now in Rome.

Catherine Herridge reported on “Happening Now” that social media accounts with known ties to ISIS are posting threatening images, alleging that the group has spread to Rome and is poised to attack.

 The images include handwritten notes with ISIS slogans and show the city of Rome in the background to prove the location.

One tweet reads, “Now we act with photos in your street… soon we will act with our sharp knives…the future is not far away.”

Read the rest of this article at -  http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/04/29/isis-supporters-claim-terror-group-has-spread-rome

Reuchlin Found Not Guilty

To Johann Reuchlin, Luther owed the Hebrew grammar for his Bible translation. A man of lowly birth, Reuchlin's talent for singing brought him to the attention of the Margrave of Baden who made him a companion of his son. In love with learning, the singer seized every opportunity his new position afforded to educate himself. Languages were his forte. He wrote the first Latin dictionary to be published in Germany and a Greek grammar. Hebrew was his dearest love. He ferreted out the rules of Israel's ancient language by study of Hebrew texts and converse with every rabbi who appeared within his range. His authority became widely recognized.

Reputation was nearly the cause of his ruin. A converted Jew and a Dominican inquisitor extracted from Emperor Maximilian an order to burn all Hebrew works except the Old Testament, charging they were full of errors and blasphemies. Before the edict could be carried out, the Emperor had second thoughts and consulted the greatest Hebrew scholar of the age: Reuchlin.

Reuchlin urged preservation of the Jewish books as aids to study, and as examples of errors against which champions of faith might joust. To destroy the books would give ammunition to the church's enemies, he said. The emperor revoked his order.

The Dominicans were furious. Selecting passages from Reuchlin's writings, they tried to prove him a heretic. Possibly he was. He seemed to expect salvation through cabalistic practices rather than relying totally on Christ's atoning blood. The inquisition summoned him and ordered his writings burnt. Sympathetic scholars appealed to Leo X. The Pope referred the matter to the Bishop of Spires, whose tribunal heard the issue. On this day, April 24, 1514, the tribunal declared Reuchlin not guilty. It was a great victory for freedom of learning.

The Dominicans were not so easily brushed off. They instigated the faculties at Cologne, Erfurt, Louvain, Mainz and Paris to condemn Reuchlin's writings. Thus armed, they approached Leo X. Leo dithered. Should he win applause from scholars by protecting the Jewish books, or placate the clerics? He appointed a commission. It backed Reuchlin. Still Leo hesitated. At last he decided to suspend judgment. This in itself was a victory for Reuchlin. The cause of the embattled scholar became the cause of the innovators. Reuchlin's nephew, Melanchthon, rejoiced. Erasmus praised him.
In 1517 Luther posted his 95 theses. "Thanks be to God," said the weary Reuchlin. "At last they have found a man who will give them so much to do that they will be compelled to let my old age end in peace." Thanks to Reuchlin, the Talmud and Kabbala were preserved. Although he died a broken man, freedom for academic production was strengthened because of his ordeal. Soon his studies formed the basis for better translations of the Old Testament. Furthermore, his influence assured Melanchthon a position among the learned and a place in the Reformation.

Bibliography:

1. Hirsch, Samuel A. Book of Essays. Macmillan, 1905.
2. Loeffler, Klemens. "Johannes Reuchlin." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
3. Manschreck, Clyde Leonard. Melanchthon, the Quiet Reformer. New York, Abingdon Press, 1958), especially 24, 25.
4. Mee, Charles L., jr. White Robe, Black Robe. New York: Putnam, 1972; p. 154ff.
5. "Reuchlin, Johannes." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
6. Rummel, Erika. The Case against Johann Reuchlin: religious and social controversy in sixteenth-century Germany. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/reuchlin-found-not-guilty-11629914.html

Dominicans Became Dreaded Inquisitors

Two of the darkest blots on Christian history are the witch hunts of Medieval Europe and the Inquisition--and the former employed the apparatus of the latter. No one knows for sure how many people suffered at the hands of the Inquisition. Thousands did. To most churchmen and governments it seemed self-evident that orthodoxy must be preserved, whatever the price.

Although Alexander III, Lucius III and Innocent III each made moves toward Inquisition, it was Gregory IX who instituted the machinery in 1227. In that year, he appointed a board of inquisitors to sit against heresy in Florence. Shortly afterward, he expanded the operation. This was inevitable, given the authoritarian nature of the Medieval church and the ferment of the times. Heresy was rife in Italy, France and the Balkans.

By 1231 Gregory had issued formal rules. As he envisioned the Inquisition, it would be for the salvation, coercion and punishment of erring Catholics only. Jews, Muslims and other non-Christians were not to be touched. The Inquisition would inquire into the spread of heresy, summon suspected heretics before tribunals, and punish infidelity so as to convert and save souls. It was aimed primarily at the growing numbers of Waldenses and Albigensians. Torture would be allowed, as it had been under Roman law. As his inquisitor in France, Gregory appointed the brutal Robert le Bougre, former heretic. He once had 180 individuals burned at the stake in one day and performed so many other atrocities that he was finally recalled and imprisoned.

On this date, April 20, 1233*, by papal bull, Gregory placed the operation of the Inquisition into the hands of the Dominicans. The Dominicans were the obvious choice for the role. Recognized by the church in 1220, the order's mission was to teach and preach: to employ the power of reason in support of faith. It is no coincidence that scholars like Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas, saintly and learned, were Dominicans. Dominic had made a point of winning heretics by the force of his holy life and persuasive preaching.

The methods employed by his order were not so gentle. They included torture and execution, usually by burning. Although the instructions for interrogation limited the use of torture, the tendency was to exceed them. Many Dominicans never participated in the Inquisition. Others were mild in their measures. Some resigned rather than continue the brutal work. Nonetheless the good name of the Dominicans was forever stained by their participation in this cruel activity. Before long the order became popularly known as Domini canes, Latin for "God's dogs."
*Some historians say 1232.

Bibliography:

1. "Dominic, St." and "Dominican Order." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
2. Durant, Will. The Age of Faith. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950.
3. Hendrickson, Ford. Martyrs and Witnesses. Detroit: Protestant Missionary Pub. Co., 1917.
4. Mandonnet, P. "Dominicans." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
5. Nigg, Walter. Warriors of God; the great religious orders and their founders. New York, Knopf, 1959.
6. O'Connor, John B. "Dominic, St." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/dominicans-became-dreaded-inquisitors-11629829.html

Derek Gilbert interviews Tom Horn on the Pope, Isis, and the Path of the Immortals

I think it's important to remember that the "Islamic State" seems to actually be a bunch of mercenaries paid and guided by NATO countries (U.S.A., England, Turkey) along with Saudi Arabia.  However there is no doubt just how much carnage a group of well-funded mercenaries can carry out....

In this made for tv broadcast, SkyWatch news anchor Derek Gilbert interviews Tom Horn on a range of current issues involving the Islamic state and why they are doing what they are doing, their apocalyptic plans, plus how Pope Francis and America could be playing right into their hands. Also whether Pope Francis believes he is the final pope on St. Malachy's list of popes, the secrets of Fatima and more.

Pelagius I, Controversial Nominee for Pope

For almost ten months, following the death of Vigilius in June of 555, the Western church was without a Pope. On March 3, 556, Pelagius, a Roman of a noble and wealthy family, was chosen to succeed him. The old man's elevation to the papal throne on this date, April 16, 556 was marred by irregularity. Three bishops were needed for his confirmation, but only two were willing to serve; they were aided by a priest representing of the Bishop of Ostia.

After his elevation and before the crowd in the old St. Peter's Basilica built by Constantine, Pelagius affirmed the decisions of the first four ecumenical councils. Then, with cross and Gospel in his hands, he astounded the crowd by assuring them that he had nothing to do with the death of any man. What was this all about? Pelagius was referring to the death of his predecessor, Pope Vigilius, whom he had once branded as a turncoat for first rejecting and then siding with Justinian's opposition to the Three Chapters.

The Three Chapters were three subjects condemned by the Emperor in an edict of 543-4: They were 1. The person and works of Theodore of Mopsuestia, 2. The writings of Theodoret against Cyril of Alexandria and 3. The letter of Ibas of Edessa to Maris. All contained statements with Nestorian leanings. Justinian hoped by this act to appease his Monophysite subjects (those who deny that Jesus is two persons in one). The Eastern bishops signed Justinian's anathemas under protest, but the west was even more reluctant to accept them. Justinian arrested a leading opponent named Vigilius in 545 and detained him in Sicily. Later Justinian brought Vigilius to Constantinople where for a long time he stuck to his position, even excommunicating Patriarch Menas, who returned the favor.

Vigilius finally wearied of the fight, accepted the Three Chapters decision, and was nominated for pope by Justinian. As pope, Vigilius was one of the leaders of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, held in 553 at Constantinople, which condemned the Three Chapters. It was attended by 165 fathers of the church. Vigilius' flip-flopping after having taken such a definite stand made him unpopular in the west. When he died there was suspicion of foul play. That is why Pelagius felt he had to defend himself at his election.

Pelagius inherited some of the strife that marked Vigilius' career. When he agreed to accept the council's decision, the sees of Aquileia and Milan renounced communion with him.

However, before his death in 561, he accomplished much good by relieving poverty and starvation, ransoming prisoners of war and overhauling the papal finances. He was buried in St. Peter's.

Note: this Pelagius is not the same Pelagius for whom the so-called "Pelagianism heresy" was named and which was condemned at the third Ecumenical Council, held in Ephesus in 431).

Bibliography:

1. Brusher, Joseph Stanislaus. Popes through the Ages. Princeton, N. J.: Van Nostrand, 1959.
2. De Rosa, Peter. Vicars of Christ; the dark side of the papacy. Dublin: Poolbeg Press, 2000; pp. 206 - 211.
3. Lea, Henry C. Studies in Church History. Philadelphia: Henry C. Lea; London: Samson, Low, Son, & Marston, 1869; p.20.
4. Mann, Horace K. "Pope Pelagius I." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
5. Montor, Chevalier Artaud de. Lives and Times of the Popes. New York: Catholic Publication Society of America, 1909.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/601-900/pelagius-i-controversial-nominee-for-pope-11629733.html

The Vatican Top Exorcist States That We Are Now In The End Times, And That The Beast Of Revelation “Is Working Furiously.”

By Ted

By Theodore Shoebat 

The top exorcist for the Vatican, Father Gabriele Amorth, said that we are now living in the End Times, and that the Beast of Revelation “is working ferociously.” According to the report:

In a recent Facebook post, well-known Roman exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth said the Islamic State (ISIS) “is Satan,” also questioning the lack of response from Western nations.

“ISIS is Satan. Things first happen in the spiritual realms, then they are made concrete on this earth,” he said in an April 8 post on the social media website.
Father Amorth continued, “there are only two spiritual realms: The Holy Spirit and the demonic spirit.”

He said the demonic enters in “because evil is disguised in various ways: political, religious, cultural, and it has one source of inspiration: the devil. As a Christian I fight the beast spiritually.”

“The political world, which today seems to lack a response in face of the massacre of Christians, will also have to fight ISIS and it will do it in a different way. If it advances as it seems to be doing, we ask ourselves what has the West done over the course of the last decades.”

The priest, who founded the International Association of Exorcists, explained that Satan “keeps saying that the world is in his power, and what he says is true. Biblically speaking we are in the last days and the beast is working furiously.”

ISIS took control of the largest Christian city in Iraq, Qaraqosh, in August last year, causing tens of thousands of people to flee.

The terrorist group has persecuted and murdered Christians and other religious minorities in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Fr. Amorth, age 90, has performed over 70,000 exorcisms during the past 29 years. The number is so high because carrying out an exorcism can require multiple sessions and each time the rite is administered it is counted as one instance.

Fr. Amorth has previously spoken about the danger posed by people no longer believing in the devil, as well as a shortage of exorcists.

Read this article at -  http://shoebat.com/2015/04/15/the-vatican-states-that-we-are-now-in-the-end-times-and-that-the-beast-of-revelation-is-working-furiously/

Edict of Nantes Relieved Huguenots

Is it possible for a nation to remain peaceful and united with more than one variation of Christianity in the country? To many in the sixteenth century the answer was a resounding NO. There had been one church throughout the middle ages, and the toleration of any other religion seemed unthinkable. Both before and after the Reformation, war had followed the rise of sects. As the ideas of the Protestant Reformation spread throughout Europe, governments as well as the church were affected as each adopted one form or another of faith. Most government leaders believed that allowing more than one sect would threaten the unity of a country.

This was the situation in sixteenth century France. For over sixty years the country had tried to find a political solution to the country's religious divisions. Persecutions, wars, and massacres disrupted the country as Catholics tried to maintain their majority faith while the Huguenots (as French Protestants were called) attempted to worship freely and even to seize power.

In 1572, backed by the king, Catholic forces used the royal wedding of the Huguenot Henry of Navarre--in line for the throne--as a pretext to rid the city of the Protestants that they detested. During the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre that resulted, 10,000 or more Protestants were butchered in Paris and similar massacres followed throughout the provinces. The pope had a medal stamped to honor the atrocity.

France's internal wars intensified after the Massacre; kings were assassinated; and finally Henry of Navarre himself succeeded to the throne. The Catholics of France, who were in the majority, absolutely refused to be ruled by a Huguenot. In order to bring peace to France, Henry adopted the Catholic faith. "Paris is worth a mass," he is reported to have said.

He did not forget his Huguenot roots, however. On this date, April 13 1598, Henry issued the Edict of Nantes, legally recognizing the Protestants. Huguenots were allowed to worship privately anywhere in France and were allowed public worship in specific places. In many ways the edict was unworkable, for it allowed the Huguenots political and military control of parts of the country, making them almost a nation within a nation. The Huguenots also gained complete civil liberties. Under the Edict of Nantes, the Protestants enjoyed religious freedom and prospered in France for a time. However, piece by piece the Catholic majority chipped away at the agreement's promises until finally, over eighty years later, King Louis XIV revoked the Edict altogether, again trying to establish one religion for his country.

Even after it was revoked, the Edict of Nantes remained an important memorial to freedom of conscience and religious liberty.

Bibliography:

1. Adapted from an earlier Christian History Institute story.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/edict-of-nantes-relieved-huguenots-11630045.html

4th Crusade Sacked Constantinople

The Byzantine Emperor Isaac Angelus was in prison in Constantinople (modern Istanbul). His brother Alexius had seized the throne and blinded him. Isaac's son and heir (also named Alexius) fled to Germany, where he took refuge with in-laws.

Meanwhile, world events were shaping up to replace him on his throne. Bernard of Clairveaux had earlier encouraged a crusade against Greek Constantinople after the disaster of the second crusade in 1147. He was convinced that the treachery of the Greeks was the cause of the disastrous crusade, and he wanted them punished.

A certain Count Tibald of Champagne advocated a crusade to capture Egypt. This would be the fourth crusade and Pope Innocent III endorsed it. The would-be crusaders chartered Venetian ships for a large sum of money.

Venice had its own interest in the crusade. When the knights showed up with insufficient funds, Venice offered to transport them on condition that they first recapture Zara. This city north of Constantinople had been under control of Venice until the King of Hungary seized it.

The crusaders agreed to the detour. Quarreling all the way, they sailed for Zara. After a week of fighting, they captured and razed it. Since it was a Christian city, the pope excommunicated them, but he soon relented, so that the quarrelsome crusade could go on.

Prince Alexius joined the crusaders. He appealed to them to help him regain his throne. The Chief Magistrate of Venice now urged the crusaders to forget about Egypt for the moment and place the Prince on his throne. Prince Alexius sweetened the pot, promising them money, an army of 10,000 to fight against the Muslims, 500 knights to guard the Holy Land, and the submission of the Eastern Church to the pope!

The crusaders captured Constantinople's harbor and a key tower. The usurper Alexius rode out with an army five times the size of theirs, but lost heart and offered terms of surrender. When he fled with considerable wealth, Isaac and Prince Alexius retook the throne. The prince became Emperor Alexius IV. The western armies camped in the city until a two-day fire destroyed much of it. Greeks and Latins blamed each other for the blaze.

The Greeks could not fulfill their terms. Disgusted with Alexius IV, another usurper seized the throne and killed him. The angry Crusaders attacked Constantinople. "The noise of the battle was so great that it seemed to rend the earth." After a few days of furious struggle the imperial city fell to the crusaders on this day, April 12, 1204, the Monday before Easter.

With the city in their possession, the crusaders proved ruthless. They assaulted nuns in their convents and wrecked churches as well as palaces. To separate themselves from the Greeks, they set fire to blocks of houses, destroying many priceless works of literature and art. The crusaders set up their own kingdom based in the city, but within ten years it had collapsed. The whole episode is one of the most shameful blots on church history, when such unchristian deeds were committed in the name of Christ.

Bibliography:

1. Adapted from and earlier Christian History Institute story.
2. Gable, G. I. "The Fourth Crusade." http://www.boglewood.com/timeline/crusade.html
3. Geoffrey de Villehardouin. Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth Crusade and The Conquest of Constantinople. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/ villehardouin.html
4. Lowe, Stephen. "The Fourth Crusade and the Fall of Constantinople." http://www.geocities.com/egfrothos/FourthCrusade.html

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/4th-crusade-sacked-constantinople-11629813.html

Mystery Babylon : The False Prophet presides as Lucifer is invoked during Blood Moon

Fascinating video for those who consider that Rome and the Roman Church may indeed be Mystery Babylon. However there is another view to be considered.  Perhaps according to scripture Mystery Babylon is actually Jerusalem...See the second video for the Biblical case for Jerusalem.

Pope presides over Easter Vigil service amid martyr concerns
http://news.yahoo.com/pope-presides-o...
'Blood Moon' Eclipse Dazzles Skywatchers
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/photo/blo...
Lunar eclipse turns the moon ‘blood red’
http://fox8.com/2015/04/04/lunar-ecli...
Pope tells Catholics at Easter vigil: seek truth, beauty and love
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/0...
Pope presides over Easter Vigil service amid Vatican concern for modern-day Christian martyrs
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/04/...

Boehner Invites Pope Francis to Address Congress on U.S. Visit
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first...
Pope to Christians, Muslims: learn about each other to defeat prejudices, avoid violence
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/...

FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law.

http://bibleprophecytalk.com/mystery-...
OR:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F...

Edmund of Abingdon Consecrated

Edmund of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, had a motto: "Caclum dives ingredi." It meant "to enter heaven rich." It was a pun on his family name, for the merchant's son was named Edmund Rich.
Edmund's parents were deeply religious folk after the fashion of the time, imposing daily penances on themselves. Their interest in spiritual matters spilled over onto Edmund. As a youth, studying at newly formed Oxford University, he believed he had literally encountered Jesus while he was walking alone in a field one evening. Ever afterward, this gentle man made a special gesture of remembrance each night before he went to bed. He vowed to remain chaste.

Edmund learned well and became a doctor of divinity. Soon he became a teacher, lecturing at the universities of Oxford and of Paris. He was the first, in fact, to teach the works of Aristotle at his Alma Mater. On both sides of the channel he was held in high esteem for his holiness. At night, he spent more time in prayer than in sleep. His preaching was so dynamic that he was commissioned to preach the sixth crusade.

On this day, April 2, 1234, Edmund was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. The position brought him much conflict with King Henry III of England. Henry was a corrupt man, who refused to allow Edmund to fill church vacancies. Meanwhile, the king pocketed the church revenues. Despite the king's opposition, Edmund struggled hard to clean up the church and restore its rights. In 1236 he issued a series of "constitutions," but the corrupt churchmen of the realm refused to be reigned in. (Some of his rules were still in force in the twentieth century.) He also worked with a coalition of barons to try to suppress the power of Henry's foreign-born favorites.

Edmund wrote to Pope Gregory IX for help over the issue of the vacancies, but Gregory failed to resolve the situation. In fact, the papal legate himself fell under Henry's power and the vacancies continued to pile up.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Edmund fled from England and retired to Pontigny, France. He died there in 1240. Edmund was so admired that his final resting place became a popular destination for pilgrims.

Bibliography:

1. Baring-Gould, S. Lives of the Saints. Edinburgh: John Grant, 1914.
2. Edmonds, Columba. "St. Edmund Rich." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
3. "Edmund, St., of Abingdon." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
4. Hook, Walter Farquhar, 1798 - 1875. Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury. London, R. Bentley, 1865 - 1884.
5. McKilliam, Annie E. A Chronicle of the Archbishops of Canterbury. London: J. Clarke, 1913.
6. Waite, Joseph F. "Saint Edmund of Canterbury 1170-1240 Patron of the Society of St. Edmund." http://www.sse.org/pdf/StEdmundHistoryWaite4Pg.pdf
7. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/edmund-of-abingdon-consecrated-11629832.html

Ferdinand and Isabella's Edict Against Jews

The year 1492 is most often associated with Columbus and his discovery of America. But another event of tragic proportions developed that year. It gave the world the Sephardic Jews (so called because Sepharadh was a region of Spain where many Jews had settled).

By 1492, Spain, under Ferdinand and Isabella had just emerged as a defender of the Roman Catholic faith. The marriage of the two rulers eventually united Aragon and Castile, although while she lived, Isabella did not yield her authority to her husband. In Granada, the pair defeated the Islamic Moors, who had long controlled Spain. Spurred on by the cruel Grand Inquisitor Torquemada, Ferdinand and Isabella felt they must remove all heretics and non-Christians from their land in order to purge it of pagan influences and firmly establish the Christian faith.

The fires of the Inquisition had already roared in Spain for twelve long years. The Inquisition's primary purpose was not to deal with Jews and Muslims. Any person who professed Christianity and then returned to his or her ancestral faith was tried and punished. In eight years, the tribunal of Seville alone put 700 persons to death and condemned 5,000 others to life in prison.

But what about those Jews who never adopted Christianity? Their majesties had a plan for them, too. On this day, March 31, 1492, in the city of Granada, Ferdinand and Isabella signed an edict banishing from the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile all Jews unwilling to receive baptism.

"You know well or ought to know, that whereas we have been informed that in these our kingdoms there were some wicked Christians who Judaized and apostatized from our holy Catholic faith, the great cause of which was interaction between the Jews and these Christians...we ordered the separation of the said Jews in all the cities, towns and villages of our kingdoms and lordships and [commanded] that they be given Jewish quarters and separate places where they should live, hoping that by their separation the situation would remedy itself."

Separation not having worked, the monarchs gave the Jews until July 31st to sell their goods and leave the country. They were forbidden to carry gold or silver out of the kingdom. Worse, although signed in March, the edict was not publicly announced until the end of April, so the Jews actually had only three months to convert their property to trade goods.

"Christians" took advantage of the situation and paid ridiculously low prices for Jewish possessions -- a donkey bought a house; a piece of cloth or linen purchased an entire vineyard.

In July 1492, the exodus began. When Columbus left on his famous voyage in August, he could not use the port of Cadiz because of the large numbers of Jews waiting to board ships in the harbor. Many Jews of Castile went to Portugal, where they were forced to pay a ransom to remain. Others went to Italy or the northern coast of Africa. Wherever they went, they were robbed.

Spain's economy paid for its mistreatment of the Jews: many had been skilled craftsmen. Sultan Bajazet of Turkey warmly welcomed those who escaped to his country. "How can you call Ferdinand of Aragon a wise king--the same Ferdinand who impoverished his own land and enriched ours?" he asked. He employed the Jew in making weapons to fight against Europe.

Bibliography:

1. Adapted from an earlier Christian History Institute story by Diane Severance, Ph.D.
2. "Ferdinand V, King of Castile." Encyclopedia Americana. Chicago: Americana Corp., 1956.
3. "Jewish History Sourcebook: The Expulsion from Spain, 1492 CE." The Medieval Sourcebook.
4. "Spanish Expulsion, 1492." http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ jsource/Judaism/expulsion.htm

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/ferdinand-and-isabellas-edict-against-jews-11629894.html

Elizabeth Dirks Drowned as Anabaptist

Elizabeth Dirks was a trailblazer and a woman of great courage. Raised in a nunnery in East Friesland, she learned to read Latin and read the Bible through and through. She became certain that monasticism was not the way taught in Scripture. With the help of milkmaids she escaped and became a follower of peaceful Menno Simons. She was one of the first Reformation women ministers, probably a deaconness.

In 1549, Catholic authorities arrested her. When they found her Bible they knew they had the person they were looking for. Mistakenly, they thought she was the wife of Menno Simons. When they tried to get her to take an oath at her interrogation, she refused, saying Christ had taught that our yes should mean yes and our no mean no.

The record of her inquisition shows that the examiners asked her to inform on those whom she had taught. Knowing that this would lead to their arrest, she refused.

"No, my Lords, do not press me on this point. Ask me about my faith and I will answer you gladly."
"We will make it so tough that you will tell us," they threatened.

When she would not reveal who had baptized her or whom she had taught, they questioned her beliefs. She insisted that church buildings were not the house of God, for our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. She denied that the New Testament spoke of the bread and wine as a sacrament but rather as the Lord's Supper. Asked if she were saved by baptism, she replied, "No, my Lords. All the water in the sea cannot save me. All my salvation is in Christ, who has commanded me love the Lord, my God, and my neighbor as myself." She denied that priests have authority to forgive sins--only Christ.

Still refusing to reveal who had baptized her, she was taken to the torture chamber and said, "So far we have treated you gently. Since you won't confess, we will put you to the torture."

A man named Mr. Hans applied screws to a thumb and fingers until blood spurted from under her fingernails. Still she wouldn't give away her friends, but her agony was so great that she cried aloud to Christ and received relief. So they lifted her skirt to apply torture to her shins. She pleaded that she had never allowed anyone to touch her body and they promised to respect her.

Then they crushed her leg bones with screws until she fainted. The men thought she was dead, but she came to and assured them she was not. Realizing that they could get nothing out of her, the authorities condemned her to die. Rather than burn her, as was customary, they tied her in a bag and drowned her on this day, March 27, 1549.

Bibliography:

1. Bainton, Roland H. Women of the Reformation in Germany and Italy. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg, 1971.
2. Williams, George Huntston. The Radical Reformation. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Westminster Press, 1962.

Read this article at -  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/elizabeth-dirks-drowned-as-anabaptist-11629978.html

Petrus Romanus Accepts That He May Be Assassinated As ‘God’s Will’: Does He Believe In The Prophecy Of Fatima?

by SkyWatch Editor

He said: ‘Life is in God’s hands. I have said to the Lord, “You take care of me. But if it is your will that I die or something happens to me, I ask you only one favour: that it doesn’t hurt.” The pope made the comments in an interview with Buenos Aires favela tabloid La Carcova News in which inhabitants of the shantytown Villa La Carcova collectively came up with the questions.

The parish priest of the extremely poor area is Jose Maria Di Paola, or Father Pepe, described as ‘the spiritual son of Francis’. For months, there have been threats against Pope Francis by the ISIS militants, who call him the ‘bearer of false truth.’

In January an assassination plot to kill Francis by detonating a bomb in Manila was reportedly thwarted by the Philippines military, although this was denied by the Vatican. Former Special Action Force (SAF) commander Getulio Napeñas testified before the Philippine senate that the Philippines National Police had received information that Southeast Asian Jihadist terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiya, planned to set off a bomb near the papal convoy.

Read more of this article at - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2988299/Pope-Francis-says-accepts-assassinated-asks-God-make-sure-doesn-t-hurt-real-wimp.html

Infamous Indulgence Led to Reformation

Indulgences are among the greatest embarrassments in the history of the Roman Church.  A shameful money grab directed at relatives who were fearful of the destination of the spirits of their loved ones, it so angered Martin Luther that we ended up with the Reformation.  Of course, once a church has been corrupted from within, it can never be "reformed". 


Warlike Pope Julius II died in 1513, and his successor, Giovanni de' Medici, took the name Pope Leo X. If Julius loved to fight, Leo preferred amusement. His self-indulgence destroyed the unity of the western church when he bartered sin for money in the most infamous indulgence of church history.
From birth Leo had been earmarked for the church. At the age of seven he was made a monk. By thirteen he was a cardinal. In between, the boy had been abbot. He became pope before turning forty.
His tastes were costly. He was only too happy to spend lavishly on himself and voluptuous entertainment. Humanists with few morals swarmed at a papal court where wit mattered more than witness. Plays and shows, ballets and games abounded. No chance for a hunt was turned down. The papal treasury funded preeminent artists such as Raphael. Julius left a full treasury. Leo drained it in eight short years.

St. Peter's basilica was being rebuilt, but there was no money. Leo decided to solve the problem in time-honored fashion. On this day March 15, 1517 he declared that anyone who contributed to the cathedral would be granted an indulgence. Although in theory an indulgence was only a remission of penalties meted out in this world by the church, in practice it was hawked as if it covered the actual guilt of sins and could release souls from Purgatory. The gist of the indulgence was as follows:

"...[I] absolve you ...from all thy sins, transgressions, and excesses, how enormous soever they be...and remit to you all punishment which you deserve in purgatory on their account and I restore you...to the innocence and purity which you possessed at baptism; so that when you die the gates of punishment shall be shut... and if you shall not die at present, this grace shall remain in full force when you are at the point of death."

Sent to preach the indulgence in Germany was a Dominican named Tetzel. Tetzel got above himself in his promises, implying that the indulgence even covered the future sins which the buyer was now harboring in his heart. Frederick the Wise refused to allow the indulgence to be preached in his territory of Saxony, mostly because he was reluctant to allow Saxon coin to leave his financially-depleted realm. Tetzel came as near the border of Saxony as he could. Folk from Wittenberg crossed over and bought the prized papers.

Afterwards a few doubted the efficacy of the writs. They solicited the opinion to a middle aged monk named Martin Luther. Luther refused to confirm their value. Instead, in an accepted tradition, he posted theses for debate on the door of Wittenberg castle church where a large crowd was expected. The sequel is well known. From those ninety-five theses the Reformation was born when Leo refused to see a problem with the disgraceful sales.

Bibliography:

1. Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand. New York: Mentor, 1950.
2. Begni, Ernesto. Vatican; Its history--its treasures. New York: Letters and Arts, 1914.
3. Brusher, J. Popes Through the Ages. Princeton, New Jersey: Van Nostrand, 1964.
4. Durant, Will. The Reformation. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957.
5. Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity. Editor Tim Dowley. Berkhamsted, Herts, England: Lion Publishing, 1977.
6. "Indulgences" and "Leo X." New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1954.
7. "Indulgences" and "Leo X." The Oxford encyclopedia of the Reformation. Editor in chief Hans J. Hillerbrand. New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.
8. Kent, W. H. "Indugences." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
9. "Leo X." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
10. Loffler, Klemens. "Leo X." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
11. Mee, Charles L., jr. White Robe, Black Robe. New York, Putnam, 1972.
12. Montor, Artaud de. The Lives and Times of the Popes. New York: The Catholic publication society of America, 1910 - 11.
13. Various encyclopedia articles.

Read this article at - http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/infamous-indulgence-led-to-reformation-11629920.html

Petrus Romanus, The Vatican, And How Catholic Seers Predicted Rome Would Become Seat Of Antichrist

by SkyWatch Editor

Most people are probably unaware that in addition to the Secrets of Fátima, a second, most renowned Marian apparition from La Salette, France, which was approved by Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII, revealed analogous information about a crisis of faith that would transpire within Roman Catholicism in the last days, during which Rome would become the seat of the Antichrist.

Delivered to Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud on September 19, 1846, while they tended cattle in the mountains, the Secret of La Salette reads in part: “The earth will be struck by calamities of all kinds (in addition to plague and famine which will be wide-spread). There will be a series of wars until the last war, which will then be fought by the ten Kings of the Antichrist, all of whom will have one and the same plan and will be the only rulers of the world. Before this comes to pass, there will be a kind of false peace in the world. People will think of nothing but amusement. The wicked will give themselves over to all kinds of sin…this will be the hour of darkness. The Church will suffer a terrible crisis… Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist… The Church will be in eclipse, the world will be in dismay.” In The Plot Against The Pope; Coup dé’tat in the Conclave–1958.

Gary Giuffré discusses how French Masonic influences who had infiltrated the Catholic clergy in the 1800s were working overtime to suppress and discredit the Secret of La Salette, even though its message had been officially favored by two popes. This was because at that time, prophetic references to Rome “becoming the seat of Antichrist” was forming a common eschatology among Catholic scholars like Cardinal Henry Manning (discussed elsewhere in this book), Bishop Salvator Grafen Zola, and Frederick William Helle, who saw in these predictions the work of Masonically infested clergy who plotted the overthrow of the papacy and the use of the Church as a political vehicle for an occult World Order. “These kinds of details, found in the genuine, modern-day, Marian prophecies, would always generate the greatest opposition from the Church’s enemies who had infiltrated her structures,” wrote Giuffré. “For they threatened to expose the satanic plot and long-time goal of the Masonic Lodge’s agents in the Vatican, to usurp and control the papal chair.”

Read the rest of this article at - http://www.raidersnewsupdate.com/vaticana17.htm

The Many Degrees of Satan: Freemasonry, Martial Arts, Apostles, "Whosoever Will"

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Down with King James II!

One of the most important political moves in modern history is described in this article. James II was not popular and was Roman Catholic, but he was also the rightful heir to the throne. William was very connected to the Netherlands and German territories, and his family line would maintain that connection up to the present time. This explains the many "Hessians", German mercenaries who were brought over to fight in the "Revolutionary" War among other interesting side items.

The year 1689 witnessed an extraordinary event. William III of Orange came to the throne of England in a bloodless revolution. It was not that England had no king. James II sat in Whitehall and did not hesitate to exert his royal prerogative as he saw fit. The problem was the Roman Catholic king used his powers to browbeat Anglicans and raise "papists" to positions of authority.

James might have kept his throne if he'd been more merciful to rebels early in his reign and more accommodating of the interests of his people. Protestant forms were firmly entrenched and the English had no desire to return to the Catholicism whose hierarchy seemed contradictory to the democratic ideals which were coming into vogue. For most Englishman a return to Catholicism seemed a turn from a gospel of faith to a life of works; from a liberating parliamentary system back to a dictatorial monarchy. Liberties were still scarce enough that people prized them; and not least of those was the principle that the king could not override a law of Parliament.

James had a knack for rousing suspicion. He raised a personal army of 13,000 men, a threat to Parliament; and he accepted subsidies from Louis XIV, the Catholic King of France; naturally the Anglican church viewed this as a threat. Cruel, dishonest Jeffries became the king's leading judge and James made him a lord. James forbade clergymen to preach on certain political topics and arrested John Sharp when he preached on the motives of converts.

The Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were training grounds for Anglican priests. James tried to force Cambridge to accept Catholic leadership. The schoolmen refused. James was furious. He then tried to usurp Magdalen College's long-standing right to elect its own president and compel them to accept a Catholic as head of the school. Again the schoolmen resisted him. The situation worsened when Anglican churchmen refused to read James' Declaration of Indulgence from their pulpits. The Declaration was an excellent idea, granting religious liberty. However it was seen as an attempt to defy Parliament through whom such authorization ought to come. James brought four Anglicans to trial. The jury acquitted them.

What finally brought James down was the birth of his son. Rather than face the prospect of a Catholic heir, the English decided to replace James with a Protestant. They contacted his Son-in-law, William III.

On this day, February 13 1689, Parliament granted the throne to William with certain religious and civil conditions: "Whereas the late King James II... did endeavor to subvert and extirpate the Protestant religion, and the laws and liberties of this kingdom..." they wrote, "...[we] do resolve that William and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange, be and be declared King and Queen of England..." The declaration further barred anyone of the Roman Catholic faith from possessing the English throne.

Bibliography:

1. Claydon, Tony. William III and the Godly Revolution. New York : Cambridge University Press, 1996.
2. Green, John Richard. A Short History of the English People. New York: Harper, 1895.
3. Grew, Marion Ethel (Tuckwell). William Bentinck and William III (Prince of Orange); the life of Bentinck, Earl of Portland, from the Welbeck correspondence. London, J. Murray, 1924.
4. "James II." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
5. Various encyclopedia and internet articles

Read this article at - http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/down-with-king-james-ii-11630176.html

First Spanish Auto da Fe

Spain's name is forever linked with the Inquisition. But the inquisition did not begin there. Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX established the dreaded institution in the thirteenth century to combat heretical groups. What made the inquisition so terrible was the severity of both the questioning and the punishment and the lack of rights granted to the accused. Those who "snitched" on them could do so secretly. A victim was not permitted to challenge the witnesses against him or her.

When Isabella and Ferdinand united Spain in 1479, they were almost paranoid with fear of revolt. This made them highly susceptible to the whispers of the queen's confessor, Tomas de Torquemada. Of Jewish origin himself, he told her that Christianized Jews were secretly practicing their Hebrew faith and corrupting good Christians. Isabella was horrified and frightened. She asked the pope for permission to establish the inquisition in Spain. This was granted.

Under sadistic torture, suspects incriminated other people. These in turn accused almost anyone they could think of just to please their captors and win a reprieve from their torment. Every confession added to the alarm of the Catholic king and queen, suggesting widespread corruption of the Christian faith. Soon Spain began burning "heretics."

"Auto da fe" means "Act of Faith." The first Spanish auto-da-fe was held on this day February 6, 1481, when six men and six women, who refused to repent of alleged backsliding, were burned at the stake. They were but the first. 13,000 "heretics" were tried in the first twelve years of the Spanish Inquisition. Hundreds perished at the stake. Dressed in a penitent's gown, they were marched in processionals to the stake and urged to repent even as they were bound for the ordeal. Those who confessed were strangled before the fire was lit. Those who refused to admit wrongdoing, or who defiantly clung to their "heresies" were burned alive.

As hard as it is to believe, the Spanish Inquisition ran for 327 years. It was not abolished until 1808, during the brief reign of Joseph Bonaparte. In those three centuries, close to 32,000 people perished in the flames. About 300,000 others were forced to make some kind of reconciliation with the church. Even the 1808 "end" to the Spanish Inquisition wasn't really the end. Incredible as it may seem, King Ferdinand VII reestablished the dreadful apparatus in 1814! But six years later, revolution swept it away, hopefully forever. However, this is by no means assured; some defenders of the Roman Church were still excusing and justifying the practice in the twentieth century although it is impossible to see Christ winning followers by such means. Jesus turned away those who were not serious about following him.

The apparatus of the inquisition was not restricted to Europe. Spain exported it to the new world, where Mexican and Peruvian authorities burned men and women to death, starting in the sixteenth century. Portuguese priests also operated an inquisition in Goa, India.

Bibliography:

1. Blotzer, Joseph. "Inquisition." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
2. Haskins, Charles Homer. Studies in Mediaeval Culture. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1960.
3. Kamen, Henry Arthur Francis. The Spanish Inquisition : an historical revision. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997.
4. Sabatini, Rafael. Torquemada. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1924.
5. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.

Read this article at - http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/first-spanish-auto-da-fe-11629890.html

He Know Something You Don’t? Petrus Romanus Recommending Everybody Read “Lord Of The World” Novel About The Rise Of Antichrist, The Vatican, And The Coming Of Armageddon

If the headline is that long, you know it came from the newly launched skywatchtv.com.  They are one of the best newsgathering sites for articles of prophetic (and immediate) interest to Christians, so worth checking in on from time to time.

From the day he became pope, NTEB has always maintained that Pope Francis was a man on a mission and destined to fulfill end times bible prophecy in a big way. Evidentially, he would seem to agree with our assessment. The book he wants everyone to read is centered around two main people – the Antichrist and the Catholic pope. Seriously, we couldn’t make this stuff up. It’s not the first time Pope Francis has mentioned the 1907 novel by Robert Hugh Benson, but his recommendation appears to be due to the daunting warning that is contained in the novel’s plot line. “Lord of the World” portrays a dystopian vision of the future and culminates in the final battle between humanism and Catholicism, which eventually leads to Armageddon.

In an airplane news conference on his way back from the Philippines, Pope Frances referenced a 1907 book entitled “Lord of the World” and advised all of those in attendance to read it

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:5 (KJV)
From the day he became pope, NTEB has always maintained that Pope Francis was a man on a mission and destined to fulfill end times bible prophecy in a big way. Evidentially, he would seem to agree with our assessment. The book he wants everyone to read is centered around two main people – the Antichrist and the Catholic pope. Seriously, we couldn’t make this stuff up.

It’s not the first time Pope Francis has mentioned the 1907 novel by Robert Hugh Benson, but his recommendation appears to be due to the daunting warning that is contained in the novel’s plot line.

“Lord of the World” portrays a dystopian vision of the future and culminates in the final battle between humanism and Catholicism, which eventually leads to Armageddon. The author depicts a Marxist world in which a charismatic senator from Vermont named Julian Felsenburgh promises world peace if world’s citizens follow him obediently.

Read the rest of this article at - http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=30358