Ulrich Zwingli (1484 -1531): Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 - 1536): Edited

Jerome Savonarola (1452 - 1498): Burned at Martin Luther (1483 - 1546): One of the The “Solas” of the Reformation
Protestant Reformer in the first printed Greek New Testament in 1516.
the stake for his “meddling” by pope Alexan- most influential reformers of church Sola Scriptura Sola Gratia
Northern Switzerland. Wrote the “Diatribe Concerning Free
der Borgia, this Italian Dominican monk did not history. His most famous speech was Scripture Alone Grace Alone
Invited as a preacher in Will” (1524) against Martin Luther’s conceptions
debate doctrinal matters (as Wycliffe and Huss given at the Diet in Worms where, when Sola Christus Sola Fide
Zurich in 1506. Died in of Total Depravity. Luther responded with
did) but attacked the evil lives asked to recant, he said, “My Christ Alone Faith Alone
battle at the hands of
and immorality within the church. invading Catholics during
conscience is captive to the Word of “The Bondage of the will” in 1525. Soli Deo Gloria
Glory to God Alone
God...I cannot, I will not recant.
a civil war while a chaplain
John Huss (1372 - 1415): The for the John Calvin (1509 - 1564): Greatest Reformer in Theodore Beza (1519 - 1605): French
Bohemian monk who was mar- protestant the history of the Protestant church. Wrote the
At noon on October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther Calvinist theologian. In 1548 he joined
tyred for his faith. He agreed army. “Institutes of the Christian
nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle John Calvin at Geneva and soon
to follow the pope’s teach- Religion” (1535) — the most became his intimate friend and chief
Church at Wittenberg. The following day was “All
ings, “so far as First printed book on Saints Day” when multitudes would have attended widely read Reformation aid. From 1549 to 1558 Beza was
they agree with the printing press: the document ever penned next to professor of Greek at
mass, and the Theses
the doctrine of Guttenberg Bible Luther’s ”Bondage of the Will.” Lausanne. In 1558 he
(1454).
would have hung there
Christ, but when He preached daily in Geneva became professor of
for the priests and
I see contrary I and, by God’s grace, trans- Greek at Geneva, and in
monks to read. This was
will not obey the formal beginning of formed the city into an educa- 1564 he succeeded
them, even tional capital for students. Calvin in the chair of
though you burn the Reformation.
theology at Geneva.
my body.”

1300 1350 1400 1450 1500 1510 1520 1530 1540 1550 1560 1570
A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. 1517 A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D.

William Tyndale (1493 - 1536): Linguistic scholar who translated

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
The Roman Catholic
John Knox (1514 -1572): Scottish the New Testament from Greek into English in 1526. He suffered
Church hated
Reformer. With the Catholic Mary martyrdom for this translation and was burned at the stake. His
Wycliffe so much that
1st on the English throne (1553), last prayer, “O Lord, Open the eyes of the king,” was answered
after his death, by
Knox went into exile living chiefly after his death and a copy of the translation was placed in every
order of the Council
in Geneva and Frankfurt. In English church by order of the king.
of Constance, his
Geneva he consulted with John
bones were dug up
Catholic priest Tetzle sells Calvin on theological questions
in 1428, burned, and The Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther
indulgences for money. and thought Geneva to be “heaven on
the ashes scattered Commentary on Romans, by Martin Luther
earth.” Under Knox's direction, the Scot-
in the River Swift Available Books by Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Vol., by John Calvin
tish Reformation took shape and a Calvin-
which runs through Reformation Authors Calvin’s Calvinism, by John Calvin
istic confession of faith was drawn up in
Lutterworth. Select Writings of John Knox, by John Knox
1560. Knox is known for his statement on
the furtherance of the Gospel in Scot-

Lollards (“poor preachers”) a group of
preachers he organized before his
death, brought the Gospel to the Eng-
lish 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
Reformation
Philip Melanchthon land— “Give me Scotland else I die.”
(1497 - 1560):
Appointed professor of Pope Leo X (reigned 1513 - 21): He expended
Greek in Wittenberg in papal revenues on art, letters and music.
1518 (at 21 years of age). He came into
contact with Martin Luther and became a
co-worker for Gospel Reformation.
Under him the Italian Renaissance flourished immensely. How-
ever, to continue indulgences, he issued a papal bull against
Martin Luther condemning him as a heretic — ”The Wild Boar.”
Timeline
Important Figures in Reformation History