Historical Writings

Death of St. Sava from pneumonia in Tmovo, Bulgaria. He had become ill after participating in a ceremony known as "Blessing of the Waters." From being a monk, he had risen to become archbishop of Serbia.

Death in Udine of Odoric, a Franciscan who had traveled to China and reported on the Far East, but whose credibility was low because he reported many details on hearsay.

Anabaptist preacher Leonhard Schiemer is beheaded and burned in Austria. Dreading death, he strengthens himself with the thought, "If I did not place all my confidence in the Lord I would fall; but the Lord is my comfort and my confidence; he forsakes none who trusts him." During his ministry, he had made about seventy converts in Rattenberg. In prison he had written letters that were held in high regard by other Anabaptists.

Spanish reformer Juan de Valdes, 29, published his "Dialogue on Christian Doctrine," which paved the way in Spain for Protestant ideas. But his treatise was condemned by the Spanish Inquisition, and Valdes was forced to flee Spain, never to return

The Hampton Court Conference opened in London, during which Puritan representatives met with their monarch, King James I, to discuss reform within the Church of England.

Forty-four ministers, mostly from the province of Holland, sign a Remonstrance that expresses their objections to certain Calvinist teachings of the state church of the Netherlands.

Death of Father Parti Sarpi, a Venetian polymath and doctor of theology. He had assisted Venice in its struggles against the papacy and wrote a history of the Council of Trent that exposed misdeeds of the pope, all while still a member of the Augustinian Servite order.

Adoption of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut - the first written constitution known to history that specifies the powers of government. It is largely the work of clergyman Thomas Hooker.

Death in Ely, England, of John Bois, one of the translators of the Authorized Version of the Bible, and a key editor of it. He had also assisted with an edition of John Chrysostom’s writings. Significantly, he had been able to read the Hebrew Bible at age five and taught Greek at Cambridge for ten years.

Death in Oxford, England, of George Berkeley. Years earlier, as newlyweds, he and his wife had attempted mission work in America, but left when financial backing failed. After his return to England, he had gained fame for a theory of vision and for his philosophical system of idealism, which held that familiar objects were ideas in the mind and did not exist outside of our perception. (In a famous incident recorded in Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, when Johnson learned of Berkeley’s philosophy he kicked a large stone until it hurt his foot and announced “I refute it thus.") Made bishop of Cloyne, he had shown consideration toward both Roman Catholics and Protestants.

Death in Cheshire, Massachusetts, of Baptist evangelist John Leland, who in addition to his evangelistic work had been an ardent opponent of slavery and a strong advocate for religious liberty.

Death in London, England, of Cardinal Henry Manning, who had been a leader in the Oxford movement for reforming the Church of England before transferring his allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIII appointed Archbishop Francesco Satolli as the Vatican's first Apostolic Delegate to the United States.

Doctor Walter Lewis Wilson, having heard James Gray preach on the Holy Spirit, goes home, falls on the floor, and yields to the Holy Spirit. He becomes a notable evangelist, founder of churches and a college in Missouri, and will be known as “Beloved Physician.”

Death in Oxford, England, of Richard Meux Benson, the principal founder of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, an Anglican form of monasticism.

Death in Ashfield, New South Wales, of Robert J. H. McGowan, Australian minister, Bible scholar, conservative theologian, and moderator of the General Presbyterian Assembly for New South Wales.

French-born American trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote in a letter: 'The best way to solve the problem of rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's is to have nothing that is Caesar's.'

American Presbyterian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'I have come to the conclusion that none of us in our generation feels as guilty about sin as we should or as our forefathers did.'

Death in Taiwan of Lillian Dickson, founder of The Mustard Seed, an inter-denominational mission agency that engaged in relief aid, public health, and Christian education.

Death in Ecuador of Dr. Manuel Naula, the first Quichua Indian to become a medical doctor. A Christian, he was known for his self-sacrificing life and soul-winning efforts.

Death of Sipho Mncube, a South African evangelist who had once been an alcoholic, drug addict, and thief. Many had come to Christ through his humility and charitable efforts.