Historical Writings

(traditional date) Death of Paul of Thebes in Egypt at the remarkable age of one hundred and thirteen years. He had been one of the earliest Christian hermits and friend of Antony of the Desert, and inspired many others to adopt the lifestyle.

Death in County Limerick, Ireland, of Ita, who had founded a famous monastery of holy virgins, called Cluain-cred-hail, where she practiced severe mortifications and urged everyone to live perpetually recollected in God as the great means of attaining to perfection.

Six Protestants are executed by fire at Canterbury for their religious views - Kempe, Waterer, Prowting, Lowick, Hudson, and Hay.

Jeanne D'Albret, Queen of Navarre, publishes a Code of Ecclesiastical Ordinances, making Huguenot worship forms mandatory in her province.

The citizens of Massachusetts spent a day of fasting and repentance for their roles in the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Judge Samuel Sewall, who had presided over many of those 20 capital judgments, published a written confession acknowledging his own "blame and shame."

Isaac Watts is called as pastor to Newington where he will set a high standard of preaching and overcome the resistance of the established church to the introduction of new hymns.

Chukwujindu "Sampson" Anene brings Christianity to his village of Ohita, which still practiced traditional African religion. The first church service is held in the shade of a big tree in the center of the town. He will see most of his generation converted, establish churches, and start schools.

Birth of James Edwin Orr in Belfast, Ireland. January 15th will be an important day in his life: on it he will be converted, married, and ordained.

Israeli archaeologists reported uncovering the first evidence supporting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by military forces of the ancient Roman Empire.

Muslims in Niger throw Molotov cocktails through the windows of sixty-eight churches, burning them to the ground in an effort to eliminate the Christian presence from the nation. The Christians, however, will regroup, pray for their attackers, and with the help of the Samaritan's Purse organization rebuild fifty of their churches within two years, many of them stronger and in more defensible locations.