Historical Writings

Birth of Marcus Ulpius Trajan, Emperor of Rome from AD 98-117. He was the third Roman emperor to rule, after Nero (54-68) and Domitian (81-96), who persecuted the Early Church. During Trajan's reign, the apostolic father Ignatius of Antioch was martyred, in AD 117.

Death of Theodulph, bishop of Orleans, in a monastery at Angers (Note: Catholic Encyclopedia gives December 18th as his date of death).

Death of John Colet, English scholar, Catholic reformer, and friend of Erasmus.

Anne Hutchinson arrives from England to Boston, Massachusetts, where she will rouse controversy and eventually be banished.

Connecticut observes its first annual thanksgiving day as a colony, following heated debate whether or not setting aside a specific day will prompt people to neglect thanking God on other days.

Birth of Oliver Holden, early Puritan pastor and statesman. His love for music is demonstrated in the hymn tune CORONATION ("All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"), which he composed in 1792 at the age of 27.

Pope Pius IX’s army, attempting to defend the papal states from takeover by secular Italian forces, suffers defeat at Castelfidardo. The pope loses lands the papacy has mismanaged for centuries.

Death of Jerry McAuley, founder of New York's Water Street Mission, a pioneer among American rescue missions.

Booker T. Washington delivers his "Atlanta Compromise" address.

Death of Scottish clergyman George MacDonald who wrote novels to support himself. MacDonald's writings will capture C. S. Lewis's imagination, convincing him that true Christianity is not uninteresting.

A complete Bible translation of the Old and New Testaments was published by American Bible scholar and historian James Moffatt, 54. Moffatt's intention was to make available to the lay reader, in simple language, a current scholarly understanding of the biblical text.

Death of New England music evangelist Carrie E. Rounsefell, 69. It was Rounsefell who composed the hymn tune MANCHESTER, to which we sing today, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go."

The Church of Constantinople accepts the formerly uniate (i.e. Catholic associated) parishes of North America as a new Orthodox diocese and consecrates Orestes Chornock to be their bishop. He will be active on many fronts, convening the diocese's first convention, supporting the formation of its youth organizaiton, and leading in the formation of an Orthodox seminary.

Bishop Makarios is elected the Orthodox Archbishop and Ethnarch of Cyprus. He will quickly move to the forefront of efforts to end British rule in Cyprus and eventually will be exiled by the British government. In 1959, he will negotiate a compromise agreement for an independent Cypriot republic and will be elected the first president of the Republic of Cyprus. However his situation will prove so difficult that the Greeks will attempt to assassinate him and Turkey will eventually invade the island (in 1974), seizing 40% of its territory.

The Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International was founded in Dallas by Gordon Lindsay, 56. In 1967, the name was changed to Christ for the Nations. It ministers today as a service agency supporting foreign missions through fund raising and literature distribution.

Congolese rebels ransack a missionary hospital at Wasolo. They murder two of the Congolese nurses - Constant Kokembe and Boniface Bomba - and take missionary doctor Paul Carlson hostage.

For the first time in Chile’s history, its annual Te Deum prayer service that commemorates national independence, is led not by the Roman Catholic Church but by the Methodist Pentecostal Church.