Historical Writings

(traditional date) Emperor Maximian allegedly puts members of the Theban Legion to the sword when they refuse to renounce their faith. Authority for the date: Foxe, John. Actes and Monuments. (And others.)

Death of Johann Agricola, a reformer often at odds with Luther and Melanchthon, especially over the role of the law in Christian times. Authority for the date: www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Agricola.htm.

The first (Catholic) priests of the newly established Christian Church in Japan -- Sebastian Chimura and Aloysius Niabara -- were ordained in their hometown of Nagasaki.

During the famous Salem Witch Trials, the last 8 "witches" were hanged in Massachusetts. When the turmoil finally settled, 13 women and 7 men had been executed, and over 150 others remained in jail through the next summer.

One hundred and eighty Schwenkfelders arrive in Philadephia. Two days later they hold a thanksgiving service in gratitude for their safe passage to the new world. Authority for the date: Christian History 26 (1990).

The angel Moroni reportedly revealed the golden tablets (containing the "Book of Mormon") to Joseph Smith. They were hidden near the family farm, in Palmyra, NY. Smith's English translation of their strange hieroglyphics became the literary foundation for the new Mormon religion.

Charles Carter arrives in Ceylon as a missionary for the Baptist Missionary Society. He will make such rapid progress in language study that he will be able to preach in Sinhalese in just a few months. Authority for the date: www.vedamsbooks.com and other websites.

Adams Gertner, founder of the Baptist movement in Latvia, performs his first baptism through faith (i.e.: adult baptism) in Latvia, immersing seventy-two converts in the Ziros river. Authority for the date: "Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Russia." www.slavicchristian.org/news/11172001.html.

Death of Charlotte Elliott, 82, English devotional writer and author of the enduring hymn, "Just As I Am." (A serious illness at 33 had left her an invalid her remaining 50 years.)

Death of Huang Naishang, who had labored as a pastor, Bible translator, YMCA director, newspaper editor, reformer, educator, and advisor to various governments. As he lies dying, he asks his wife to hold up a picture of Christ for him to see and then to place it on his chest. Authority for the date: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity.

Death of Ralph Adams Cram, a fervent Anglo-Catholic who had been prominent in ecclesiastical architecture, applying revived English Gothic architectural style to churches in the United States. Authority for the date: Britannica.

Basil and Esther Miller incorporated World-Wide Missions in California. Headquartered today in Pasadena, this evangelical missions agency specializes in providing relief and medical aid to over 30 countries worldwide.

A quarter of a million Christians clog the streets of Hyderabad, India, to pay their final respects to evangelist Bakht Singh who is being buried. Inching along the funeral route, they hold aloft Bibles and Scripture banners, singing and praising God. Authority for the date: Koshy, T.E. "An Overview of His Life and Ministry." www.brotherbakhtsingh.org.