Lectionary Calendar
Friday, April 19th, 2024
the Third Week after Easter
the Third Week after Easter
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Historical Writings
Today in Christian History
Friday, October 13
-539
(BC) The Persian armies of Cyrus the Great captured Babylon. (Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, was the former military scourge which had taken Judah into exile in 586 BC (see 2 Kings 25).
1247
A vial of "Christ's blood," stamped with official seals, is imported into England to shouts of acclaim from the king and crowds.
1307
Philip IV the Fair arrests all Templars of France without warning and has them tortured. He hopes to force them to incriminate themselves so that he can confiscate their wealth.
1605
Death of Theodore Beza, a French-born theologian, who had been widely recognized as Calvin's successor.
1670
In Virginia, slavery was banned for Negroes who arrived in the American colonies as Christians. (The law was repealed in 1682.)
1706
Murder of the Coptic king Iyasu I of Ethiopia. He had been a successful warrior, a conciliator of religious differences, and a great builder of churches.
1836
Theodore Fliedner opens his first deaconess training center, at Kaiserswerth. Among those who will be trained there is Florence Nightingale, the "Lady with a Lamp."
1843
B'nai B'rith ("Sons of the Covenant") was established in New York City by a group of German Jews. It is both the oldest and the largest of the Jewish fraternal organizations.
1877
English hymnwriter Frances Havergal writes the words to the hymn "Who Is on the Lord's Side?"
1908
The Church of the Nazarene organizes in Texas.
1917
The Virgin Mary last appeared to three shepherd children near Fatima, Portugal. Six visions had occurred between May and October, each on the 13th of the month. (This last vision was attended by over 50,000 pilgrims.)
1988
The Bishop of Turin, Italy announced that the Shroud of Turin, long believed to be Christ's burial sheet, did not withstand scientific testing. It dated back only to 1280, and not to the time of Jesus' crucifixion (ca. AD 30-33).
Copyright Statement
© 1987-2020, William D. Blake. Portions used by permission of the author, from "Almanac of the Christian Church"
© 1987-2020, William D. Blake. Portions used by permission of the author, from "Almanac of the Christian Church"
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