DOCSLIB.ORG

Michael Servetus

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Michael Servetus M I CHAEL SE RVETUS His Life an d Teac hin gs CAR L T HEOPH I LUS ODHNE R D E P R OF ES S OR OF C H U R C H HIS T ORY, A CA EM Y OF T H E N W CH C B Y AT HYN P A . UR H, R N , O n e truth fro m an e ne my is w orth m ore than a hun dred lies fro m o u r fri en ds — SE RV E T US PHI LAD ELPHIA P B . PP RESS OF J. LI INC OTT C OM PAN Y 19 10 COP R G HT 1910 BY C RL TH EOPH L S ODHNER Y I , , A I U CONT ENT S PART I . SERVETUS AND CALVIN SERVETU S IN M ODERN LITERAT URE T H E FAILURE OF TH E RE FORM ATION A GENUINE REFORM AT ION OFFERED T HROUGH S E R VETU S . THE LIFE AND WOR" OF SERVE T US T H E TRIAL A ND DEAT H OF SERVETU S THE AFTERM ATH P ART II . THE THEOLOG Y OF M IC HAEL SERVETUS SERVETU S A s A NAT URAL P HILOS OPHER TH T T E S PIRI UAL S EN S E OF S CRIP UR E . THE S PIRITUAL WORLD F T H CHA T Y AI AND RI . S I N F M TH S C M T S , REEDO , AND E A RA EN CHRI S T AND TH E TRINIT Y TH F T H TH I N T E S S E A ER , E NFI I E E TH E L G S TH SO C H S T O O , E UL OF RI TH E I NCARNATION THE G LORIFICATION TH E H OLY SPIRIT . THE M IS S ION OF S ERVETU S MI CHAEL SERVETUS H is L ife and T eac hin gs PART I . SERVET US AND CAL V I N . 1 SER E US I N M ODERN LI ERA URE . V T T T TH E recent celebrations of the four hundredth ’ anniversary of Calvin s birth have once more brought to of s public notice his treatment Michael Servetu , a the Spanish physician and reformer . C tholic and Protestant foes of Calvinism h ave gleefully pointed ’ to the auto - da-f"in Geneva as evidence of Calvin s a h as a fan ticism and cruelty ; it been pleasure, evi den tl rub of ease on e y, to the salt this into the ever open sore of the C alvinistic brethren . Th e t latter , while regretfully admit ing the one ” of great error their otherwise immaculate leader , hi have now, as ever before, endeavored to s eld his “ memory behind the barbarous age in which he ” of lived, and some his modern apologists have frankly admitted that they themselves would have as done Calvin did, had they lived in the sixteenth MI CHAEL SERVETUS di d t century . Moreover, not the Calvinists a one of sufficiently for the fault their theologian, when in the year 1 903 they erected at Geneva a mon u x iatoire ment e p to Michael Servetus, recording the “ i of ul of fact that it was ra sed by sons Calvin, f l respect and recognition of our great reformer , but condemni ng on e error which was the error of his ” ? U age nfortunately for the apologists , the fact ’ remains th at this on e error of Cal vin s was quite un ique in the whole Protestant world even in that “ ” b arbarous age . For Mich ael Servetus himself the Calvinists of - h to day h ave as little love as did Cal vin himself . T e latter burned the body of Servetus ; the former are still burning his character and teachings by repeat l ing the slanders original y invented by Calvin . Even so temperate a journal as the BIBLIOTH E CA “ SAORA is not ashamed to denounce Servetus as a persistent liar, a foul reviler, and at the best a vain a . 1 909 . dre mer ( Oct , , p Much , indeed, has been written about Servetus, yet " a little is known concerning his re l teachings . Socinians an d Unitarians h ave cl aimed him as a m a rtyr in their cause, seizing only upon his argu ments in denial of a Trinity of Persons but ignoring his sublime faith in the sole and complete Divinity Non e Of h is o k s av e i n co es o f th e o n a s w r h g pi rigi l , been an s a e n o E n an d ev en of th e e n s tr l t d i t g r pri t , s an d th e few em a n " a re a os n access b e li h , r i lm t i i l . 2 HI S LI FE AND TEACHIN GS a of Jesus Christ . The only av ilable biography of E a S T AND Servetus in the nglish l nguage , ERVE US L N U Dr. CA VI (London , is by a nitarian , R th e obert Willis, who has hardihood to assert that Servetus was an Arian wh o moreover denied the life after this " The work is worthl ess from a theological hi s point of view, but is of great value as unbiased of tory . The portrait Servetus in the present treatise is copied from the frontispiece in the work of Dr. of a in Willis . The history this portr it is given ’ Allwoerden s HI STORIA M I CH AELI S S ERVETI ' wh ere it is stated that it was origin ally drawn by a friend who visited Servetus in his prison in Geneva w as a at (p . It engr ved in copper Amsterdam F E . 1 607 . ( See the LI E OF S RVETUS by J G de Ch au if l e 1 7 7 1 . p , London, , p The most recent contribution to the literature on a Servetus is a paper by Prof . Ephr im Emerton in R TH OLOG C L R E W A l 1909 . the HA VARD E I A EVI for pri , “ This writer admits that there h as not yet appeared any one successful effort to unravel the mystery of ’ ” Servetus life an d thought . His manner of expressing hi mself is confusin g and intricate to the a so so a ow n l st degree, much th t neither in his time, n or h as on e a sa since, any quite d red to y that he u nderstood it . Prof . Emerton certainly h as not been successful in grasping even the central idea of S ervetan the theology, since he commits such gross “ errors as to m aintain th at Servetus declared that 3 MI CHAEL SERVETUS Christ was n ot consubstantial and co- eternal with ” “ God , and that like his great forerunner, Arius, he was willing to accept almost any description of the d — ivine perfections of the redeeming Christ, only he would not admit the thought of his eternal exist ence i In Germany, however, more serious and mpartial efiorts have been m ade to investigate the theological system of Michael Servetus . We refer to the volume on M CH L S R N N V ORGAN ER . I AE E VET U D SEI E G , by F 328 Trech sel 1 83 9 . (Heidelberg, , pp ) a very fair and ’ systematic study of Servetus own works : an d more especially th e three v olumes on DAS LEH RSYSTEM ’ H L SERVET Giiters MIC AE S, by the late Henri Tollin ( 1 87 6 of the loh, The latter, a pastor F e to rench Prot stant Church in Magdeburg, seems h ave devoted his whole life to the study and defense of of Servetus, writing a series not less than twenty on e f m di ferent volu es, pamphlets, and monographs , dealing with this subject . His LEH RSYSTEM is really a most remarkable work, written with a warm hearted sympathy hardly to be expected from a Lutheran theologian . It is, in fact, a complete com en dium of of p the works Servetus, consisting largely of in quotations free German rendering, with the original Latin sentences as footnotes . Tollin himself is so unsparing in his denunciation of the funda a of one mental f lsities the Old Theology , that might almost suspect him of being a secret Swedenborgi an . 4 HIS LI FE AND TEACHINGS v of There is no direct e idence, however , his having read the Writings of Swedenborg . I n the New Church the interest in Michael Ser vetus dates from the time when the late Rev . Louis of an d H . Tafel published an account Calvin Ser ” vetus in the last issue of WORDS FOR THE NE W H R C U CH ( Philadelphia, This writer, after an independent but somewhat cursory study of the of original works Servetus, came to the conclusion “ of that the latter, with the exception some minor e. and unimportant errors, as, g , his belief in the of of revolt angels and his rejection infant baptism, represents quite fully as to his general teachin g the D of New Viz . : Heavenly octrines the Jerusalem , God of in Christ, and the conjunction Faith and Charity ; and with the exceptions mentioned above, the doc trines taught by Servetus are in general agreement with those enunciated in their fulness, and with innumerable particulars, by the Lord at His Second ” Coming .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Trial of Michael Servetus – May 24, 2015 by David Green
    The Trial of Michael Servetus – May 24, 2015 by David Green I’ve met a lot of people who were very serious about their religion. I may have mentioned this guy before, but I’ll never forget the street preacher who held court every day on a busy corner at the University of Texas when I was a student there. He was big and burly, dressed head to toe in black, had a long black beard – way before long black beards were cool – and a powerful, booming voice. All the while he spoke, he waved a very thick, very large Bible. He always drew a crowd, and about lunchtime students would sit around – at a distance – just to watch. It was like street theatre. He had one consistent message: the threat of eternal damnation, and there did not seem to be anyone – any group, any passerby – he would not condemn and warn about their fate. Every so often some brave student – or foolish student, depending on your perspective – would try to engage him in a debate, which would turn into a screaming match. And on one occasion the street preacher became so enraged, he threw his Bible at a student, hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground. But he kept right on preaching. Someone called the police, the student filed an assault charge, and the street preacher was absent for several weeks. Apparently, he was confined to preaching to his fellow inmates. One thing struck me about that street preacher. As wild as he was, and as much as I might have disagreed with his theology, I was grateful we lived in a time and place where someone like him was free to share his religious views.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Servetus, His Life and Teachings
    ' i\ 'DKv iiMii'iiiaiiiiiiijy ? ttij w Ai^x '..uih'u Hi h ::i);i iiu ..; ( il'i''! liiiiiii 11 itulf ilili iihii >^'*^^=^^^;:>^ MICHAEL SERVETUS His I^ife and Teachings - T^n-' — , ^^ MICHAEL SERVETUS ^^^f His Life and Teachings BY CARI. THEOPHILUS ODHNER PROFESSOR OF CHURCH HISTORY, ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH, BRYN ATHYN, PA. " One iruth from an enemy is worth more than " a hundred lies from our friends —Servetub PHILADELPHIA PRESS OF J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 1910 COPYRIGHT. 1910. BY CARL THEOPHILUS ODHNER CONTENTS PART I. SERVETUS AND CALVIN 1. Servetus in Modern Literature 1 2. The Failure of the Reitobmation o 3. A Genuine Reformation offered through Ser- vetus 9 4. The Life and Work of Servetus 12 5. The Trial and Death of Servetus 24 6. The Aftermath 34 PART II. • THE THEOLOGY OF MICHAEL SERVETUS L Servetus as a Natural Philosopher 44 2. The Spiritual Sense of Scripture 46 3. The Spiritual World 53 4. Faith and Charity 58 5. Sin, Freedom, and The Sacraments 61 6. Christ and the Trinity 65 7. The Father. The Infinite Esse 72 8. The Logos, The Soul of Christ 75 9. The Incarnation 79 10. The Glorific.vtion 81 11. The Holy Spirit 85 12. The Mission of Servetus 88 V MICHAEL SERVETUS His Life and Teachings PART I. SERVETUS AND CALVIN. 1. SERVETUS IN MODERN LITERATURE. The recent celebrations of the four hundredth anniversary of Calvin's birth have once more brought to public notice his treatment of Michael Servetus, the Spanish physician and reformer. Catholic and Protestant foes of Calvinism have gleefully pointed to the auto-da-fe in Geneva as evidence of Calvin's fanaticism and cruelty; it has been a pleasure, evi- dently, to rub the salt of this case into the one ever open sore of the Calvinistic brethren.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Servetus, Physician and Heretic*
    MICHAEL SERVETUS, PHYSICIAN AND HERETIC* By GEORGE A. WILLIAMS, M.D. ATLANTA, GA. ICHAEL Servetus, through the tant member of the Emperor’s retinue that vagaries of fortune known also he witnessed what was to him the degrading as Michel Villeneuve, Michael spectacle of the most powerful monarch of Villanovanus, and as he once his time, at the head of twenty thousand styled himself, alias Reves, was bornveterans, at prostrating himself in the dust to MVillaneuva in the province of Aragon,kiss the foot of the Pope. No less disgusting Spain. The year of his birth is uncertain, to the youthful observer was the thriving being given by Servetus himself on occa- sale of indulgences by the clergy, an impor- sions as both 1509 and 1511, but suffice it to tant feature of every festival. Servetus was say that the tremendous force of the also present at the Diet of Augsburg where Renaissance had already begun to stir the he came into intimate contact with leaders thought of man, long stagnant in the of the Reformation, one author even mak- worship of ancient masters. At the trial ing him visit Luther in the neighboring city in Geneva he described his parents as being of Coburg. of an ancient race, living nobly, and that his It is not clear when and why Servetus father was a notary by profession. This left the service of Quintana, but he is next precludes the supposition, based largely found in Basle, corresponding on theologi- upon his spirit of tolerance, that he was of cal subjects with various Swiss Reformers.
    [Show full text]
  • Dialogues on the Doctrine of the Trinity
    DIALOGUES ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY MICHAEL SERVETUS, (1531) Servetus was a Spaniard, who became notorious for his questioning of the doctrine of the Trinity. One of the first of the “Radical Reformation,” he came into trouble with both Roman Catholics and Protestants: he was executed for heresy in Calvin’s Geneva in 1553. “If you say that you are unable to see the difference between Christ and the rest, since we all are called sons of God, my response is that if we are called sons of God by his gift and grace, being him the creator of our filiations and thus he is called Son in a more excellent manner. For this reason, the article is used and Christ is called Son of God in order to show that he is not the son in the same regard as we are, but in a very special and peculiar sense. He is the natural son: the rest are not, but they are made sons of God, and for that reason we are called sons by adoption.” (9a) “God gave us the mind so that we can know him.” (31a) “Not even a single word is found in the whole Scripture about the Trinity, nor about the persons, nor about the essence, nor about the substance’s unity, nor the nature of the various divine beings.” (32a) “Nothing can be found in the intellect if previously has not been found in the senses.” (33b) “I do not separate Christ from God more than a voice from the speaker or a beam from the sun.
    [Show full text]
  • Servetus, a Pioneer of Religious Freedom
    SSEERRVVEETTUUSS OOuurr 1166tthh CCeennttuurryy CCoonntteemmppoorraarryy A brief introduction to the life and teachings of Michael Servetus, a pioneer of religious freedom. A publication of the International Association for Religious Freedom SERVETUS Our 16th Century Contemporary ISBN (paperback) 978-0-9538172-1-4 © Copyright of the International Association for Religious Freedom 2011 (www.iarf.net). All rights reserved. Use and reproduction by religious organisations permitted, with acknowledgement. Published by and permissions from: British Chapter International Association for Religious Freedom Essex Hall, 1-6 Essex Street London WC2R 3HY, U.K. Copies available in Pounds Sterling from: General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches 1-6 Essex Street London WC2R 3HY, U.K. Tel : (0)202 740 2384 Copies available in US Dollars from: International Office Unitarian Universalist Association 25 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108 -2800 USA [email protected] The publishers wish to acknowledge the valuable sponsorship of: General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches www.unitarian.org.uk Unitarian Universalist Association (USA) www.uua.org Michael Servetus Institute Villanueva de Sijena, Huesca, Aragón, Spain www.miguelservet.org Co-Editors: Richard F. Boeke Patrick Wynne-Jones SERVETUS Our 16th Century Contemporary A brief introduction to the life and teachings of Michael Servetus, a pioneer of religious freedom. Contents Foreword Servetus : Our 16th Century Contemporary 4 Prólogo Serveto : Nuestro Contemporáneo del Siglo
    [Show full text]
  • THE DRAMA of CONSCIENCE a Three-Dimensional Analysis on Calvin‘S Responsibility for Servetus Affair
    THE DRAMA OF CONSCIENCE A Three-Dimensional Analysis On Calvin‘s Responsibility For Servetus Affair Ricky F. Njoto Abstract: The Servetus affair which happened in 1553 remains the biggest drop of black ink on John Calvin‘s white record as a reformer. This essay evaluates the degree to which Calvin can be considered as responsible in the affair from three different perspectives: (1) his ecclesiastical responsibilities as a church leader and a reformer, (2) his political responsibilities as the leader of the Genevan church, main player in the Consistory, and a responsible civilian in the sixteenth century Europe, and (3) his moral responsibilities. In the end, this essay will conclude that Calvin is responsible only because he played a role in every dimension stated above. However, there are other circumstances, individuals, and groups that need to be taken in to account as well. This means that Calvin cannot be held entirely responsible. Keywords: Calvin, Servetus, Reformation, History, Sixteenth Century Abstrak: Kasus Servetus yang terjadi di tahun 1553 masih merupakan titik hitam di atas lembar putih kehidupan Yohanes Calvin sebagai seorang bapa reformasi. Esai ini mengevaluasi seberapa jauh Calvin dapat dianggap bertanggung jawab atas kejadian tersebut melalui tiga persepktif: (1) tanggung jawab beliau sebagai seorang pemimpin gereja dan bapa reformasi, (2) tanggung jawab beliau sebagai pemimpin gereja di Geneva, pemain utama di Consistory, dan sebagai warga sipil di Eropa, dan (3) tanggung jawab beliau secara moral. Pada akhirnya, esai ini akan menyimpulkan bahwa Calvin hanya dapat dikatakan bertanggung jawab karena beliau memiliki peran di setiap dimensi 43 44 The Drama of Conscience di atas.
    [Show full text]
  • Shaker Messages from Mary Magdalene and John Calvin: Haughty Spirits, Bearing for the Dead, and the Problem of History
    American Communal Societies Quarterly Volume 3 Number 4 Pages 173-186 October 2009 Shaker Messages from Mary Magdalene and John Calvin: Haughty Spirits, Bearing for the Dead, and the Problem of History Jane F. Crosthwaite Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.hamilton.edu/acsq Part of the American Studies Commons This work is made available by Hamilton College for educational and research purposes under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. For more information, visit http://digitalcommons.hamilton.edu/about.html or contact [email protected]. Shaker Messages from Mary Magdalene and John Calvin: Haughty Spirits, Bearing for the Dead, and the Problem of History Cover Page Footnote Earlier versions of this paper were delivered at the American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, Texas, Women and Religion session in 2004 and at the Shaker Seminar at Canterbury, New Hampshire, in July 2009. This articles and features is available in American Communal Societies Quarterly: https://digitalcommons.hamilton.edu/acsq/vol3/iss4/6 Crosthwaite: Shaker Messages from Mary Magdalene and John Calvin Shaker Messages from Mary Magdalene and John Calvin: Haughty Spirits, Bearing for the Dead, and the Problem of History1 By Jane F. Crosthwaite Among the pleasures and puzzles of the Era of Manifestations are the many messages that Shaker instruments received from personages long dead. The responsibility and perhaps temptation of the scholar is to decode these messages, to analyze the intention of the instrument, the value of the message, and the utility of the experience for the larger Shaker enterprise. I have chosen two messages to examine; although they are rather dissimilar — one being a life story from Mary Magdalene and the other a confession from John Calvin — they do have several features in common.
    [Show full text]
  • The Servetus Controversy
    The Servetus Controversy The execution of Servetus in Geneva has long caused discussion among scholars and lay people alike. Assessments range from an awareness of historical circumstances that made it difficult for the Genevans to come to a different verdict, to criticism and outrage at John Calvin for his perceived role in Servetus' death. The penal death of Servetus was an historical event resulting from deeply­held theological, social, and political views which to 21 st century sensibilities may seem extreme or at best strange. It is true that Calvin and his fellow pastors in Geneva were involved in the death of Servetus. However, it would be difficult to find any church leader in the 16 th century who advocated a more gentle approach. Luther called for attacks on German peasants and wrote an angry tract against the Jews, called ‘On the Jews and their Lies'. Zwingli, the Reformer of Zurich, supported the execution by drowning of the Anabaptist leader, Felix Manz. Sir Thomas More, England 's Catholic Lord Chancellor, presided over the execution of those he viewed as “heretics” in England during the reign of Henry the VIII. Each country of Europe in the sixteenth century felt that defending its religious views involved taking strong measures against those who disagreed. Toleration and acceptance of doctrinal differences were simply not sixteenth­century concepts. Even a cursory reading of Servetus indicates that he was a “Renaissance man” of many interests. Also, it is very evident that he did not accept orthodox Trinitarian doctrine, or the writings of John Calvin. According to Sergio Opi, “ Servetus studied the Holy Scriptures, and as he stated in this first treatise, he did not find any reference to the word Trinity.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Seventh-Day Adventist Views on Calvin and Calvinism
    Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 20/1-2 (2009):192-207. Article copyright © 2009 by Julius Nam. Early Seventh-day Adventist Views on Calvin and Calvinism Julius Nam School of Religion Loma Linda University Over the course of their history, Seventh-day Adventists have repeatedly acknowledged their debt to the Protestant Reformation. Nowhere else is this acknowledgment more clearly made than in Ellen G. White’s Great Controversy.1 In that work, White weaves together a narrative centering on how God’s truth had been preserved and passed down throughout the history of Western Christianity. Prominent in that narrative are the stories of the precursors and major leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Nowhere is the close connection that Adventists feel toward the reformers more clearly expressed than in the 1957 book, Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, which portrays Adventism as a continuation of “the noble line of witnesses such as [John] Wycliffe, [Martin] Luther, [William] Tyndale, [John] Calvin, [John] Knox, [John] Wesley, and other great leaders of the past.”2 Although Adventists have seen their roots in the Reformation, not all of the reformers have received equal attention. As a case in point, out of the ten chapters allotted to the Reformation period in Great Controversy, Luther’s story is told in four chapters, while one chapter is given to 1 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1911). 2 Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1957), 9. 192 NAM: EARLY ADVENTIST VIEWS ON CALVIN AND CALVINISM Wycliffe and Ulrich Zwingli each.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Servetus 1511-1553 Worship Material for A
    MICHAEL SERVETUS 1511-1553 WORSHIP MATERIAL FOR A QUINCENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Compiled by the Rev. Cliff Reed The worship material below is in addition to the Worship Pack - available on the GA web site, and in hard copy from Unitarian Headquarters. (Note: Unless otherwise stated, all material is by Cliff Reed) Contents: 1. Words for Worship 2. Hymns 3. Bible Readings 4. Other Readings 5. Readings and other extracts from, ‘The Restoration of Christianity’ 6. Aspects of Servetus: Some Reflections 7. Sources 1. WORDS FOR WORSHIP Items marked * were previously published in, ‘A Martyr Soul Remembered’. Some were used during the ICUU commemoration of the 450th Anniversary of the Death of Michael Servetus, held in Geneva, 24th-27th October 2003. CHALICE-LIGHTINGS & OPENING WORDS PRIMAL LIGHT* We kindle this light, symbol of the essential and primal light that shone forth from the person of Jesus and those of all true messengers, to flood our souls with God. FLAME OF THE SPIRIT* Flame of the Spirit, blazing in the wind of Pentecost. Flame of the martyrs’ witness, blowing in the gales of history. Flame of our liberal faith, rising from the crescent earth to celebrate our blue planet and its web of life. Chalice of humanity, calling all to share God’s grace and bounty with justice and equality. Chalice of the common cup, welcoming without condition all who come to worship in goodwill. Chalice of our world community, from which we drink the wine of love to make us one in freedom. THE FIERY SPIRIT Based on words by Michael Servetus We kindle this flame to renew the fiery spirit in ourselves, for “God is in the fire and God is the fire”, warming us, guiding us, and turning our inner shadows into light.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Servetus 1511 – 1553
    Michael Servetus 1511 – 1553 A worship resource to mark the 500th Anniversary of the birth of Michael Servetus To kill a man is not to protect a doctrine, but it is to kill a man. Compiled by Reverend Cliff Reed (and edited by the Worship Panel) Published by the Worship Panel of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches MICHAEL SERVETUS (1511-1553) A QUINCENTENARY SERVICE Compiled by the Rev. Cliff Reed CHALICE-LIGHTING: THE CREATOR’S LIGHT….based on words by Michael Servetus “There is no creature that does not reflect the Creator, and in which the Creator’s light does not shine.” We kindle this flame as a symbol of the Divine Light in ourselves and in all Creation. OPENING WORDS: SHADOW AND TRUTH….based on words by Michael Servetus “There is among us a new and heavenly kingdom.” In our worship and our fellowship let us dispel the shadow that conceals it – and realise its truth. INTRODUCTION: If you travel to the small Spanish town of Villanueva de Sijena, about sixty miles north of Zaragoza, you will find a statue in front of the modest parish church portraying a seated, scholarly-looking and bearded man. Some local worthy, you might think – a distinguished mayor or local politician, perhaps. Well, he was a ‘local worthy’, I suppose; someone in whom his home town and his country now take great pride, but he lived most of his life abroad and died a brutal death in a foreign city. Miguel Serveto Conesa, alias Reves, was born into a respectably orthodox Roman Catholic family in Villanueva in 1511 and baptised in the local parish church.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historical Timeline of Unitarian Universalism
    iver T n Un salism he meline ria H Ti o ita A scientist from England, Joseph Priestly is l f Un established the first American Unitarian Church to a in Pennsylvania in 1796. Unlike the Calvinist Jesus of Nazareth ric Christains, Unitarians believed that God was In the 1920s, Humanism influenced taught that we loving (not judging), the Bible was written American liberal religion. Humanists rejected should love by men (not God) and that human beings the concept of God as creator and ruler of the everybody – were born good (not sinful) and universe. They believed everybody must work our neighbors The roots of Universalism reach could choose good or evil together to make the world a better place and our enemies. back to an Egyptian named actions. because there is no God who will do it for us. Origen, in the 3rd century. Others believed that God In the 1820s, favored only some people, but Unitarian Christianity Origen taught that God loves John Murry brought became a new American religion everybody. Universalism toAmerica under the leadership of William During World from England. The first Ellery Channing and others. War II, the Unitarian Universalist church in Service Committee (USC) America was formed in helped people escape the Massachusetts, in 1779. A generation later, Transcendentalists like Nazis who were killing people Universalist beliefs in a Theodore Parker, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and they didn’t like. An artist loving God and universal Margaret Fuller believed that direct experience designed the flaming salvation spread under of nature and the world can teach us about God and chalice symbol to the leadership of Hosea that everybody has a spark of represent the USC.
    [Show full text]