Going through these pictures and thinking about all the important events that happened here makes me wish I was more of a historian, makes me want to read more to understand. Being there made it even easier on the imagination. But here's a little traveler's tip I just thought of: Walking on Oxford's cobblestone streets is kind of painful and difficult in flats. You should wear sturdier shoes than I did if you ever visit.
I loved that.
above the altar
All Soul's College from the tower
In 1555 St. Mary's Church was the scene of the trial of Bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. Queen Mary had them arrested for heresy, and they were examined by the Lord's Commissioner of Oxford's Divinity School. Ridley refused to acknowledge the Pope as the head of the Church.
"Therefore Christ said unto Peter that upon this rock,
that is, upon this confession, that he was Christ the Son of God,
he would build his church; to declare that without this faith no man
may come to Christ: so that this belief, that Christ is the Son of God,
is the foundation of our Christianity, and the foundation of our church."
from Foxe's Book of Martyrs
They were sentenced to death by burning, and it's a terrible thing to read a description of, but their faith was amazing. They were taken outside the city to be burned, but today the spot is marked on what is now Broad Street.
The night before his death Ridley observed his hostess weeping and said, "Though my breakfast be somewhat sharp and painful, yet I am sure my supper shall be most pleasant and sweet." And then there are Latimer's famous, faith-filled words:
"Be of good comfort, Mr. Ridley, and play the man:
we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England,
as I trust shall never be put out."
There is also a monument with statues of Latimer, Ridley, and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.
I'll leave you with the words on the monument, which I loved:
To the glory of God, and in grateful commemoration of His servants,
Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, Prelates of the Church of England,
who near this spot yielded their bodies to be burned,
bearing witness to the sacred truths which they had affirmed and maintained
against the errors of the Church of Rome, and rejoicing that to them it was
given not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for His sake...
No comments:
Post a Comment