Chapter 29: The Waldensians. The Waldensians were the most significant kingdom movement of the Middle Ages. This movement began around 1170 in the bustling medieval city of Lyon, France. Here lived a wealthy merchant named Waldesius. He enjoyed his wealth and loved to be able to move within the power circles of his city. He was a good Catholic, attending Mass each week. But one day after Mass, Waldesius came upon a minstrel singing a ballad about a fourth-century Christian named Alexis.
Alexis was the son of a wealthy Roman senator, and he was a rich, spoiled pagan. However, on the day Alexis was supposed to be married, Christ suddenly broke through to him. Touched to his very soul by his conversion, Alexis left everything—his family, his wealth, and his intended bride. With little but the clothes on his back, he journeyed across Europe to Syria. There he spent most of his life praying and fasting, serving others, and sharing the love of Jesus.
He endured poverty and great suffering for the cause of Christ. Years later, his health broken and his body disfigured, Alexis returned to Rome. However, Alexis' family and friends didn't recognize him, as he appeared to be just some bedraggled beggar. So Alexis decided to keep his identity a secret. He accepted a menial job from his father, who didn't recognize him, and he lived in a tiny room under his family's staircase. He lived that way for 17 years, trying to serve others in the spirit of Christ.
When Alexis died, his family found his diary among his few possessions, and then they realized who he really was. Waldesius was greatly moved by this story, and it triggered a spiritual crisis within him. Troubled in conscience, Waldesius went to a local priest for counsel. He poured his soul out, and the priest listened intently. After several hours of earnest discussion, the priest got the Bible and read to Waldesius chapter 19 of Matthew about the rich young ruler.
"If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me." Those words resounded in Waldesius' ears as he went home. His wealth was no longer a source of happiness to him. In fact, it seemed like a heavy chain around his neck. In a moment of joy and spiritual delight, Waldesius suddenly decided to throw off the heavy chain of wealth. He would be a disciple of Christ. He would enjoy the delights of heavenly treasure.
First, Waldesius used some of his wealth to have parts of the New Testament translated into the common vernacular spoken around Lyon. Then, armed with the scriptures, he gave all of his remaining possessions to the needy. "Citizens and friends," Waldesius told the people of Lyon as he gave away his goods, "I am not out of my mind, as you may think. I am freeing myself from the things that were oppressing me, for they made me a lover of money more than a lover of God.
This act I am doing both for myself and for you, for myself, so that if ever again I possess anything, you may indeed call me a fool, for you in order that you too may be led to put your hope in God and not in riches." Waldesius went about the city of Lyon, preaching the simple gospel of the kingdom to everyone. His earnestness and example of faith touched many lives. Soon, a small group of like-minded believers gathered with him. They called themselves the Poor in Spirit.
They wanted to take every aspect of Jesus' teaching literally and seriously. They decided to taste the joy of true, uncompromising discipleship for themselves. The kingdom of God had reached Lyon, and it was turning the city upside down. Waldesius and his disciples had no desire or vision to form a new church. In fact, they had no desire to even challenge or attack the Catholic Church. They simply wanted to live out authentic Christianity within the folds of the Catholic Church and to share their joy with others.
They taught no new doctrines, but simply preached the same message that Jesus had preached. Although some wealthy persons and some intellectuals joined the Poor in Spirit, their membership came predominantly from the poor. The Poor in Spirit easily could have become a spiritual society within the Catholic Church if it hadn't been for a couple of their convictions. First of all, they didn't seek the permission of the Church for what they were doing.
Secondly, they had no intention of hibernating in monastic seclusion. They wished to remain citizens of Lyon, taking their message to the churches, public squares, and marketplaces. One of Waldesius' early disciples wrote, "The decision we have taken is this: to maintain until our death, faith in God and in the Church's sacraments. We have decided to preach freely, according to the grace given to us by God.
This we will not cease to do for any cause." Belittling the doctrines of the Church or challenging its authority were the furthest things from the minds of the Poor in Spirit. In fact, they were encouraging their hearers to attend church more faithfully. How could the Church possibly object to what they were doing? However, before long, Waldesius and the Poor in Spirit were awakened from their spiritual naivete. The Catholic Church had no objections to the lifestyle of the Poor in Spirit.
The Church viewed them as simply following the way of the perfect. It was a good thing, but not necessary. And the Church had no objections to their doctrines because they essentially had none. However, the Archbishop was not comfortable with the fact that the Poor in Spirit, untrained at any university and not ordained by the Church, were out preaching on the streets. Ever since the time of Constantine, the Church had tried to maintain a monopoly on preaching.
As we discussed earlier, one of the characteristics of the hybrid was its belief that only those licensed by the institutional Church could safely preach the gospel. So the Archbishop ordered Waldesius to appear before him. He then demanded that Waldesius and the Poor in Spirit quit preaching. Sternly reprimanding Waldesius, the Archbishop told him that preaching belonged only to the clergy. The spiritual lives of thousands now hung in the balance.
Waldesius could have played the part of a good Catholic and said, "Yes, Your Holiness, whatever you direct." He and the Poor in Spirit could have continued to live the kingdom lifestyle under the authority of the Church, and they undoubtedly would have continued to attract new disciples. But Waldesius would not agree to quit preaching.
Instead, to the utter shock of the Archbishop, Waldesius looked him squarely in the eye and fiercely replied, "On the contrary, preaching belongs to everyone who chooses to truly live like the apostles of Jesus." Needless to say, Waldesius had raised the ire of the Archbishop and had put himself in a very dangerous position. But Waldesius still had naive confidence in the Catholic Church. The Third Lateran Council was meeting in Rome at that time.
So Waldesius and some of the Poor in Spirit journeyed to Rome to present their case to the Pope himself. The Pope received them cordially and expressed approval of their scriptural translation. He even liked their vision. But he told them that any decision about preaching would have to be made by their local bishop. One of the delegates at the council decided he would find out just how qualified these Poor in Spirit were to preach to others. He was a Haughty Monk from England, named Walter Map.
Map called for the Poor in Spirit to appear in front of him and a number of the other delegates. He then asked them, "Tell me, do you believe in God the Father?" "We do," the Poor in Spirit answered. "And in the Son?" "We do." "And in the Holy Spirit?" "We do." "And in the Mother of Christ?" "We do." At this last answer, the council delegates roared with laughter. Waldesius and the others were baffled at what they had said wrong. To a chorus of derision, the Poor in Spirit were dismissed from the council.
The monk, Walter Map, reported, "At this last response, a roar of derision went up and they withdrew, confused. And rightly so, because they had no one to guide them. And yet these same people expect to lead others." What had they done wrong? Hundreds of years before, the Council of Ephesus had given Mary the title, Mother of God. So for them to say they believed in the Mother of Christ showed they were theologically uneducated.
But the scriptures never referred to Mary as the Mother of God, and the Poor in Spirit were people of the scriptures. All they knew was the simple gospel of the kingdom, and that was all they needed to know. When Waldesius and his fellow Christians returned to Lyon, they continued to preach publicly as they had done before. They went out of their way to explain to the local church authorities that they were not heretics with some kind of new doctrine.
Waldesius even agreed to sign a declaration of adherence to the Catholic faith that had been presented to him by a papal representative. In fact, Waldesius made only one handwritten notation on the papal declaration of faith. His notes stated that his call to a life of poverty came as an act of obedience to Jesus Christ, not as an act of perfection on behalf of the Church.
Nevertheless, the church authorities once more commanded Waldesius and the Poor in Spirit to appear before them, and the clergy again firmly ordered them not to preach anymore.
In reply, Waldesius quoted by memory the words of Peter to the authorities, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." The clergy were furious, and they had the civil authorities permanently banish Waldesius and the Poor in Spirit from Lyon. However, this did not dampen the zeal of these kingdom preachers in the least. Like the apostles, they rejoiced to be persecuted in the name of Christ.
So they now traveled throughout southern France, preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the streets and markets. They wrote tracts and organized public debates, and they still spoke favorably of the Catholic Church. Before long, the Waldensians, as the church now called them, met some of the disciples of the two kingdom preachers we have previously discussed, Pierre de Bruys and Henry of Lausanne. Waldesius could plainly see that these other Christians were obviously not heretics.
Yet these other Christians voiced strong criticisms of the Roman Church. They attacked Rome for its worldliness, its wealth, and its acquisition of worldly power. They pointed out how veneration of images and prayers for the dead were unscriptural. This was all new to Waldesius and his disciples. Yet, as sincere Bible students, they pored over the scriptures, and they soon realized that these criticisms were correct. So now they, too, began to speak out against the errors and sins of the Church.
The Catholic Church was quick with its response. In 1184, the Council of Verona condemned the Waldensians as dangerous schismatics, but not heretics. The same Walter Map, who had belittled them with his trick questions, apparently had a hand in this. He wrote, "These people have no settled dwellings, but go around two by two, barefoot and dressed in wool tunics. They own nothing, sharing everything in common, after the manner of the apostles. Naked, they follow a naked Christ.
Their beginnings are humbled to the extreme, but they have not yet much of a following. However, if we should leave them to their devices, they will end up turning all of us out." Once again, people were afraid that the meek and lowly would turn the world upside down. Finally, in 1190, the Church condemned the Waldensians as heretics, making them subject to ruthless suppression and death. Undaunted, Waldesius and his disciples continued to travel across southern France.
Later, they crossed the Alps into Lombardy in northern Italy. Here they encountered the followers of Arnold of Brescia, another kingdom preacher we've previously talked about. The insights of these Italian Christians, known as the Lombard Poor, helped the Waldensians to see that the Church should have no involvement with the state. In turn, the spirit and zeal of the Waldensians proved to be a refreshing stimulant to the Lombard Poor, so they agreed to join the Waldensians.
The Waldensians brought to this combined movement a strong evangelistic zeal. In turn, the Lombard Poor brought to the movement the stability of community. Together, they were quite a revolutionary force to be reckoned with. But this was an army without any weapons except the Word of God. Together, they were ready to turn the world upside down. Shortly after these two movements joined forces, Waldesius died.
However, the movement continued on, for these people were not followers of Waldesius; they were followers of Jesus. After the death of Waldesius, the Waldensians gave further reflection about who they were and what the purpose of their movement was. They could see that the Catholic Church had gone wrong, but when? Studying church history, the Waldensians correctly saw that the turning point had happened in the days of Constantine.
The Waldensians realized that the history of the Church could be divided into two periods: the period of the faithful witness, the pre-Constantine Church, and the period of betrayal, the period that began with Constantine. Did this mean that all faithful subjects of the kingdom had disappeared with Constantine? The Waldensians said no. They believed that the poison of the Constantine hybrid had not necessarily reached down into each member of the body of Christ.
A faithful remnant had always persevered, down to their very day. The lights of the kingdom had been dimmed, but never extinguished. The Waldensians came to a clear understanding of the nature of the two kingdoms. They could give their ultimate allegiance to the kingdoms of this world, or they could give it to the kingdom of God. But they could not give it to both, so they chose to give it to the kingdom of God. The Waldensians held no complicated theological beliefs.
Their belief system was basically the gospel of the kingdom. Knowing thoroughly the teachings of Jesus, they taught that we humans are capable of making choices, and we are responsible for the choices we make. We each must make the decision to live by the teachings of Christ, and then be faithful to that decision. No one can be a true Christian, they said, if he has not truly surrendered his life to the Lordship of Christ.
They accurately saw that Jesus' teachings were revolutionary and that they were intended to be lived literally. So they taught against the accumulation of wealth. They also taught against using the sword for either self-defense or war. In obedience to the words of Jesus, the Waldensians refused to take oaths, even though oaths were a central pillar of medieval society. Furthermore, they held to Jesus' high standard of honesty, and they became quite well known for their honesty.
So much so that one poor Catholic man, who was wrongfully accused of being a Waldensian, told his inquisitors, "I'm not who you think I am. I lie. I'm a good Catholic." One Waldensian tract said this about true Christianity: "Many are the false Christians blinded with error, who persecute and hate those who are good, and let those live quietly who are false deceivers. But by this we may know that they are not good shepherds, for they love not the sheep, but only the wool.
Scripture says, and we know it to be true, that if anyone is good, loving Jesus Christ, that person will neither curse, nor swear, nor lie, will neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor steal, nor be avenged over the enemy. This I dare say, and it is very true, that all the popes from Sylvester on, the cardinals, bishops, abbots, and the like, have no power to absolve or pardon any creature so much as one mortal sin. It is God alone who pardons, and no other.
This is what pastors ought to do: preach to the people and pray with them, and feed them with teaching from on high." The Waldensians were ardent students of the Bible, and over time they eliminated virtually all aspects of the Catholic faith that could not be found in the New Testament.
Although they had started out as good Catholics, they eventually taught against such unscriptural practices and doctrines as purgatory, masses for the dead, intercessions of Mary and the saints, veneration and worship of images and crosses, and the supposed sacerdotal power of priests. Although hounded by the papal authorities, and knowing that torture and death awaited them if they were caught, Waldensian evangelists took their simple kingdom message all throughout Europe.
Jesus had forbidden his followers from calling anyone by the title of Father. So the Waldensians simply called their itinerant preachers by the name Barba, meaning uncle. Their barbas normally traveled two by two throughout Europe, usually a younger man teamed up with an older barba to learn discipleship firsthand as they traveled together. Often the Waldensian barbas were disguised as traveling merchants to escape the church authorities.
For nearly four centuries, the Waldensians had lived like hunted animals, never knowing when the armies of the Church would descend upon them. Various Waldensian communities were obliterated by the sword. One of their last strongholds was in the Piedmont Valley, nestled in the Alps along the border of France and Italy. In 1488 and 1489, only thirty years before the Reformation, the pope's crusaders descended on Waldensian settlements in the Alps with unspeakable cruelty.
The holy Catholic crusaders butchered any Waldensians they could find. They disemboweled parents and then dashed the heads of their children against rocks. They marched fathers to their deaths with the severed heads of their children tied around their necks. Church historian J. A. Wylie writes, "These cruelties form a scene that is unparalleled and unique in the history of civilized countries.
There have been tragedies in which more blood was spilled, and more life sacrificed, but none in which the actors were so completely dehumanized, and the forms of suffering so monstrously disgusting, so unutterably cruel and revolting, the Piedmont Massacres in this respect stand alone." By the early 1500s, most of the Waldensian believers had been butchered. Yet, the movement survived these horrible persecutions, although only in limited areas. Still, the Waldensians weren't about to quit.
The surviving communities immediately began printing tracts, making use of that marvelous new invention, the printing press.