# Of The Conversion Of Peter Waldo, And The Rise Of The Waldenses, Etc.

12th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: OF THE CONVERSION OF PETER WALDO, AND THE RISE OF THE WALDENSES, ETC.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

M. Matthias Flaccius Illyricus (in his Catalog.
Tesitum Veritatis, between fol. 263, and fol. 277,
265
according to Jac. Mehrning in Bapt. Hist., page
601), writes: “About A. D. 1160, several of the
principal citizens of Lyons were together, conversing
on various matters, as is customary in the summer
season, in Italy and France. As they were thus
standing together, one of them suddenly fell down
to the ground and expired, before their eyes.

“This awful occurrence, an example of the mortality
of man, and of the divine wrath, terrified one
of their number, namely, Peter Waldo, a man who
was very wealthy. He began to reflect and resolved
(Impelled, no doubt, by the Holy Spirit), to repent,
amend his life, and be more diligent in the fear of
God than he had hitherto been. He therefore began
to distribute alms liberally, and at convenient seasons,
to put his household and others who came to
him, in mind of the good, and to admonish them to
repentance and true godliness.

“When he had thus for some time, done much
good to the poor, and was becoming the longer the
more zealous to learn, as well as to teach others, the
people also came to him more and more; he therefore
began to present to them, not his own ideas,
but the holy Scriptures, and to expound and explain
the same in the common French language.

“But the bishop and the prelates, who, as Christ
says, have the key of heaven, and yet do not go in
themselves, nor will suffer others to enter, were
greatly vexed that this (in their opinion) unlearned
and common man, should bring the holy Scriptures
into the vernacular language, and expound the
same, and that already great numbers came into his
house, whom he instructed and admonished.

“However, he was greatly in earnest, to promote
both the honor of God and the salvation of men;
and the people were so eager for the word of God,
which, in the churches, was not preached pure, nor
publicly, that they could not be turned away by the
command of these papistic Pharisees and highpriests;
hence, both the teacher and those taught said, that
one ought to obey God rather than men.

“Waldo therefore resolved, notwithstanding the
commands of the wicked, to sustain the hungry
Christians not only with his temporal living, which,
owing to the liberal distribution, decreased day by
day, but also with the word of God, and good instructions
and admonitions; and since the prelates,
by tyranny and unchristian decrees, sought to suppress
and exterminate the simple and true preaching
of the word of God, sufficient reason was thus given
to Waldo and his adherents, to inquire the more
diligently into the religion and intentions of the
priests, and to speak the more boldly against them.

“The contest with the priests becoming the longer
the more violent, more confusions and superstitions
were discovered in the papistic religion, and attacked.
At this time Waldo also read, in the vernacular,
certain testimonies from the writings of the
fathers, with which he defended his own not only
with the holy Scriptures, but also with the testimonies
of the ancients, against the enemies of the
truth.

“When the bishop with his papistic Pharisees and
scribes saw with what constancy Waldo and his adherents
taught the word of God, and were pained,
that their own infamy, ignorance, and fickleness in
doctrine, and other absurdities, were attacked by
Waldo and his followers, they excommunicated
them one and all. Not long afterwards, perceiving
that also by excommunication they could not be deterred
from their purpose, they relegated them into
misery, persecuted them with imprisonment, the
sword, and fire, and treated them very atrociously,
in order that they might be compelled, on account
of the existing distress and danger, to remove from
Lyons and disperse into various countries.

“It is presumable, that the congregations of
Waldo, or some of them, whom he taught at Lyons,
were there for four or five years, until they were
utterly driven away from that city; for Waldo was
a man of powerful abilities, and is said to have had
many relatives, and, hence, could not be checked
or suppressed in a trice; besides, he did not immediately,
at the beginning, attack the priests of the
Pope.

“Finally, these godly people were proceeded
against with great fury, throughout Christendom;
they were sent hither and thither by the inquisitors;
for which we have to thank those atrocious wolves
that go about in sheep’s clothing, and call themselves
monks.” Bapt. Hist., pages 601–4, from Matt.
Flacc.

Claude de Rubis relates, that Waldo and his followers
were completely expelled from Lyons; while
Albert de Capitaneis says, that they could not be
expelled entirely. We have not been able to ascertain
anything further about this first persecution,
save that the Waldenses, so called after Waldo, after
escaping from Lyons, followed him, and then dispersed,
in different bands, into various countries.
Balthas. Lydius, History of the Waldenses, printed
at Dortrecht, 1624, 1st book of the first part, cap. 1,
Page 3, col. 1, from Claud. de Rub. Hist., p. 269.
Albert de Cap., book of the origin of the Waldenses,
page 1.

Note.—Peter Blesensus, a learned man, well
known by his writings, taught, A. D. 1167, that
Rome was the true Babylon of which John has
prophesied; that the officials of the Roman court
were genuine harpies, and the priests, true calves
of Bethel, priests of Baal, Egyptian idols, and that
at Rome everything could be had for money. Chron.
van den Onderg., page 479, col. 1, from Merula,
fol. 767.

About A. D. 1170.—For the year 1160, we gave
an account of Peter Waldo and his conversion, as
well as of his having brought many who sat in the
darkness of popery, to the light of the holy Gospel.
It is stated of these people, that in doctrine, faith,
and life they were like the Apostolics, of whom we
made mention for the year 1155, and stated, that
they were opposed to infant baptism, purgatory, etc.
The rise of these people, called Waldenses and Albigenses,
is fixed about A. D. 1170, that is, ten years
after Peter Waldo began to teach them; which matters
shall hereafter be treated more fully and circumstantially.
Compare Bapt. Hist., page 599, with
Nietigh., page 85; also, Introduction to the Martyrs
Mirror, fol. 50, col. 1, 2, (although the principal
266
rising of said people is there fixed A. D. 1176)
from Bar. in Chron., A. D. 1176, num. 1, 2, 3.

Note.—It appears from several ancient writers,
that the Waldenses, or, at least, people who held
the same belief, existed long before the year 1170,
yea, before 1160; seeing that already in the year
1160 they had increased to such an extent, that
they were summoned to Rome before a synod, and
were condemned there as obstinate heretics. Johan.
de Oppido. The same occurred A. D. 1164, in the
synod of Tours, Bapt. Hist., p. 676. Hence, when
their beginning is fixed A. D. 1170, this must not
be understood of their origin, but of their rising,
progress, and greatest prosperity.





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