All of William Jones 1812 Waldenses history is found at this Website
History of Christian Church by William Jones 1812, Chapter 5, Section 2The enemies of Waldenses, while they stigmatize them as heretics, and think of no cruelties too horrid to be inflicted upon them, on account of their opposition to the whole system of the Papal hierarchy are, nevertheless,
constrained by the force of truth, to bear the most honorable testimony to
the integrity, uprightness, which so conspicuously characterized this
denomination of Christians. In proof of this, let us attend to the testimony
of their adversaries.
1. Reinerius Saccho, who lived about the year 1250, acknowledged that in Lombardy, France, where he himself resided. For 17 years of the earlier part of his life, in some way or other, connected with the Waldenses; but he apostized from their profession, entered the Catholic Church, was raised in it to the dignified station as an Inquisitor, and became one of their Most Cruel Persecutors and Enemies. Reninerius admits that the Waldenses flourished 500 years before Peter Waldo, who preached about the year 1160. He was deputed by the Pope to reside in Lombardy, in the south of France, published a catalogue of the errors of the Waldenses. (Dr.Allix the Waldenses, historian. Dr. Allix's Remarks upon the Churches of Piedmont, P 188-191). The following is a faithful translation.Reinerius says, "Their first error, is a contempt of ecclesiastical power, and from whence they have been delivered up to Satan of the heretics of old with their own inventions. And being cast out of the Catholic Church, they affirm that They Alone are the Church of Christ and his disciples. They declared themselves to Apostles' Successors, to have apostolical
authority, and the keys of binding and loosing. They hold the church of
Rome to be the Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17) and that all that obey her
are Damned, especially the clergy that have been subject to her since the
time of Pope Sylvester." [This pontiff was bishop of Rome in the days of
Constantine the Great, about the year 330-395]
"These heretics are known by their manners and conversation, for they are orderly and modest in their behavior and deportment. They avoid all appearance of pride in their Dress; they neither indulge in finery of attire,
nor are they remarkable for being mean or ragged. They avoid commerce, that they may be free from deceit and falsehood. They are not anxious about amassing riches, but content themselves with the necessaries of life. They are chaste, temperate, and sober. They abstain from anger. In like manner also, their women are very modest, avoiding backbiting, foolish jesting, and levity of speech, especially abstaining from lies or swearing." [Allix's remarks, P. 235]
They deny that any true miracles are wrought in the church, because NONE of themselves ever worked any. They hold, that none of the ordinances of the church, which have been introduced, since Christ's ascension, ought to be observed, as being of no value. The feasts, fasts, orders, blessings, offices of the church, they utterly rejected. They speak against consecrating churches, church-yards, and other things of the like nature, declaring that it was invention of covetous priests, to augment their own gains, in spunging the people by those means of THEIR money and oblations.They say, that a man is then first baptized when he is received into their community; some of them hold that baptism is of NO advantage to Infants,
because they cannot actually believe. They say the bishops, clergy, and
other religious orders are no better than the Scribes and Pharisees, and
other persecutors of the Apostles.
They do not believe the body and blood of Christ to be true sacrament, but only blessed bread, which by a figure only is called the "boldly of Christ." Some of them hold that this sacrament can only be celebrated by those that are good, others again by any that know the words of consecration. This sacrament they celebrate in their assemblies, repeating the words of the gospel at their table, and participating together, in imitation of Christ's supper. They hold it to be an Unpardonable sin to betray an heretic, yea the very Sin against the Holy Ghost.According to them, there is NO purgatory, and all that die, immediately pass either into heaven or hell. That, therefore, the prayers of the church for the dead are of NO use, because those that are in heaven do NOT want them, nor can those that are in hell be relieved by them. And from thence they infer, that all offerings made for the dead are only of use to the clergymen that eat them, and NOT to the deceased, who are incapable of being profited by them. They hold, that the saints in heaven do NOT hear the prayers of the faithful, nor regard the honors, which are done to them, because their bodies lie death beneath, and their spirits are so great a distance from us in heaven, that they can either hear our prayers or see the honors, which we pay them. They add the Saints do NOT pray for us, and that they therefore, we are not to entreat their intercession, because, being swallowed up with heavenly JOY, they can not attend to us, nor indeed to anything else. Hence they deride all the festivals which we celebrate in honor of the saints, and all other instances of our veneration for them. They do NOT observe Lent, or other fasts of the church, alleging that God does NOT delight in afflictions of his friends, as being able to save without them.In like manner, they select the choices saying and authorities of the holy fathers, such as Augustine, Jerome, Greogry, Chrysostom, and Isidor, that with them may support their opinions, oppose others, or the more easily seduce the simple, by varnishing over their sacrilegious doctrine with good sentences of the saints. Such as teachable and eloquent among them, they instructed to get the words of the gospel, as well as the saying of the Apostles, and other holy men by heart, that they may be able to inform others, and draw in believers, beautifying their sect with the goodly words of the saints, that the things they persuade and recommend may pass for sound and wholesome doctrine by their soft speeches deceiving the heart of the simple. And NOT only men, but even their Women also Teach. They say it is sufficient for their salvation if they confess to God, and not to man.***** Such is the view which Reinerius gave of the principles of the
Waldenses, about 80 years subsequent to the times of the Peter Waldo; and we must understand this description as applicable to one general class of Christians, scattered throughout the south of France, the valleys of the
Pyrenean mountains, the valleys of Piedmont, and the country of Milanese;
though probably distinguished in different places by the different names of
Puritans, or Catharists, Paterines, Arnoldists, Leonists, Albigenses, or
Waldenses, the last of which ultimately became their more general
appellation.
No Doubt there were shades of difference in sentiment among them on points of minor importance, even as there are among Christians in the present day; it is very certain that the Catholic writers sometimes classed under the general name of Waldenses or Albigenses, persons whose theological sentiments are religious practices were very opposite to those which were professed by the followers of Peter Waldo. The Waldenses and Albigenses were TWO branches of the SAME sect, inhabiting different countries, each deriving its appellation from its local residence.Quoting the words of Guy de Perpignan, bishop of Elna, in Roussillon, who exercised the office of inquisitor against the Waldenses, he informs us that, their fixed opinions are said to be these that the Church of Rome, because she hath renounced the true faith of Christ, is the Whore of Babylon, and that barren tree which Christ himself has cursed and commanded to be rooted up; we must by no means OBEY the pope and the bishops who cherish his errors; that monastic life is the Sink of the church, and a Hellish institution, the Vows are vain, and subservient only to the filthy love of boys.The order of the presbytery are the marks of the great beast mentioned in the Book of Revelation---the fire of purgatory, the sacrifice of the Mass, the feast of the dedications of churches, the worship of Saints, and propitiation for the dead, are the inventions of Satan. To these the principle and certain heads of their doctrines, others were fictitiously
added concerning marriage, the resurrection, the state of the soul after
death, and concerning meats (on Friday).
They inhabit seven villages, their houses are constructed of flint stone, having a flat roof covered with mud, which, they spoiled or loosened by the
rain, they against smooth with a roller. Poor as they are, they are Content,
and they live in a state of seclusion from the rest of mankind. One thing is
very remarkable, they can read and write. They know French sufficiently for
the understanding of the Bible and the singing of Psalms. You can scarcely find a Boy among them who cannot give you an intelligible account of the faith, which they profess. In this, indeed, they resemble their brethren of the other valleys. They pay tribute with a good conscience, and the obligation of this duty is peculiarly noted in their confession of faith.
Aeneas Sylvius, an inquisitor, who wrote the history of Bohemia, and afterwards ascended the pontifical chair with the title of pope Pius II.
writes concerning the Waldenses in Bohemia. "They affirm the Church of Rome is NOT the church of Jesus Christ, but an assembly of ungodly men, and she has ceased from being the True church, from the time of pope Sylvester (330-395), that all vices and sins reign in that church, and they alone live righteously---That they are the True Church of Christ, and that the
church of Rome is the Whore of Babylon mentioned in Revelation. They
despised and rejected all the ordinances and statutes of the church, as being
too many and very burdensome. They insist that the pope is the head and
leader of All error---that the prelates are the scribes and seemingly
religious Pharisees---That the popes and their bishops, on account of the
wars they foment, are Murderers---That the obedience is due to God alone, and not to prelates, which they found in (Acts, 4:9)---That none in the church ought to be greater than their brethren, according to (Matthew 20:25) That no man ought to kneel to priest, because the angel said to John (Revelation 19:10) See thou do it NOT!"
That tithes ought not to give to be given to priests, because there was no use of them in the primitive church---That the clergy ought NOT to enjoy any temporal possessions, because it was said in the law, "The tribe of Levi shall have NO inheritance with the children of Israel, the sacrifices being their portion" (Deuteronomy 18). That it is wrong to endow and find churches and monasteries. They affirm that no man ought to be forcibly compelled in matters of faith.They reject all exorcism and blessings. The Mass signifies nothing: that the apostles knew nothing of it, and that it is only done for gain. They rejected the canon of the mass, and only make use of the word of Christ in
the vulgar tongue---affirming that the offering made by priest in the mass is
of NO value. They reject the Kiss of peace, that of the altar, of the
priest's hands, and the pope's feet. It was an error of the church to forbid
the Clergy to marry.
Whatsoever is preached without scripture proof, they account no better than fables. They hold that the Holy Scripture is of the same efficacy in the vulgar tongue as in Latin, and accordingly they communicate and administer the sacraments in the vulgar tongue. They can say a great part of the Old and New Testament by heart. They despised the decretals, and the saying and expositions of holy men, and cleave only to the text of Scripture.
They admit none for the saints except the apostles, and they pray to NO saints. They never read the liturgy. They give no credit to the legends of
the saints, make a mock of the saint's miracles, and despise their relics.
They abhor the wood of the cross, because Christ's sufferings on it; neither do they sign themselves with it. They contend that the doctrine of Christ and his apostles is sufficient to salvation without any church statutes and ordinances, and affirm that the traditions of the Catholic Church were no better than the traditions of the Pharisees---insisting, moreover, that greater stress is laid on the observation of human tradition, than on the keeping of the law of God.
They condemn all approval ecclesiastical customs which they do not read in the gospel, such as observation of candles mass, Palm-Sunday, the reconciliation of penitents, and the adoration of the cross on Good Friday.
They despised the feast of Easter, and all of other festivals of Christ and
saints. They are to cease from working on NO day except the Lord's Day. That the holidays of saints are to be rejected, and that there is no merit in
observing the fasts instituted by the Catholic Church. [History. Bohemia.
Page 141]
They look upon the church built of stone to be no better than a common barn, neither do they believe God dwells there, quoting Acts 7:48 "God does not dwell in the temples made with hands." They say that the temple of the great God is the universe, and that to build churches, monasteries, and oratories, to him under the supposition that the divine Majesty. The set no value in dedication of churches, and call the ornaments of the altar, "the sin of the church," saying, "that it would be much better to cloth the poor than to decorate the walls, Christ never gave his disciples vests, or mittens." They celebrated the Eucharist in their household cups. They rejected all censing; estimating holy water no better than common water. The images and pictures in the church they pronounce to be idolatrous. They mocked at singing [chanting] in churches."They express no value for the Lord's sepulcher, nor for those of the saints, and condemn the burying in the Catholic Church, which they found on (Matthew 23:39) "Woe, unto you Pharisees, because you build the tombs," etc. and would prefer burying in the field to the church-yard. They maintain that the offices of the dead, masses for the deceased, offerings, funeral pomps, last wills, legacies, visiting the graves, the reading of vigils, anniversary masses, and similar suffrages, are of no avail to departed souls."
Martin Luther, in the year 1588, published the Confessions of the Waldenses, to which he wrote a preface. In that preface he candidly
acknowledge that, in the days of his Popery he had HATED the Waldenses, as persons who were consigned over to perdition. But having understood from their confessions and writings the piety of their faith, he perceived that
those good men had been greatly wronged whom the Pope had condemned as Heretics; for that, on the contrary they were rather entitled to the praise due to holy martyrs. He adds, that among them he had found one thing worthy of admiration, a thing unheard of in the Popish church, that, laying aside the doctrines of men, they meditated in the law of God, day and night; and they were expert, and even well versed in the acknowledge of the Scriptures.
Some of them had NOT so much as known who are called masters, wholly neglected the Scriptures, and some of them had not so much as seen the Bible at any time. Moreover, having read the Waldensian Confession, he said he returned thanks to God for the great light, which it had pleased him to bestow upon that people. Theodore Beza, the contemporary and colleague of Calvin, says, "As for the Waldenses, I may be permitted to call them the very seed of the Primitive and Purer Christian Church, since they are those that have been upheld, as is abundantly manifest, by the wonderful providence of God, so that neither those endless storms and tempests by which the whole Christian world has been shaken for so many succeeding ages, and the western parts at length so miserably oppressed by the bishop of Rome, falsely so called; nor those horrible persecutions which have been expressly raised against them, were ever able so far to prevail as to make them bend, or yield a voluntary subjection to the Roman tyranny and Idolatry." [Preface to Morland's History, Page 7].On other occasion the same writer remarks that, "The Waldenses, time out of mind, have opposed the abuses of the Church of Rome, and have been persecuted after such a manner, not by the sword of the word of God, but by every species of cruelty, added to a MILLION of calumnies and false accusations, that they have been compelled to disperse themselves wherever they could, wandering through the deserts like wild beasts." "The Lord, nevertheless, has so preserved the residue of them, that, notwithstanding the rage of the whole world, they still inhabit 3 countries at a great distance from each other, Calabria, Bohemia, and Piedmont, and the countries adjoining, where they dispersed themselves from the quarters of Provence about 270 years ago. They never adhered to Papal superstitions; for which reason they have been continually harassed by the bishops and inquisitors abusing the arm of secular justice, so that their continuance to the present time is evident miraculous" [History of the Reformed Churches in France, Tom. 1, Book 1, Page 35 in Perrin, Book 1, Chapter 6]. Bullinger, in the preface to his sermon on the book of Revelation, (1530) writes thus concerning Waldenses, "What shall we say, that for 400
years and more, in France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Bohemia, and other
countries throughout the world, the Waldenses have sustained their
profession of the gospel of Christ; and in several of their writings, as well
as by continual preaching, they have accused the Pope as the real
Antichrist foretold by the apostle John in A.D. 95, and whom we ought to
AVOID. These people have undergone divers and cruel torments, yet have they constantly and openly given testimony to their faith by glorious martyrdoms, and still do even so to this day. Although it has often been attempted by the most powerful kings and princes, instigated by the Pope, it had been Impossible to extirpate them, for God has frustrated their efforts"
[Preface to his sermons, quoted by Perrin chapter 6].
Louis XII, King of France, being informed by the enemies of the Waldenses, inhabiting a part of the province of Provence, that several
heinous crimes were laid to their account, sent the master of requests and a certain doctor of Sorbonne, who was confessor to his majesty, to make inquiry into this matter. On their return, they reported that they had visited all the parishes where they dwelt, had inspected their places of worship, but that they had found there were no images, nor signs of the ornaments
belonging to the mass, nor any of the ceremonies of the charged. On the
contrary, they kept Sunday worship, observed the ordinances of baptism,
according to the primitive church, instructed their children in the articles
of the Christian faith, and the commandments of God. The king having heard the report of his commissioners said with an oath that they were better men than himself and his people. [Vesembeclus's Oratation on the Waldenses, in Perrin, Chapter 5.]
Claudius Seisselius, archbishop of Turin, is pleased to say, "Their heresy expected, they generally live a purer life than other Christians. They never swear and rarely take the name of God in vain. They fulfill their promise with punctuality; and, living for the most part, in poverty, they profess to preserve the Apostolic life and doctrine. They also profess it to be their desire to overcome only by the simplicity of faith, by purity of conscience, and integrity of life; not by philosophical niceties and theological subtleties." And he very candidly admits, that "In their lives and morals they are perfect, irreprehensible, and without reproach among men, addicting themselves with all their might to observe the commandments of God" [Usher de Christ. Ecclesiastes success, ET statue, Perrin, Book 1, Chapter 5].Jacobus de Riberia, who published a work entitled, "Collection of the city of Toulouse." and who, in his time, assisted in persecuting the Waldenses, nevertheless acknowledge, that for a long time they had obtained the highest esteem in Norbonne, France, as well as in the diocese of Alby, Rhodes, Cahors, and Agen; and that those who would be styled priests and bishops (in the Catholic Church) were then, but little accounted of, which he resolves into their ignorance and unworthy conduct, by reason of which, he says, it was an easy matter for the Waldenses to obtain the preference among the people for the excellency of their doctrine. He acknowledged that they were so well instructed in the Holy Scriptures, that he had seen peasants who could recite the Book of Job verbatim, and several others who could perfectly repeat all the New Testament. Samuel de Cassini, a Franciscan fiar, speaking of the Waldenses in his "Victoria Trionfale," explicitly owns in what respect of their faith was
incorrigible and vile, when he says, "That all the errors of these Waldenses
consisted in this, that they denied the Church of Rome to be the Holy Mother Church, and would NOT obey her traditions." [History of Popery, Volume 1, Page 421].
In the year 1503, Ecolampadius then resident at Basle, in Switzerland was visited by George Morell, one of the pastors among the Waldenses, by
whom, on his return to Provence, he addressed a letter, "to his well-beloved brethren in Christ," called Waldenses and it is as follows: "We have learned with great satisfaction, by your faithful pastor, George Morell, the nature of your faith and religious profession, and in what terms you declare it. Therefore, we thank our most merciful Father, who has called you to so great light in this age, amidst the dark clouds of Ignorance which have spread themselves over the world, and notwithstanding the extravagant power of Antichrist."
"Wherefore we acknowledge that Christ is in YOU; for which cause we love you as brethren; and would to God we were able to make you sensible in effect of that which we shall be ready to do for you, although it were to be done with the utmost difficulty. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has imparted to you an excellent knowledge of His truth, beyond that of many other people, and has blessed you with spiritual blessings. So that if you Preserve in His grace, he has much greater treasures wherewith to enrich you, and make you perfect, according to your advancement in the measure of the inheritance for Christ."Monsieur De Vignaux, Who was 40 years pastor of one of the Churches of the Waldenses, in the valley of Piedmont, and died at the age of 80, wrote a treatise concerning their life, manners, and religion, in which he says, "We live in peace and harmony one with another, have fellowship and dealings chiefly among ourselves, having Never mingled ourselves with the members of the Church of Rome by marrying our sons to their daughters, nor our daughters to their sons. Yet ,we are so pleased with our manners and customs, that Catholics, both lords and others, would rather have men and maid servants among us, than from those of their OWN religion; and they actually come from distant parts to seek nurses among us for their little children, findings, as they say, more fidelity among OUR people than their own."Then he gives a summary of their doctrinal principles for the sake of which they have been persecuted; such as "that the Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary to our salvation, and that we are called to believe ONLY what they teach, without regard to the authority of man---that nothing else ought to be received by us except what God has commanded---that there is Only One mediator between God and man, and consequently that it is Wrong to invoke the saints. That baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only standing ordinances in the Church of Christ."All masses are damnable, and ought to be Abolished---that all human tradition is to be rejected. That the saying and recital of the office, fasts confined to particular days, superfluous holy days, differences of meats, so many degrees and orders of priests, and nuns, so many benedictions and consecrations of creatures, vows, pilgrimages, the whole vast and confused mass of ceremonies, formerly invented, ought to be abolished.
The Waldenses Deny the Supremacy of the Pope, and more especially the power he has usurped over the civil government, and admits of no other degrees than bishops and deacons. The contend that the See of Rome is the true BABYLON--the marriage of the clergy lawful, and that the true church of Christ consists of those who hear the word of God and believe it. [Perrin's History, book 1, chapter 6].John Chassagnon, who wrote a History of the Albigenses, says, "It is recorded of the Waldenses, that they rejected All the traditions and
ordinances of the Church of Rome as being superstitious and unprofitable, and that they made light of the whole body of the clergy and prelates." On which account, having been excommunicated and expelled their country, they dispersed themselves in different places, into Dauphiny, Provence, Languedoc, Piedmont, Calabria, Bohemia, England, and elsewhere. Some say, that a part of the Waldenses retired into Lombardy (in Italy) where they multiplied to such an extent that their doctrine spread itself throughout Italy, and reached even into Sicily. [Perrin's History, Book 1, Chapter 6].
Haley's Bible Handbook. Page 993-1001The First Protestant Reformer: Martin Luther (Germany). The first man to break with the Church was Martin Luther. Born 1483, Luther from childhood began a long struggle of searching for salvation for his soul. His father wanted him to study law, but he became frightened in a thunderstorm and promised God he would become a monk if God spared his life.He began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg, and then traveled as a Catholic Church agent to Rome, where he saw corruption first hand. He then transferred back to Wittenberg, earned a doctorate of theology, and continued to lecture in biblical theology until his death. He lectured in vernacular (the common spoken language, as opposed to Latin most used in theological settings), and to do that intelligently he began to study the Bible in the original languages. He concluded that only in the Bible could the truth be found. (Sola scriptural). In 1516, when reading Romans 1:17, he became convinced that only through faith in Christ could he be justified before God.Indulgences One of the church practices that Luther considered corrupt was the sale of indulgences. Indulgences were documents that were given to the faithful in return for prayer, penitence, pilgrimage to a shrine, a good deed, or especially Payment of Money to the church. An indulgence could be purchased to free one from the penalty of sin. The theory behind it was that Christ, and the saints, had achieved so much merit in their lives that the excess merit was placed in a heavenly bank ,on which the pope could draw for people on earth or in Purgatory (the halfway habitat between earth and heaven). The money paid for indulgences could then be used by the church to pay for expensive artists like Michelangelo to Emblish Rome.In 1517 Luther nailed a document to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg that contained 95 of these (position statements) that criticized
abuses of the indulgence system. In 1518 he appeared at the Diet
(deliberative assembly) of Augsburg, where he asserted the final authority of Scripture and Rejected the Pope as the final Authority. In 1520 he published a series of pamphlets on the same theme, adding that princes should reform the church when necessary that it was unnecessary to have priests dispense sacraments because individual believers were priests.
Leo responded with the Bull exsurge Domine ("Rise up, O lord"), which eventually resulted in Luther's Excommunication. Luther's books were burned at Cologne, so he publicly burned Leo's Bull. In 1512 Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms to answer for his views, but he received protection from the German princes. He refused to recant his views. Luther said Nuns and Priests could marry, and he, himself, married Katherine von Bora in 1525.
*****Mennonites, church began in Switzerland, by Grebel, Mantz and Blaurock, in 1525.
*****Protestantism arose by Lutheran in Germany.
*****The Anglican Church (Church of England). England slid into the Reformation through politics. King Henry VIII (1509-47) needs an heir to his throne, which his wife was unable to produce. He sent cardinal Woolsey to the Pope to try to obtain a Divorce, but the Pope said "NO". So Henry decided to get his divorce by getting the British Parliament to accept him as the head of the Church in England. He then appointed the property of the Church and made the church submit to the crown.
Henry's daughter, Mary Tudor, was a staunch Catholic who persecuted the Protestants when she became queen. Her reign was not long, and Henry's second daughter, Elizabeth, took the throne. She reinstituted Protestantism, but in a moderate for so as not to anger the Pope too much. When her English Armada defeated the Spanish fleet of Philip II in 1588; Catholism was permanently replaced by Anglicanism in England. The only country in the British Isles to remain a Roman Catholic was Ireland, which would prove to be on going problem for the British.*** The Presbyterian founder was John Knox, from Scotland in 1560.
*** The Congregationalist founder was Robert Brown, in Holland originated in 1583.
*** The Baptist founder was John Smyth, who launched in Amsterdam, in 1606.
*** The Quakers' founder was George Fox, in England 1647.
*** The Unitarian, founder was John Biddle from London in 1645.
*** The Episcopal was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in 17th century.
*** The Methodist, founders were John and Charles Wesley, in England in 1739.
*** The Mormons, a "Latter Day Saints," Joseph Smith started in Palmyra, New York, in 1829.
*** Seven-Day Adventist, Originated in New York, by William Miller in 1831.
*** Salvation Army, founder was William Booth in London, England in 1865.
*** Jehovah Witnesses, by Charles T. Russell founded the church in 1872, as "Millennial Dawnists." In 1931 Judge Rutherford, his successor, decided that henceforth, they would be called Jehovah Witnesses.
*** Christian Scientists, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in Massachusetts in
1897.
***** According to U.S. news magazine 3/4/1991. In 1985 the number of
Protestant Christians denominations surpassed 22,000 with an average of 5 new Protestant denominations organized each week.
Summary: The Papacy is an Italian Institution. It rose on the ruins of the Roman Empire, in the name of Christ occupying the throne of the Caesars; a revival of the Image of Rome Empire inheriting the Spirit thereof; "The
ghost of Roman Empire come to life in the in the grab of Christianity."
The Papacy's brought itself to Power through the prestige of Rome, and the name of Christ, and by shrewd political alliances, and by deception, and by armed force and bloodshed has maintained itself in power. The number of Martyrs under Papal persecution far Outnumbered the early Christians Martyrs under Pagan Rome. It estimated during the 1260 yrs reign of Papacy 50-100 millions people were put to death for "heresy" by the Popes.