By J. A.Wylie
Certain historical writings deserve preservation in their original form. For Christians today who are interested in studying the Reformation and the great controversy between Christ and Satan, J. A. Wylie’s History of the Waldenses would surely fall into such a category. In spite of its century-old terms of expression, no other history compares with the same detail and forcefulness.
Wylie describes the torture and persecution more explicitly than perhaps might seem appropriate today. Still, the church will soon face even more severe tests and trials than the Waldenses had to endure. A re-study of how they faced hardship and death, how they stood for truth and sought refuge in the Alps, will help prepare God’s remnant people for the final time of trouble ahead.
Ellen White held up the experiences of the Waldenses as an example of courage and self-sacrifice, and encouraged us to study their history.
The Waldenses were among the first of the peoples of Europe to obtain a translation of the Holy Scriptures. Hundreds of years before the Reformation, they possessed the Bible in their native tongue. They had the truth unadulterated, and this rendered them the special objects of hatred and persecution. They declared the Church of Rome to be the apostate Babylon of the Apocalypse, and at the peril of their lives they stood up to resist her corruptions.
While under the pressure of long-continued persecution, some compromised their faith, but others held fast to the truth. They continued to deny the supremacy of Rome, rejected image worship as idolatry, and kept the true Sabbath. Under the fiercest opposition, they maintained their faith and stood unflinchingly for God’s word and His honor.
Behind the lofty bulwarks of the mountains—in all ages the refuge of the persecuted and oppressed—the Waldenses found a hiding place. Here the light of truth was kept burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages. For a thousand years, witnesses for the truth maintained the ancient faith.
This is an excellent book for youth and young adults as they decide how firmly they will stand for God’s truth.
Paper, 206 pages. Photo re-print, complete with copies of the original engraved illustrations.
