Revival - Part 2: The Waldenses

The first thousand years or so of our Christian era in Europe are known as The Dark Ages. Roman civilisation had degenerated and under increasing pressure from the so called barbarians the legions had been withdrawn to defend Rome itself. In 395 AD the empire was divided with capitals at Constantinople and Rome. In 410 Rome was sacked by the Visigoths and fifty six years later the western empire was finally overthrown.
At the same time as the empire was collapsing the power and influence of the Church of Rome was increasing in western Europe, As the light of civilisation faded so did the light of the pure Gospel. In 324 Christianity was made the state religion of the empire. An event, many have argued, from which the Church has not yet recovered. As it developed as a secular power so the church departed from the true faith. Alongside the Bible grew up tradition to be placed on an equal footing with the Scriptures, and practices never known in the early church. The flame of true religion sputtered from time to time but Dark Ages is an apt description of the times. However, God has never been without his own witnesses and even in the darkest times there are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Such was Peter Waldo a rich merchant of Lyons in France. In 1170 he gave his wealth to the poor and began preaching the Gospel of salvation and criticising the church of his day. He denounced the church leaders who lived lives of vice and luxury. He condemned the superstitions that had replaced the true worship of God. Most churches had some sacred relic claimed to be a piece of the cross, a hair from Jesus' beard, a drop of Mary's milk. Alongside Christ there were the saints and Mary claiming the attention of the worshippers and in the mass the bread and wine were claimed to change into the actual blood and body of Christ.
The authorities acted quickly to silence Peter but like his biblical namesake he preferred to obey God rather than men. In 1180 Peter Waldo and his followers were excommunicated and banished from Lyons. Threatened with death they fled to the safety of the mountains where they would keep a faithful witness to God for hundreds of years being known as the Waldenses. By the year 1260 over 800, 000 were worshipping in the secluded valleys of the Alps straddling the border between what is now France and Italy.
The Waldenses took the Bible as their only rule of faith and practice. They rejected all the additions made by the Roman Church. Worship was marked by simplicity in contrast to the elaborate ritual of the church. The Bible was read, the Lord's Prayer was recited, and a sermon was preached. For this they became the object of the hatred of the church and regular crusades were made against them as the enemies of God. In 1211 eighty Waldenses were burned as heretics in Strasbourg.

Preachers were sent out all over Europe and thousands were converted. This has been described as "the most remarkable missionary movement that has ever occurred". Among those influenced was John Wycliffe in England which was to have the most wonderful consequences for the Gospel in our country.
The story of how God preserved his people in the mountains against overwhelming odds is one of the most interesting and thrilling examples of how he looks after his loved ones. So the true Gospel lived on in small communities scattered in the deep alpine valleys until the time of the Reformation when it would burst out over the whole continent. In 1592 when a treaty was made with the churches of the region the Protestants outnumbered the Catholics by a hundred to one.
The history of the Waldenses shows that however dark the times may be and however small the remnant of true believers, that God can at any time raise up a man like Peter Waldo, revive his work, and protect his people.