Happy All Saints Day! Let's Talk About the Martyrs Who Died at the Hands of the Catholic Church
Today is All Saints' Day, a day when Roman Catholics around the world pay homage to their canonized saints and various other traditions join in kind. But let's shatter the usual narrative and cast the spotlight where it's often deliberately avoided—on the indomitable Protestant martyrs who were gruesomely executed by the Roman Catholic Church. These were not mere dissenters or reformers—these were defenders of the gospel who chose excruciating death over compromising their convictions. And while the Roman Catholic Church would love for their stories to be discounted, wiped out, made into mere footnotes in religious history, the reality is that they are monumental testimonies to the enduring power of the Holy Spirit through faith in the face of relentless persecution.
Over the centuries, countless men and women have faced unspeakable horrors and brutal executions, most often at the hands of Roman Catholics, all because they dared to challenge a religious system they believed was corrupt and contrary to the teachings of Scripture. These certainly were not rabble-rousers or anarchists, these were men and women rooted in the Word of God, who held to their convictions with an unyielding resolve that should stir every believing heart.
The bloody era of the Reformation encapsulates the severity of what was at stake. Men like William Tyndale, who was strangled and burned at the stake, gave their lives so that the Bible could be read in the vernacular. Tyndale's crime? Translating the Scriptures into English so that even the common plowboy could have access to God's Word. He wasn't doing this to try to undermine civil order. Rather, his mission was to ensure that the true gospel could be understood by the people, free from the convoluted doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
Then there was Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, burned alive in Oxford for their belief in the authority of Scripture over church traditions, the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and the rejection of papal authority. These were educated men who had much to lose in terms of earthly goods and reputation. Yet, when they were given the choice to recant these specific beliefs or die, they chose the latter. Why? Because they understood that allegiance to these core tenets of the gospel was far more important than sparing their earthly lives. Their deaths were not in vain but served as a roaring declaration that such foundational truths could not be suppressed.
John Huss, a predecessor to Martin Luther, met a similar fate. He was burned at the stake for heresy, a charge leveraged against him for his criticisms of the moral failings and theological errors within the Roman Catholic Church.
Jerome of Prague was not merely a close associate of John Huss but a compelling theologian and philosopher in his own right. He was a master of multiple languages and well-versed in both the Scriptures and the early church fathers. Having studied at the universities of Prague, Oxford, Paris, and Heidelberg, Jerome was an intellectual force to be reckoned with. He was deeply influenced by the teachings of John Wycliffe and his fellow countryman John Huss. Together with Huss, Jerome sought to reform the Roman Catholic Church, challenging its excesses, doctrinal errors, and unbiblical practices.
But Jerome's brilliance and commitment to the gospel would put him on a collision course with the Roman Catholic hierarchy. He was arrested and charged with heresy, much like his friend Huss. Jerome initially recanted his views under the threat of execution but later revoked his recantation, unable to betray his conscience and the truths he found in the Scriptures. In 1416, about a year after the execution of John Huss, Jerome too was burned at the stake. But even as the flames rose around him, he did not waver. Jerome displayed remarkable courage and composure, reportedly singing a hymn—specifically, the liturgical Latin hymn known as the "Te Deum," a hymn of praise to God—as he met his gruesome end.