The Cathari influenced every Major Reformer

   Prior to Martin Luther and the 16th century there were many who came from the Catholic Church because of its corruptness, and tried to create a better Catholic Church. 

   Peter Waldo was condemned in 1179 for leaving the Catholic Church.  For fear of his life he left the bastion of Cathari influence which had inspired him by preaching and example. He fled to the safety of the Alps where he lived out his days in the Cathari's natural fortress.   There he joined the Valdois in Northern Italy.

   In the 14th Century John Wycliffe went against the wishes of the Catholic Church and imitated the Lollards from Germany.  They had inspired him with their preaching and compact translations of the Bible in everyday language which they carried with them.  In time he produced his own copy of the Bible in English and sent out preachers in every direction. 

   John Hus emboldened by Wycliffe's example and also a witness to the  Bohemian Cathari (Direct descendants of the Churches Paul started) who had enjoyed freedom in his land for over a millenium, also began to preach the Bible instead of Catholic Liturgy. 

   So what relationship did the Cathari/Good Men of the 1st Century origin have to the Reformation and Martin Luther? 

                                                           Synopsis

   1. Churches according to the New Testament model are started by the Apostles and their team members. These churches as a whole strictly followed the traditions of the Apostles in doctrine and practice.  This happened in the 1st Century.  The tendency of the leaders of these churches has ever been to maintain the strict independence of each congregation.  They also quickly break fellowship over conflicts in doctrine.  Some see this as a weakness, and at times it was, but overall it is the characteristic that saved the purity of many assemblies.  Obeying the urgings of the Apostles in the New Testament was a shield from compromise. 

   2. In the 3rd Century those who lapsed in their faith and worshiped the Emperor to escape persecution, then wanted back into their local churches respectively, once persecution had ended. Those churches who accepted them became the Lapsi Churches. Emperor Constantine organized them under his leadership in 325 A.D. to create the Catholic Church. At this point there are two groups of churches. The 1st Century Cathari, and the 3rd Century Lapsi. 

   3. From 1179 A.D. and onward the Lapsi/Catholic Reformers left the Catholic Church and joined with the ancient Cathari/Good Men churches. Many churches joined forces with Peter Waldo, yet at the same time many ancient Cathari/Good Men rejected such a move.

   At the point where Martin Luther makes his mark in Church History there are three pre-existing groups of churches:

• the 1st century Cathari/Pure

•  the 3rd century Lapsi/Catholic (of which Martin Luther was a part in 1517)

• the 12th century mixture of the two Reformers/Protestants (Which joined Him for protection from persecution in 1525). 

The 3rd group joined Martin Luther, because gave them political power. 

   In 1517 - Luther was already frustrated with the Catholic Church. It was in this year that he mailed a letter of the 95 thesis to the man in charge of collecting Papal Indulgences.  He became a seeker, and was influenced and had personal contact with the Cathari churches in his area. 

   In 1525, he made a pact with Peter Waldo's 350 year old half Lapsi/half Cathari churches.  In promise for protection from persecution, they completely refomed and joined him accepting his watered down version of Catholicism in place of Peter Waldo's which offered no protection.  This is the primary source of his immediate and large grass-roots power base in Germany. 

   Almost immediately he began persecution the ancient Cathari who refused to submit to him.  Thankfully the Alps were the barrier of protection once again for many non-compromising congregations.  John Calvin in Switzerland would follow Luther's example and also begin openly killing the Cathari who refused to join him. '

   The Protestants did not make a better Catholic Church, just a different version of one.

   Finally in 1546 towards the end of his life when he was very secure in his safety against Papal wrath, he nailed the 95 Thesis against indulgences on a Catholic Church and started what the Catholics officially call, "The Protestant Reformation".

   The Catholic Version of History is the most accepted because they are the government churches, they fight the wars, and the victor writes history.

   To this day the Catholic Church plays on all the confusion and calls our Good Men of Old nothing but Protestants.  However, our men never protested or joined anything.  Our churches continue according to the New Testament model, strictly following the traditions of the Apostles in doctrine and practice which were started in the 1st Century.  By the mercy of God, He has preserved His Bride in a pure form since she began her preparations nearly 2,000 years ago.

How can a thinking person consider Church History boring?