George van Parris
Encyclopedia
George van Parris was a Dutch Arian, who was burnt at the stake in London by his fellow Protestants.
George van Parris was a member of the Stranger's Church
congregation, and his excommunication and subsequent burning were done with the agreement of the pastor of the congregation, John Lasco. Sponsor of the congregation, King Edward VI, in his diary records "A certain Arian, of the strangers, a Dutchman, being excommunicated by the congregation, was, after long disputation, condemned to the fire."
; but is also described by Robert Wallace
as of "Mentz" in the Grand Duchy of Hesse
. He was a surgeon, and the law of 1531 enabled foreign surgeons in England to enjoy a larger liberty of opinion than native surgeons enjoyed. He became naturalised 29 October 1550, and was a member for a time of the Dutch church in Austin Friars Street.
After the death of Joan Bocher
, who had denied the humanity of Christ, moves were taken against the spread of unitarian opinions. A commission was issued on 18 January 1551, and Van Parris, having been arrested, was formally examined on 6 April. The Dutch church excommunicated him, and on 7 April he was condemned. His judges included Thomas Cranmer
, Nicholas Ridley
, and Miles Coverdale; and his offence was the denial of the divinity of Christ. Edward VI, in his Journal; Van Parris knew little or no English, and Coverdale acted as his interpreter. A man of upright life, efforts were made to secure a pardon for him. He was, however, burnt, on 25 April 1551, in Smithfield
.
George van Parris was a member of the Stranger's Church
Stranger churches
Strangers' church was a term used by English-speaking people for independent Protestant churches established in foreign lands or by foreigners in England during the Reformation...
congregation, and his excommunication and subsequent burning were done with the agreement of the pastor of the congregation, John Lasco. Sponsor of the congregation, King Edward VI, in his diary records "A certain Arian, of the strangers, a Dutchman, being excommunicated by the congregation, was, after long disputation, condemned to the fire."
Life
He was said to have been born in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
; but is also described by Robert Wallace
Robert Wallace (Unitarian)
Robert Wallace was an English Unitarian minister, now best known for his Antitrinitarian Biography .-Life:He was born at Dudley, Worcestershire, on 26 February 1791. In 1808 he came under the influence of James Hews Bransby, who prepared him for entrance at Manchester College, then at York, under...
as of "Mentz" in the Grand Duchy of Hesse
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
. He was a surgeon, and the law of 1531 enabled foreign surgeons in England to enjoy a larger liberty of opinion than native surgeons enjoyed. He became naturalised 29 October 1550, and was a member for a time of the Dutch church in Austin Friars Street.
After the death of Joan Bocher
Joan Bocher
Joan Bocher was an English Anabaptist burned at the stake for heresy. She has also been known as Joan Boucher or Butcher, or as Joan Knell or Joan of Kent....
, who had denied the humanity of Christ, moves were taken against the spread of unitarian opinions. A commission was issued on 18 January 1551, and Van Parris, having been arrested, was formally examined on 6 April. The Dutch church excommunicated him, and on 7 April he was condemned. His judges included Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
, Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley (martyr)
Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
, and Miles Coverdale; and his offence was the denial of the divinity of Christ. Edward VI, in his Journal; Van Parris knew little or no English, and Coverdale acted as his interpreter. A man of upright life, efforts were made to secure a pardon for him. He was, however, burnt, on 25 April 1551, in Smithfield
Smithfield
Smithfield is the name of several places:In Australia:* Smithfield, New South Wales* Smithfield, Queensland, near Cairns* Smithfield, South Australia, a northern suburb of Adelaide**Smithfield railway station, Adelaide...
.