Guido de Bres
Encyclopedia
Guido de Bres was a Walloon pastor and theologian, a student of John Calvin
and Theodore Beza
in Geneva. He was born in Mons
, County of Hainaut
, Southern Netherlands
, and martyred at Valenciennes
, aged 45. De Bres compiled and published the Walloon Confession of Faith known as the Belgic Confession
(1561) (Confessio Belgica) still in use today in Belgium and the Netherlands.
. His father was formerly known as Jean Du Beguinage (alternatively: Jan le Béguinage) was an itinerant blauschilder [lit. blue painter] which is indicative of the tin-glazed process, a precursor to Delftware
, introduced into the Netherlands by Guido de Savino in 1512 at Antwerp. Jean changed his name to that of De Bres when he settled in Mons and with his wife bore five children: Jehan, Jherome, Christoffel, Guy and daughter Mailette. Rehalenbeck suggests one other son, Michel.
De Bres was brought up by his mother, a devout Roman Catholic until the end of her days. The names of Guy's mother are unknown other than that of De Bres. Guy was a Roman Catholic and was very strong in that faith by all accounts. Not much is known of Guy's early life other than he followed his brother Jehan into school at the appropriate age and after a basic education followed his father in learning the craft of blauschilder.
The De Bres family were known for their skills in glass painting, and young Guido was trained in this art before moving to England
. In his teenage years, he became a follower of the Protestant religion
as taught by Martin Luther
. Later he converted to Calvinism
. He met and studied under John Calvin
at the academy of Geneva
where Calvin taught.
. These books were deemed heretical by the Roman Catholic Church authorities. In 1543 books were burned in the marketplace of Lille: La Doctrines des Enfants (a Lutheran catechism), also Lamentations of Jesus Christ, La Sant Otraison and a book by a Flemish priest entitled: Letters Institution 2.
In 1548, while Guy was still in Mons, he forged a friendship with an English couple: Mr. Nicholas and his wife. Mr Nicholas, his friend and two wives were caught by the authorities and charged with subversion of the Roman Catholic faith. They were imprisoned together with a number of Protestants from that area. Guy then fled to England. This was during the reign of Edward VI
. On 4 November 1547 the English parliament had decided to allow the two elements used in the communion to be enjoyed by all people. Guy probably kept company with a number of refugees from continental Europe: Tremellius
, Valérand Poullain
, Martin Bucer
, John a Lasco, Jan Utenhove
, Marten de Klyne (Marten Micron or Micronius), Wouter Deelen, François Perucel de la Rivière and others. Whilst in England Guy attended the church of John a Lasco, and in 1551 he also became familiar with a Lasco's London Confession. The largest group of refugees came from the Low Countries. John a Lasco served as superintendent to a number of foreign congregations including the Dutch. A Lasco was a Polish nobleman with Zwinglian tendencies.(1551). Guy lefy England in 1552 before Mary
, Queen of England came to the throne.
De Bres went to Germany
and later moved back to Geneva
. Around 1559 he returned to the Low Countries
, but now as a travelling Calvinist preacher. In the years 1559 to 1561 he served as the resident minister in Tournai
. In 1561 De Bres authored the Belgic Confession
. This confession
was meant for the Spanish Government
to show them that the Calvinists weren't a radical Anabaptist
sectarian movement, but demanded a Reformation
in the biblical sense of the Roman Catholic Church
. The text is strongly influenced by Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion
" and the creed of the French Huguenots. The creed was printed by Jean Crespin
in Geneva. On the night of November 1, 1561, De Bres threw his creed over the castle wall of Tournai, where Margaret of Parma
, governor of the Netherlands
stayed, to bring the confession to the attention of the Spanish government.
, received the death penalty and was hanged at Valenciennes
. He died a martyr
's death in front of a large crowd after making a final statement of his beliefs. He was pushed off the scaffold by the hangman whilst addressing the crowd. Twelve days before his death he wrote a still-circulating letter to his wife showing his trust in God.
is part of the Three Forms of Unity
, a set of official statements of doctrine used by churches with roots in the continental Reformed tradition. Its text is still in wide use in particular among confessionally Reformed churches.
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
and Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza was a French Protestant Christian theologian and scholar who played an important role in the Reformation...
in Geneva. He was born in Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, County of Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
, Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
, and martyred at Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, aged 45. De Bres compiled and published the Walloon Confession of Faith known as the Belgic Confession
Belgic Confession
The Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Reformed Three Forms of Unity...
(1561) (Confessio Belgica) still in use today in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Early life
Guido de Bres was born in Mons, today in southwestern BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. His father was formerly known as Jean Du Beguinage (alternatively: Jan le Béguinage) was an itinerant blauschilder [lit. blue painter] which is indicative of the tin-glazed process, a precursor to Delftware
Delftware
Delftware, or Delft pottery, denotes blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century....
, introduced into the Netherlands by Guido de Savino in 1512 at Antwerp. Jean changed his name to that of De Bres when he settled in Mons and with his wife bore five children: Jehan, Jherome, Christoffel, Guy and daughter Mailette. Rehalenbeck suggests one other son, Michel.
De Bres was brought up by his mother, a devout Roman Catholic until the end of her days. The names of Guy's mother are unknown other than that of De Bres. Guy was a Roman Catholic and was very strong in that faith by all accounts. Not much is known of Guy's early life other than he followed his brother Jehan into school at the appropriate age and after a basic education followed his father in learning the craft of blauschilder.
The De Bres family were known for their skills in glass painting, and young Guido was trained in this art before moving to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In his teenage years, he became a follower of the Protestant religion
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
as taught by Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. Later he converted to Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
. He met and studied under John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
at the academy of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
where Calvin taught.
Career
Guy was converted between the age of 18 and 25. It is almost certain he became familiar with the Reformed faith through printed works. On 22 September 1540 a proclamation banned a large number of books: by Erasmus in Latin, Melanchthon, Eobanus Hessus and others, as well as the New Testament, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the Prophetical books of the Bible in French and FlemishFlemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
. These books were deemed heretical by the Roman Catholic Church authorities. In 1543 books were burned in the marketplace of Lille: La Doctrines des Enfants (a Lutheran catechism), also Lamentations of Jesus Christ, La Sant Otraison and a book by a Flemish priest entitled: Letters Institution 2.
In 1548, while Guy was still in Mons, he forged a friendship with an English couple: Mr. Nicholas and his wife. Mr Nicholas, his friend and two wives were caught by the authorities and charged with subversion of the Roman Catholic faith. They were imprisoned together with a number of Protestants from that area. Guy then fled to England. This was during the reign of Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. On 4 November 1547 the English parliament had decided to allow the two elements used in the communion to be enjoyed by all people. Guy probably kept company with a number of refugees from continental Europe: Tremellius
Tremellius
Tremellius or Tremelius may refer to:* Tremellius Scrofa, one of several ancient Romans* Immanuel Tremellius, scholar of the sixteenth century...
, Valérand Poullain
Valérand Poullain
Valérand Poullain was a French Calvinist minister. In a troubled career as minister, he brought a congregation of Flemish or Walloon weavers to South-west England around 1548.-Life:...
, Martin Bucer
Martin Bucer
Martin Bucer was a Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a member of the Dominican Order, but after meeting and being influenced by Martin Luther in 1518 he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled...
, John a Lasco, Jan Utenhove
Jan Utenhove
Jan Utenhove was a writer from the Low Countries best known for his translations into the Dutch language of the Psalms and the New Testament.-Life:...
, Marten de Klyne (Marten Micron or Micronius), Wouter Deelen, François Perucel de la Rivière and others. Whilst in England Guy attended the church of John a Lasco, and in 1551 he also became familiar with a Lasco's London Confession. The largest group of refugees came from the Low Countries. John a Lasco served as superintendent to a number of foreign congregations including the Dutch. A Lasco was a Polish nobleman with Zwinglian tendencies.(1551). Guy lefy England in 1552 before Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, Queen of England came to the throne.
De Bres went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and later moved back to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. Around 1559 he returned to the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, but now as a travelling Calvinist preacher. In the years 1559 to 1561 he served as the resident minister in Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
. In 1561 De Bres authored the Belgic Confession
Belgic Confession
The Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Reformed Three Forms of Unity...
. This confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
was meant for the Spanish Government
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
to show them that the Calvinists weren't a radical Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
sectarian movement, but demanded a Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in the biblical sense of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. The text is strongly influenced by Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion
Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin's seminal work on Protestant systematic theology...
" and the creed of the French Huguenots. The creed was printed by Jean Crespin
Jean Crespin
Jean Crespin was a French Protestant lawyer who became a significant printer and martyrologist in Geneva.-Life:He was born at Arras and studied law at Leuven. In 1540 he was in Paris, where he worked with his friend François Baudouin under the leading jurist and advocate Charles Du Moulin, and...
in Geneva. On the night of November 1, 1561, De Bres threw his creed over the castle wall of Tournai, where Margaret of Parma
Margaret of Parma
Margaret, Duchess of Parma , Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst...
, governor of the Netherlands
Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands
The Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands ruled the Habsburg Netherlands as a representative of the Duke of Burgundy .- Habsburg Netherlands :...
stayed, to bring the confession to the attention of the Spanish government.
Death
In 1565 De Bres was arrested for his Calvinist beliefs. He was tried before the Spanish InquisitionSpanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
, received the death penalty and was hanged at Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
. He died a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
's death in front of a large crowd after making a final statement of his beliefs. He was pushed off the scaffold by the hangman whilst addressing the crowd. Twelve days before his death he wrote a still-circulating letter to his wife showing his trust in God.
Legacy
De Bres wrote a number of books. The Belgic ConfessionBelgic Confession
The Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Reformed Three Forms of Unity...
is part of the Three Forms of Unity
Three Forms of Unity
The Three Forms of Unity is a collective name for the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism, which reflect the doctrinal concerns of Continental Calvinism and are accepted as official statements of doctrine by many of the Reformed churches.-History:From 1618 to 1619...
, a set of official statements of doctrine used by churches with roots in the continental Reformed tradition. Its text is still in wide use in particular among confessionally Reformed churches.