Scotland, before the ninth century, was inhabited by savage tribes who practiced the rites and worshiped the same gods as the Assyrians. This country had no harbor where ships could put into port. Because of this, no mariner visited this land, ensuring that Scotland would remain an isolated country for many years.
“Scotland had no centralized government. The prince bishops owned about one half of the land, and the secular nobility owned or controlled the other half. The king had very little power. He had no standing army of his own and no personal body-guard, but had to depend on the feudal militia for protection and support.” Lars Qualben, A History of the Christian Church, 312
Caesar had attempted to conquer Scotland without success. His efforts were followed by missionaries who were more successful in gaining a foothold. Columba, born in 521, began evangelizing the northern and western parts of Scotland, as well as England, from the island of Iona off the Scottish coast.
Catholicism Enters Scotland
In the twelfth century, the light that Columba had cast in Iona was waxing dim, paving the way for Roman Catholicism to establish itself in Scotland. This did not come about as the result of the conversion of the inhabitants of that land, but by the power of the king. The men, as well as the system, came from another land.
The limits against holding public offices imposed upon ecclesiastics of other countries, such as France, were not set up in Scotland. “Bishops and abbots filled all the great posts at court, and discharged all the highest offices in the state.” J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, Book 24, 467
Darkness covered the land, but there was a glimmer of light, and Pope John XXII complained that there were heretics in the land. The first martyr, John Resby, was burned in 1407. He was an Englishman and a follower of Wycliffe. Others followed him to the stake in the next few years. The University of Saint Andrews was founded in 1413. A requirement for the Master of Arts degree was that the applicant must agree to defend the Roman Church against all accusers.
Defenders of Scottish Freedom
The defenders of Scottish freedom and the friends of Protestant reform merged to form a strong party which was friendly toward England. The secular nobility saw that the Reformation would aid them in crushing the power of the detested prince bishops. A large number of the prominent noble families openly accepted Protestantism.
It is here that John Knox enters the picture. It would be this man in whose hands would rest the continuation and success of the Reformation in Scotland.
Knox’s parents were financially well off enough to give him a liberal education. He first entered grammar school in Hadington where he learned the principles of the Latin language. From there, in 1529, his father, sent him to St. Andrews University of Glasgow, the most celebrated seminary in Scotland. The curriculum in this institution of learning consisted of the philosophy of Aristotle, scholastic theology, canon and civil law, and the study of Latin.
The studies in scholastic philosophy were not satisfying to him, so he turned to the study of divine truth and the labor of the ministry. At the end of his studies, he received the Master of Arts degree, and then taught philosophy for a time. His abilities excelled those of his master in the dialectic art. In 1539, at the age of 25—younger than the age required by the canons of the church—he was ordained a priest.
Not satisfied with the things he was reading from the excerpts of the ancient authors, he decided to go to the authors themselves. Jerome and Augustine appealed to him. Jerome led him to read the Scriptures in their original language. In the works of Augustine, he discovered sentiments quite opposite to the Papal church. “Augustine and Jerome led Knox to the feet of the Greatest. The future reformer now opens the Sacred Oracles, and he who had once wandered in the dry and thirsty wilderness of scholasticism finds himself at the fountain and well-head of Divine knowledge.” Ibid., 483
In 1543, as a result of this study, Knox turned from scholastic theology to evangelical religion. He renounced the Roman Catholic church and commenced his career as a Reformer.
Before Knox had embraced the Reform doctrine, a light was beginning to shine in Scotland, and Patrick Hamilton was moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Reform doctrine. He went to Germany and spoke with Martin Luther, then went to the Protestant university in Marburg to study the Scriptures. Because the writings of Luther were so eagerly read, the Parliament, in 1525, prohibited the printing and distribution of his literature.
After completing his studies, Hamilton had an irresistible desire to return to Scotland where he exposed the corruption of the popish clergy. Because of this work, he soon came to the attention of the Roman Catholic authorities. Arrested by order of Cardinal Beaton in 1546, Hamilton was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake. George Wishart followed him into the flames.
Their teaching of the reform faith came to the attention of the Cardinal whose only goal was to completely control all Scotland. His efforts to destroy the heretics did not turn out as he had hoped, instead adding fuel to the fire. For every martyr who perished, a little company of followers arose to fill his place. From this time on, the Reformation in Scotland was dependent upon the political power in control.
The corruptions within the Roman church reached greater heights in Scotland than anywhere else within the western church. “Superstition and religious imposture, in their grossest forms, gained an easy admission among a rude and ignorant people. By means of these, the clergy attained to an exorbitant degree of opulence and power; which were accompanied, as they always have been, with corruption of their order, and of the whole system of religion.” Thomas M’Crie, The Life of John Knox, 20
Half of the wealth of Scotland belonged to the clergy, although most of it was in the hands of a few who had control of the larger body, because they had taken advantage of the ignorance and superstition of the masses. “The ignorance of the clergy respecting religion was as gross as the dissoluteness of their morals. Even bishops were not ashamed to confess that they were unacquainted with the canon of their faith, and had never read any part of the sacred Scriptures, except what they met with in their missals.” Ibid., 21
Reforms Begin
It can be said that the Reformation in Scotland began with the entrance of Tyndale’s New Testament into that country, the circulation of Luther’s and Reformed writings, and by returning students from universities on the Continent and in England. By act of Parliament in 1579, all the people had access to the Bible in their own tongue.
John Knox became well known as a powerful preacher. In his preaching, he proclaimed that the Roman Catholic Church was the synagogue of Satan and that the pope was the antichrist. Knox began his career as an educator at the seminary of St. Andrews in 1547, which lasted only a short time. A call came to him from the Protestant ministers of Scotland to join them as a public speaker. He at first declined, saying that he had not been called to that employment, but a short time later he accepted. His preaching was so successful that many at St. Andrews and in the towns surrounding the university, were won to the Protestant cause.
In June of 1547, a French fleet captured the Castle of Saint Andrews, and Knox was taken prisoner, confined to the galleys for the next two years. The Reformation in Scotland seemed to came to a standstill with Knox out of the country.
Upon his release in 1549, he moved to England where he preached for a time in Berwick, but always he wrote to his countrymen encouraging and instructing them. It was here he met and married Marjory Bowes who bore him three children before her death. From Berwick, Knox went to London and busied himself with preaching against the corruption within the church as well as nurturing the followers of the Reform.
Because of the anger he aroused in the leadership of the Roman church, Knox left England in 1554, and sailed to Dieppe in France. He remained there for a time meditating, preaching, studying, and writing letters of encouragement to those reformers remaining in Scotland, before going to Geneva, Switzerland.
Knox returned to Scotland in 1556, preaching against the Catholic mass and begging the Queen-regent Mary of Guise to support the gospel, but she refused and Knox was forced to flee to Europe. When Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558, he returned to Scotland.
However, Mary Stuart, Queen of the Scots, denounced Elizabeth as an illegitimate usurper, and proclaimed herself as the rightful queen of England. Mary’s claim threatened to bring both Scotland and England under the control of France. Knox began preaching powerful sermons, proclaiming that Scotland must be free and upholding the idea that the secular power was not to control the religious. “Wherever Knox went, his preaching was like a match set to kindling wood.” Lars Qualben, A History of the Christian Church, 315
The Scottish people revolted against the Catholic Church, breaking images, storming and looting monasteries, and commanding priests to cease saying mass. The result of all this “rebellion” on the part of the people was that Mary Stuart ordered French troops to put it down. Knox encouraged the people to meet force with force and the combat ended in a draw. France then sent reinforcements in order to maintain her hold on Scotland.
Knox appealed to Queen Elizabeth to send a fleet to resist the French. She sent both an army and a fleet to help the Protestants in Scotland. Knox worked as chaplain and liaison officer negotiating with the English government so that the cause of Protestantism might continue to be victorious. The presence of an English army induced the French to withdraw and leave the government of Scotland under the control of the Council of Lords. The treaty was signed on July 6, 1560, shortly after the death of Mary of Guise, and stipulated that all foreign troops and arms should be removed from Scotland and that no Frenchman could hold any important office of state.
In April of 1557, two men from Edinburgh arrived with a letter of invitation asking Knox to return to Scotland and continue the work of reform. They told him that the followers of the Reform doctrine remained steadfast, and their adversaries were rapidly losing credibility among the Scottish people. He accordingly secured a replacement for himself in the church, set his affairs in order, and returned to Dieppe, in preparation for sailing to Scotland.
However, before he sailed, further news arrived of a different nature from the first intelligence he had received, telling him the Roman Church had gained new power in Scotland and things were not as good as first related to him. Therefore, Knox spent some time traveling in France and preaching.
In December, he returned to Geneva. During the following year he was engaged, along with several other men, in translating the Bible into English. Their Bible became known as the Geneva Bible.
In January of 1559, Knox left Geneva for the last time. “The nation had now found what it needed, a man able to lead it in the great war in which it was entering.” J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, 490
Following this treaty, the most important parliament met on July 1, 1560. It was attended by a large number of barons, nobles, and lords—Knox being among them—and it abolished the celebration of the mass and the jurisdiction of the pope. The law against the mass was so strong that any offender was threatened with the death penalty on the third conviction.
Knox became the church leader in Scotland and at the request of Parliament he prepared a confession of faith, the Confession Scoticana, which was adopted on August 17, 1560. The following week the Parliament passed the Laws of the Estate resulting in the complete rupture with Rome. In January, 1561, the Parliament adopted the “First Book of Discipline” which had been written by Knox.
“The system worked out by Calvin was applied to the entire nation. In each parish the pastor and the presbyters constituted an administrative and disciplinary board. The presbyters were elected by the congregation. In the larger centers meetings for discussion were held which later developed into ‘presbyteries.’ Pastors and congregations within specified regions were governed by synods, and overall was the ‘General Assembly.’ ” Lars Qualben, A History of the Christian Church, 316
Knox and Mary, Queen of Scots
“Knox had still another battle to fight. Mary, Queen of Scots, the unfortunate Mary who by her own unwise acts lost her crown and later her life, returned from France as a widow at eighteen, in August, 1561. She was determined to restore Scotland to the Catholic Church.
“The most dramatic period of Knox’s life doubtless falls during her reign as he tilted and sparred verbally with Mary when she repeatedly summoned him into her presence. The first such skirmish resulted when Knox condemned the mass which she had celebrated her first Sunday after arriving in Scotland. He had said that one mass was more terrible to him than 10,000 armed invaders. Five times, some say six, she called him before her.
“The second occasion was Knox’s sermon against the persecution of the Huguenots in France, an event Mary celebrated with a ball at Holyrood. The next also concerned the mass. The fourth, which left an aftermath of peril, resulted when Knox had vehemently spoken against her proposed marriage to a Catholic, the son of the king of Spain. This time she dissolved in tears and sobs as she railed against him; but Knox maintained that he was not preaching his own words, but the words that were given him out of the Scriptures.” Gideon D. Hagstoz, Heroes of the Reformation, 86
“It would have but little availed Scotsmen in the nineteenth century if Knox had wrought up their fathers to a little political enthusiasm, but had failed to lead them to the Bible, that great awakener of the human soul, and bulwark of the rights of conscience. If this had been all, the Scots, after a few abortive attempts, like those of misguided France, to reconcile political freedom with spiritual servitude, would assuredly have fallen back under the old yoke, and would have been lying at this day in the gulf of ‘Papistrie.’ Discarding this narrow visionary project, Knox grasped the one eternal principal of liberty, the government of the human conscience by the Bible, and planting his Reformation upon this great foundation stone, he endowed it with the attribute of durability.” J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, 515
While the Reformation in England dealt with the freedom of the throne from the supremacy of the pope, in Scotland the reform movement was concerned primarily with the religious center.
“The Reformation in Scotland seems to have been accompanied by greater violence than elsewhere in Europe. It has been stated that the corruption of the Catholic Church had reached a greater height in Scotland than in any other country, unless it was Italy.” Gideon D. Hagstoz, Heroes of the Reformation, 85
On August 24, 1560, Parliament abolished the Pope’s jurisdiction along with the mass, and rescinded the laws in favor of the Romish church.
“Knox’s idea of the church was, in brief, a divinely originated, a divinely enfranchised, and a divinely governed society. Its members were all those who made profession of the gospel; its law was the Bible, and its king was Christ.” J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, 496
Mary Stuart, queen of Scots, was a strong supporter of the Roman Catholic Church and did all she could to stop the Reformation in Scotland. She used everything within her power to gain her ends, not excluding deceit, flattery, and force. She would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Knox met with her on several occasions to answer the charges laid against him, but he felt no fear because he knew that he stood on the banner of truth.
In August of 1561, she arrived and took the reins of government into her own hands. She proceeded to consolidate her power and established the Roman Catholic religion as supreme in the land. In December of 1563, Knox was put on trial for treason, among other things, before the council and queen Mary. The future of Knox and the Reformation in Scotland hung in the balance at this trial. The great Scottish reformer was acquitted and Mary, because of her indiscretions, was imprisoned and removed from the throne.
“The two master-qualities of Knox were faith and courage. The fundamental quality was his faith; courage was the noble fruit that sprang from it.” J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, 514
By the year 1567 a new monarch, the infant James, came to the throne of Scotland with the Earl of Murray, a close friend of Knox, as regent. The Parliament ratified all the acts that had been passed in 1560, accepting the Protestant faith as the religion of the country, and abolishing papal jurisdiction. “From this point Knox could look back over the battles he had waged and the toils he had borne, and contemplate with thankfulness their issue in the overthrow of the Papal tyranny, and the establishment of a scriptural faith in Scotland.” Ibid., 511
The years 1568 and 1569, were the happiest years in the life of the Reformer and the most prosperous for his beloved country in that century. All was going well for the church, and she was enlarging her borders. His last years were spent in opposing the introduction into the Presbyterian church of the Tulchan bishops, which were unique to Scotland.
He objected to the institution of this new order of ecclesiastics into the church because he believed it to be a robbery of the patrimony of the church, and because it was an invasion of the Presbyterian equality which had been settled in the Scottish Kirk. His opposition delayed the introduction of this arrangement until the year of his death.
In 1570, Knox, never enjoying a strong constitution, became very feeble. A stroke of apoplexy affected his speech and necessitated his removal to Saint Andrews where he had to be lifted up into the pulpit to preach. He continued preaching until he could no longer do so due to weakness. On November 24, 1572, John Knox breathed his last and was laid to rest.
“From the time that he embraced the Reformed doctrines, the desire of propagating them, and of delivering his countrymen from the delusions and corruptions of popery, became his ruling passion, to which he was always ready to sacrifice his ease, his interest, his reputation and his life. An ardent attachment to civil liberty held the next place in his breast, to love of the reformed religion.” Thomas M’crie, The Life of John Knox, 207
The void left by the death of Knox was more than ably filled by Andrew Melville (1545–1622). Melville was one of the greatest teachers and administrators of his day. It was under his guidance that the educational system in Scotland was established, making it one of the most noted systems anywhere in the western world.
Melville carried on a running, uphill battle for the firm establishment of the Presbyterian form of church government free of all secular control because the people and ministers were not strong enough to establish sufficient power in the Parliament and other ruling bodies to completely eliminate the Roman prelates from maintaining a firm control over the secular arm of the government. He not only opposed the Roman prelates in Scotland but he also had to deal with the king, James VI. For it was this James whose first goal was to obtain the throne of England, which he did upon the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, and then to make the Roman Catholic Church supreme in both countries. This war for supremacy he waged to his death in 1622.
“The first part of the mighty task which awaited Protestantism in the sixteenth century was to breathe life into the nation … The second part of the great task of Protestantism was to make the nations free … . It was not the state in Scotland that gave freedom to the church: it was the church that gave freedom to the state.” Ibid., 530, 531
Reprinted from June and July 1997 LandMarks.