ROGERS, JOHN. - Regarded as the "proto-martyr of Protestantism" under Mary Tudor, b. at Birmingham in 1500, d. at London on 4 February 1555.

A canon of St. Paul's in London, taking advantage of the religious revolution under Henry VIII, he contracted marriage and had 10 children. He published, probably at Wittenberg (where he was a pastor), under the pseudonym of Thomas Matthew, the edition of the Bible known as Matthew's Bible (a skillful combination of the versions of Tyndale and Coverdale). Under Edward VI he became a Protestant and was considered one of the best theologians of England. Under Mary Tudor, summoned on 22 January 1555 before an ecclesiastical tribunal presided over by Bishop Gardiner (v.), having refused to submit to the Church, he was condemned to the stake, by virtue of the laws against Lollardy, which had been put back into force by a recent decree of Parliament.

The enormous circulation of Foxe's Book of Martyrs served to create around his name, in the Anglican Church, a halo of martyrdom.

Bibliography

BIBL.: G. Burnet, Histoire de la réformation anglaise, French trans., II, London 1685, p. 430 ff.

Leone Cristiani

@incollection{ec10_rogers_john, author = {Cristiani, Leone}, title = {Rogers, john}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {X}, pages = {1087--1088}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/rogers-john} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Rogers, John

About this entry