Return to the North

By Viking

Scottish Presbyterianism

We headed to Stirling today via Falkland Palace (a favourite of Mary Queen of Scots) and then a walk at Loch Leven. The weather while travelling was miserable but brightened up for each stop so can’t complain.
We arrived to glorious sunshine in Stirling which remained all evening. We decided to drive up to the castle to see if we could catch a sunset. I head read on the net that the graveyard outside the castle was the best spot so we had a long wander amongst the graves. The one blipped here is John Knox, known to every God fearing Scot

Knox is believed to have been educated at the University of St Andrews. Influenced by early church reformers such as George Wishart, he joined the movement to reform the Scottish church. He was caught up in the ecclesiastical and political events that involved the murder of Cardinal David Beaton in 1546 and the intervention of the regent Mary of Guise. He was taken prisoner by French forces the following year and exiled to England on his release in 1549.

While in exile, Knox was licensed to work in the Church of England, where he rose in the ranks to serve King Edward VI of England as a royal chaplain. He exerted a reforming influence on the text of the Book of Common Prayer. When Mary I ascended the throne of England and re-established Roman Catholicism, Knox was forced to resign his position and leave the country.

In Geneva, he met John Calvin, from whom he gained experience and knowledge of Reformed theology and Presbyterian polity. He created a new order of service, which was eventually adopted by the reformed church in Scotland.

On his return to Scotland, Knox led the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Protestant nobility. The movement may be seen as a revolution, since it led to the ousting of Mary of Guise, who governed the country in the name of her young daughter Mary, Queen of Scots. Knox helped write the new confession of faith and the ecclesiastical order for the newly created reformed church, the Kirk.

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.