V - Fausto Sozzini (Faustus Socinus)
"He was not insensibly warped by traditional methods of thought but approached the Bible text with an unbiased mind."" – Wilbur
Updated: September 10, 2024
The heart of the matter
We now reach the heart of the matter. The Reformation had kicked off a hornet’s nest of changes, some good, some bad and some completely outrageous, and some would die. The “multiple” executions of Michael Servetus by both Catholics (in effigy) and Protestants (in reality) would be a harsh prelude to what would occur in Northern Italy, Switzerland and in Poland.
Italian reformers under the influence of Professor Matteo Gribaldi (1505 – 1564) began feeling the pressure of Catholic authorities. The Swiss Anabaptists under the influence of Conrad Grebel began feeling the pressure from the Zurich Protestant authorities. Finally, the Polish Brethren began feeling the pressure from Calvinist and Catholic authorities in Poland.
The very public execution of Michael Servetus in Geneva served to focus minds of the reformers in Poland. The Calvinists in Poland saw this event as a precede…
