Peter Waldo (or Valdes) was born in Lyons, France around 1140. He was a very successful businessman and was known for his kindness and generosity.
One day after dinner with friends, he saw a man fall down dead. This led Waldo to wonder how to become righteous before God. He asked the priests for answers, but was not satisfied with their answers. Waldo also tried doing penance, but did not find peace that way.
Eventually, Waldo found some books written shortly after the time of the apostles. These books quoted the New Testament regularly, and Waldo became eager for an entire Bible. At the time there were very few Bibles available and they were all written in Latin. Eventually Waldo was able to buy a Bible, although it cost a lot of money. Through reading the Bible, Waldo finally learned about salvation: that it is through Christ alone.
After becoming a Christian, Peter Waldo read about a man named Alexis, who had given all his money to the poor. This, along with reading Matthew 19:21, led Waldo to do the same: he gave his money and possessions to the poor, taking care of both their spiritual and physical needs.
Peter Waldo wanted the Bible translated into French so everyone could understand it. The church disagreed, not wanting the common people to read and interpret the Bible for themselves, but Waldo had it translated anyway. It was likely the first translation of the Bible into a modern language. As the printing press had not yet been invented, the Bibles had to be copied by hand, making them very expensive. Waldo gave away many New Testaments and individual books, allowing many people to read and understand the Bible for the first time.
Peter Waldo also started a missionary society, which was known as the “poor men of Lyons.” These men took a vow of poverty. They were sent out two by two around Lyons, preaching the word. The often traveled as peddlers, offering the Bible to potential buyers.
The church did not like Peter Waldo and his teaching. He asked the pope for permission to preach, and the pope said he could only if the archbishop agreed. The archbishop did not agree; instead, he told Waldo that if he did not stop preaching, he would be condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake. The archbishop sent men to arrest Waldo, but the people of Lyons hid him for three years. In 1148, Pope Lucius III anathemized Waldo and the poor men of Lyons. The men had to flee, often having no place to sleep except the forest. In 1194, Pope Alfonso II declared that anyone who fed, protected, or listened to Waldo or his followers would be punished. Many people were burned at the stake as a result of this decree; at one time, 35 people were burned in the same fire. Waldo and his followers had to flee to other countries, and used this as an opportunity to preach the gospel to more and more people.
Despite attempts by different popes and other clergy, Peter Waldo was never captured. He was able to travel to many countries, preaching the word. In 1217, Peter Waldo died peacefully in Bohemia.
After his death, the Waldensians became more organized. They rejected the authority and many of the teachings of the Roman Catholic church, such as purgatory, indulgences, prayers for the dead, transubstantiation, and worship of the saints and relics; they held the Bible as the supreme rule of Christian belief and practice. They also started schools to train preachers and sent out evangelists.
The movement spread to other countries, often to avoid persecution. In 1487 Pope Innocent VIII pronounced a crusade against two Waldensian groups in the Alps along the French-Italian border, and many villages were destroyed. In April 1545 two Waldensian towns in France, Merindol and Cabrieres, along with twenty-eight smaller villages, were attacked by troops sent by the archbishop of Lyons. The towns were destroyed and about four thousand people killed. Many Waldensians fled to Geneva, where they found refuge with John Calvin.
The Waldensians did not have real religious and political freedom until 1848. They are often thought of as “Protestants before the Reformation”. Although many of them later joined with new Protestant churches, today there are still Waldensian churches in existence in Germany, Italy, Uruguay, Argentina, the United States, and elsewhere.
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