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May 19, 1971: The musical Godspell, based on Matthew's gospel, opens at the Cherry Lane Theater in New York.
May 20, 325: Emperor Constantine convenes the first Ecumenical
Council in Nicea (now Iznik), Bithynia, to discuss Arianism, a heresy
arguing that Christ was subordinate to God the Father. "I entreat you,"
Constantine said at the opening of the Council of Nicea, "to remove the
causes of dissension among you and to establish peace." The council
attempted to resolve the bitter conflict by anathematizing Arius
(Arianism's founder) and ordering the burning of all his books, but the
conflict continued to rage for decades (see issue 51: Heresy in the Early Church).
May 20, 1277: Pope John XXI dies when his castle ceiling collapses on him. The name was a mistake—there was never a John XX.
May 20, 1506: Christopher Columbus, who saw himself as a
missionary, not just an explorer, dies impoverished in Spain at age 55.
"I hope in our Lord that it will be the greatest honor to Christianity
that, unexpectedly, has ever come about," he concluded in the log of
his first voyage to the Americas (see issue 35: Christopher Columbus).
May 20, 1690: John Eliot, English missionary to the Native
Americans of New England and publisher of the first Bible printed in
America, dies (see issue 41: The American Puritans).
May 20, 1960: Six months before John F. Kennedy, a Roman
Catholic, is elected president of the United States, the Southern
Baptist Convention condemns the election of Catholics to public office.
"When a public official is inescapably bound by the dogma and demands
of the church," it declared, "he cannot consistently separate himself
from these.
May 21, 1527: Anabaptist minister Michael Sattler, a former
Benedictine monk who left the monastery and married after reading
Paul's letters, is tortured and killed in Rottenburg, Germany. His wife
was drowned eight days later (see issue 5: Anabaptists).
May 21, 1536: The General Assembly of Geneva officially adopts
the Reformation and separates from the Roman Catholic diocese. John
Calvin, who became forever associated with the Swiss city, arrives two
months later (see issue 12: John Calvin).
May 21, 1738: Charles Wesley, who would cofound Methodism with
his brother, converts to Christianity while sick with pleurisy. "In the
name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and believe, and thou shalt be healed
of thy infirmities," a mysterious voice told him in his sickbed. "I
believe, I believe," he replied. One year later on this date, he wrote
"O for a Thousand Tongues" to commemorate the event (see issue 31: The
Golden Age of Hymn).
May 22, 337: Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome,
dies. Though known for calling the Council of Nicea (which condemned
the Arian heresy) and for beginning the process of Christianizing the
empire, he waited until just before his death before he finally
accepted baptism into the church (see issue 57: Converting the Empire).
May 22, 1789: The first American Presbyterian General Assembly convenes in Philadelphia.
May 22, 1883: Billy Sunday, who would become the greatest
American tent revivalist after a career in professional baseball, has
his first at bat playing for the Chicago White Stockings. He struck out
his first 14 attempts.
May 24, 1844: Samuel Morse sends the first long-distance telegraph message: "What hath God wrought.
May 24, 1854: Presbyterians found the first black college in the United States: Pennsylvania's Lincoln University.
May 25, 1824: The Sunday and Adult Sunday School Union in
Philadelphia establishes the American Sunday School Union. It purposed
to use Sunday schools as a means to instill Christian and democratic
values "wherever there is a population." In 1970 it changed its name to
the American Missionary Society.
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