John Knox Popular Books

John Knox Biography & Facts

John Knox (c. 1514 – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lothian, Knox is believed to have been educated at the University of St Andrews and worked as a notary-priest. 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. In England, he met and married his first wife, Margery Bowes. When Mary I ascended the throne of England and re-established Catholicism, Knox was forced to resign his position and leave the country. Knox moved to Geneva and then to Frankfurt. 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. He left Geneva to head the English refugee church in Frankfurt but he was forced to leave over differences concerning the liturgy, thus ending his association with the Church of England. The University of Edinburgh Heritage Collection holds a copy of Knox's Liturgy, translated into Scots Gaelic by John Carswell. It is the first book printed in any Gaelic language.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. He wrote his five-volume The History of the Reformation in Scotland between 1559 and 1566. He continued to serve as the religious leader of the Protestants throughout Mary's reign. In several interviews with the Queen, Knox admonished her for supporting Catholic practices. After she was imprisoned for her alleged role in the murder of her husband Lord Darnley, and King James VI was enthroned in her stead, Knox openly called for her execution. He continued to preach until his final days. Early life, 1505–1546 John Knox was born sometime between 1505 and 1515 in or near Haddington, the county town of East Lothian. His father, William Knox, was a merchant. All that is known of his mother is that her maiden name was Sinclair and that she died when John Knox was a child. Their eldest son, William, carried on his father's business, which helped in Knox's international communications.Knox was probably educated at the grammar school in Haddington. At this time, the priesthood was the only path for those whose inclinations were academic rather than mercantile or agricultural. He proceeded to further studies at the University of St Andrews or possibly at the University of Glasgow. He studied under John Major, one of the greatest scholars of the time. Knox was ordained a Catholic priest in Edinburgh on Easter Eve of 1536 by William Chisholm, Bishop of Dunblane.Knox first appears in public records as a priest and a notary in 1540. He was still serving in these capacities as late as 1543 when he described himself as a "minister of the sacred altar in the diocese of St. Andrews, notary by apostolic authority" in a notarial deed dated 27 March. Rather than taking up parochial duties in a parish, he became tutor to two sons of Hugh Douglas of Longniddry. He also taught the son of John Cockburn of Ormiston. Both of these lairds had embraced the new religious ideas of the Reformation. Embracing the Protestant Reformation, 1546–1547 Knox did not record when or how he was converted to the Protestant faith, but perhaps the key formative influences on Knox were Patrick Hamilton and George Wishart. Wishart was a reformer who had fled Scotland in 1538 to escape punishment for heresy. He first moved to England, where in Bristol he preached against the veneration of the Virgin Mary. He was forced to make a public recantation and was burned in effigy at the Church of St Nicholas as a sign of his abjuration. He then took refuge in Germany and Switzerland. While on the Continent, he translated the First Helvetic Confession into English. He returned to Scotland in 1544, but the timing of his return was unfortunate. In December 1543, James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, the appointed regent for the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, had decided with the Queen Mother, Mary of Guise, and Cardinal David Beaton to persecute the Protestant sect that had taken root in Scotland. Wishart travelled throughout Scotland preaching in favour of the Reformation, and when he arrived in East Lothian, Knox became one of his closest associates. Knox acted as his bodyguard, bearing a two-handed sword in order to defend him. In December 1545, Wishart was seized on Beaton's orders by the Earl of Bothwell and taken to the Castle of St Andrews. Knox was present on the night of Wishart's arrest and was prepared to follow him into captivity, but Wishart persuaded him against this course saying, "Nay, return to your bairns [children] and God bless you. One is sufficient for a sacrifice." Wishart was subsequently prosecuted by Beaton's Public Accuser of Heretics, Archdeacon John Lauder. On 1 March 1546, he was burnt at the stake in the presence of Beaton. Knox had avoided being arrested by Lord Bothwell through Wishart's advice to return to tutoring. He took shelter with Douglas in Longniddry. Several months later he was still in charge of the pupils, the sons of Douglas and Cockburn, who wearied of moving from place to place while being pursued. He toyed with the idea of fleeing to Germany and taking his pupils with him. While Knox remained a fugitive, Beaton was murdered on 29 May 1546, within his residence, the Castle of St Andrews, by a gang of five persons in revenge for Wishart's execution. The assassins seized the castle and eventually their families and friends took refuge with them, about a hundred and fifty men in all. Among their friends was Henry Balnaves, a former secretary of state in the government, who negotiated with England for the financial support of the rebels. Douglas and Cockburn suggested to Knox to take their sons to the relative safety of the castle to continue their instruction in reformed doctrine, and Knox arrived at the castle on 10 April 1547.Knox's powers as a preacher came to the attention of the chapla.... Discover the John Knox popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Knox books.

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    The Doll Princess

    Tom Benn

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    John Knox

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    John Knox and the Reformation

    Andrew Lang

    1905. In this brief life of Knox, Mr. Lang tried, as much as he could, to get behind tradition, which has so deeply affected even modern histories of the Scottish Reformation, and ...

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    John Knox and the Reformation

    Andrew Lang

    Andrew Lang was a Scottish writer best known for collecting folklore, legends, and fairy tales and making a compendium of them to celebrate ethnic heritage.

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    Searching for Happiness

    Martin Thielen

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    John Knox and the Reformation

    Andrew Lang

    In this brief Life of Knox I have tried, as much as I may, to get behind Tradition, which has so deeply affected even modern histories of the Scottish Reformation, and even recent ...

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    John Knox

    William M. Taylor

    Towering personality! John Knox by William M. Taylor highlights Knox’s role in the Scottish Reformation, particularly the changes he instituted in the communion ...

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    John Knox and the British Reformations

    Roger A. Mason

    Published in 1998. John Knox is one of the towering figures of the European reformation, his name synonymous with hardline evangelical Protestantism, and his influence spreading fa...

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    John Knox

    William M. Taylor

    With centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world. Who are w...

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    John Knox

    Catherine MacKenzie

    John Knox spent his life with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other and he wasn't afraid to use either. He began his theological life as a body guard to George Wishart and ...

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    The Thunder

    Douglas Bond

    “Francis looked at Master Knox’s still form and bit his lower lip. ‘Either they’ll hang us all on the spot . . .’ He paused. ‘Or enslave us in the galleys of the French.’ . . . “I ...

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    John Knox

    Richard G. Kyle & Dale W Johnson

    While the Reformed tradition originated with Huldrych Zwingli and was more fully developed with John Calvin, it was John Knox who made significant contributions to this movement as...

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    John Knox

    Rosalind K. Marshall

    A bestselling biography of one of the Reformations’ central characters from the author of Mary Queen of Scots: Truth or Lies.   Following John Knox’s career in Scotland, Engla...

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    John Knox

    Steven J. Lawson

    John Knox is one of the most colourful figures in church history and his impact is still felt around the world. The real story of Knox surpasses the best fiction novels. Five hundr...

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    Protestants

    Alec Ryrie

    On the 500th anniversary of Luther’s theses, a landmark history of the revolutionary faith that shaped the modern world. "Ryrie writes that his aim 'is to persuade you that we...

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    Galatians

    Nancy Bedford

    In this incisive commentary, Nancy Bedford explores Paul's Letter to the Galatians as it addresses pressing issues in the earliest Christian churches. Paul argues that it is not ne...

  • The Works of John Knox Vol. 2 synopsis, comments

    The Works of John Knox Vol. 2

    John Knox

    Invigorating! Revealing his intellectual depth John Knox in Vol. 2 dates each passage to give a chronological framework accurately recording the Scott...

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    John Knox

    William Mackergo Taylor

    The sources from which the following narrative has been derived are (1) the splendidly edited and complete edition of Knox's Works in six volumes, by Dr. David Laing; (2) the Memoi...

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    John Knox and the Reformation

    Andrew Lang

    John Knox and the Reformation Andrew Lang, scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology (18441912) This ebook presents «John Knox and the Ref...

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    White Bone

    Ridley Pearson

    John Knox and Grace Chu, the incomparable duo of the Risk Agent novels, team up again in the latest international thrill ride from New York Times–bestselling author Ridley Pearson....

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    An On-Going Imagination

    Walter Brueggemann, Clover Reuter Beal & Timothy Beal

    Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann has always excelled at making the Bible approachable and engaging. Drawn from a series of public conversations with Brueggemann and his former s...

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    The Life of John Knox

    Thomas McCrie

    Herein are both biographical volumes concerning Scotland’s famous minister John Knox, who led the Scottish Reformation and helped found the Church of Scotland. The son of a merchan...

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    Works of John Knox

    John Knox

    2 works of John Knox Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation  (15141572) This ebook presents a collection of 2 works of John Knox. A dynamic table of con...

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    Decisive Day

    Richard M. Ketchum

    Richard M. Ketchum recounts the early developments of the American Revolution in Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill. Boston, 1775: A town occupied by General Thomas Gage's re...

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    John Knox and the Reformation

    Andrew Lang

    Andrew Lang (18441912) was a prolific Scots man of letters, a poet, novelist, literary critic and contributor to anthropology. He now is best known as the collector of folk and fai...

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    John Knox

    Alexander Taylor Innes

    A fascinating biography from the "Famous Scots Series", written by famed church historian Alexander Taylor Innes about the 16th century Protestant Reformationist John Knox.

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    John Knox

    William Mackergo Taylor

    John Knox William Mackergo Taylor, an American Congregational minister (18291895) This ebook presents «John Knox», from William Mackergo Taylor. A dynamic table of contents enables...

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    John Knox

    Jane Dawson

    Jane Dawson has written the definitive life of John Knox, a leader of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenthcentury Scotland. Based in large part on previously unavailable sources...

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    The Mighty Weakness of John Knox

    Douglas Bond

    John Knox, the great Reformer of Scotland, was once a slave in a French galley but rose to stand against powerful monarchs. Yet he was a small man, often ill, and frequently filled...

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    Liberty Is Sweet

    Woody Holton

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    John Knox

    Eustace Percy

    John Knox has suffered in this century from that trick of the popular imagination that seizes on one aspect of a historical figure and elevates it into the whole man. At one time h...

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    The Forbidden Temple

    Patrick Woodhead

    To Luca Matthews the dangers of the high mountain peaks are the air upon which he thrives.In the ruthless pursuit of his goals he would sacrifice anything even another climber's l...

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    The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time

    Brad Meltzer & Keith Ferrell

    Master storyteller Brad Meltzer counts down and decodes the world’s top 10 most intriguing conspiracies stories.  Wanted: the truth. In a riveting collection, Brad Meltze...

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    John Knox

    A. Taylor Innes

    AlexanderTaylor Innes, was a lawyer, writer, biographer and church historian. He wasborn on 18 December 1833 at Tain, Ross and Cromarty. His father was AlexanderInnes, an accountan...

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    John Knox

    A. Taylor Innes

    He was a minister of the Christian gospel who advocated violent revolution. He was considered one of the most powerful preachers of his day, but only two of the hundreds of sermons...

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    From Judgment to Hope

    Walter Brueggemann

    While conservative interpreters might believe that prophets were predictors and progressives believe the prophets to be simply social advocates, Walter Brueggemann argues that the ...

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    The Reformation

    Diarmaid MacCulloch

    The Reformation and CounterReformation represented the greatest upheaval in Western society since the collapse of the Roman Empire a millennium before. The consequences of those sh...

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    Sabbath as Resistance

    Walter Brueggemann

    Discussions about the Sabbath often center around moralistic laws and arguments over whether a person should be able to play cards or purchase liquor on Sundays. In this volume, po...

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    John Knox

    William M. Taylor

    This book is perfectly adapted and layout for a pleasant reading on a tablet, smartphone or computer. To improve your reading experience, this digital version has been edited and f...

  • The Works of John Knox synopsis, comments

    The Works of John Knox

    John Knox

    This publication of the Works of John Knox, it is supposed, will extend to Five Volumes. It was thought advisable to commence the series with his History of the Reformation in Scot...