“In the hearts of Scotsmen…he became the Moses of the Scots; more indeed, for he was their Amos and their Isaiah too…” Geddes MacGregor
Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven
Who was John Knox? Briefly stated: he was born in Scotland, attended classes at St. Andrews University, experienced a life-changing conversion to Jesus Christ and a call to the ministry; he was enslaved by the French and forced to row all over the North Atlantic coming close to death while in captivity; in God’s kind providence he was released and became a diligent and esteemed pastor in England; he fled to Europe during the reign of Bloody Mary, and while there he ministered to English exiles in Frankfurt, Germany and later in Geneva, Switzerland; he studied at the feet of John Calvin. He was a husband to Marjorie Bowes, and after her untimely death, to Margaret Stewart; he was a father to two sons and three daughters. In triumph he returned to his native Scotland where he courageously advanced the cause of the Reformation as a pastor at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh for the remainder of his life. After his death, he became widely known as an author with his gripping book, The History of the Reformation in Scotland (which is still in print). By his preaching and teaching, he was able to bring virtually all of Scotland to a thorough-going knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and he engendered in the Scots a stalwart resolve to advance Christ’s Kirk (or, Church) here on earth. This is why many of the spiritual descendants of Knox—the Scottish Covenanters, the English Puritans and Pilgrims, and the American Presbyterians and Reformed Baptists—uniformly thank God for the life and ministry of John Knox. The “rallying cry” of the Scots Covenanters and their spiritual children is “For Christ’s Crown and Covenant” and this motto is directly connected to the preaching of John Knox.
HIS EARLY YEARS: BIRTH AND PREPARATION (1514-1542)
- 1514 – John Knox is born at Giffordgate on the outskirts of Haddington, on southern plains of Scotland; some place his date of birth much earlier in 1505
- 1528 – The young scholar Patrick Hamilton is martyred for his faith in St. Andrews–all of Scotland grieves his death
- 1532 – Knox was sent by his father to study at the University of St. Andrews
- 1536 – In March, John Calvin published the Institutes of the Christian Religion in Basle
- 1540 – Knox is ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood; and serves as a Papal notary
HIS CONVERSION: NEW LIFE & CALL TO MINISTRY (1543-1547)
- 1543 – Knox begins tutoring the young sons of two Scottish Lords open to Protestantism
- 1543 – Knox is converted to Christ after reading John 17, he refers to this passage as “Where I cast my first anchor.”
- 1544 – He serves the bold Scottish evangelist, George Wishart, as a personal body guard and carries a large two-handed sword to defend him
- 1546 – George Wishart is captured by Cardinal David Beaton, quickly tried & burned alive on March 1, 1546 outside the Castle of St. Andrews
- 1546 – In revenge, Cardinal David Beaton is murdered by several young Scottish assassins who take refuge in St. Andrews Castle
- 1547 – Knox is called to preach by Chaplain John Rough and the people of St. Andrews Castle
- 1547 – Knox preaches his 1st sermon in the parish church of St. Andrews Castle
AS A GALLEY-SLAVE: THE “SOBS OF MY HEART” (1548-1549)
- 1548 – St. Andrew’s Castle falls to French forces; all are captured and enslaved
- 1548 – Knox is forced to be a galley-slave on the French ship, Notre Dame
- 1548 – Knox assists his friend Sir Henry Balnaves in writing a Treatise on Justification
- 1549 – Near death, Knox prophesies that he will once again preach in St. Andrews Kirk
- 1549 – As a result of English negotiations, Knox is providentially released in March from the galley-ship after nineteen months of enslavement
- 1549 – Knox makes his way to England; is licensed to preach by the English Privy Council
IN ENGLAND: AS A PREACHER OF THE WORD (1549-1553)
- 1549 – Knox is appointed as a preacher in Berwick, England
- 1549 – Knox meets Mrs. Elisabeth Bowes of Aske, and her daughter Marjorie
- 1549 – the 1st edition of the Book of Common Prayer is adopted; Knox assists Thomas Cramner in this project
- 1550 – Knox writes Vindication of the Doctrine that the Mass is Idolatry in Newcastle
- 1550 – Knox writes a practical treatise on True Prayer, and how we should pray
- 1551 – He receives a formal ministerial call to Newcastle, England
- 1551 – Elected to serve as one of six Royal Chaplains to King Edward VI
- 1552 – the 2nd edition of the Book of Common Prayer is adopted
- 1553 – Edward VI dies on July 6, and Mary I becomes the Queen of England
- 1553 – Mary begins her bloody persecution of the Protestants; many flee to Europe
ON THE CONTINENT: DIEPPE, FRANKFORT, & GENEVA (1554-1558)
- 1554 – In January, Knox flees to France and takes up temporary residence in Dieppe, Netherlands
- 1554 – He writes A Godly Letter of Warning or Admonition to the faithful in London, Newcastle, and Berwick
- 1554 – In March, Knox visits John Calvin in Geneva, then returns to Dieppe
- 1554 – Knox quietly enters into a binding engagement with Marjorie Bowes
- 1554 – Writes Two Comfortable Epistles to his Afflicted Brethren in England
- 1554 – Writes A Faithful Admonition to the Professors of God’s Truth in England
- 1554 – In August, Knox returns to Geneva for the purpose of study with John Calvin
- 1554 – In November, Knox is called to serve as the pastor to English refugees in Frankfort, Germany
- 1554 – Knox befriends the young scholar William Whittingham in Frankfort
- 1555 – In March, Knox is ousted by the unruly congregation in Frankfort over disputes about the proper forms of worship
- 1555 – Knox returns briefly to Scotland and secretly marries Marjorie Bowes; returns to Dieppe
- 1556 – In May, Knox begins an extended preaching mission throughout Scotland
- 1556 – Knox writes the Queen Mother, Mary of Guise, of the need for reform in the Kirk
- 1556 – Knox leaves Scotland, reunites with Marjorie and her mother; travels to Geneva
- 1557 – Birth of his 1st son, Nathaniel, and later a 2nd son, Eleazer; both are born in Geneva
- 1557 – Knox intends to return to Scotland, but is warned off by friends; he remains in Dieppe
- 1557 – Writes The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women
- 1558 – Knox returns to Geneva and works out his theory of a “godly revolution” and the resistance of tyrants through the interposition of lesser magistrates
- 1558 – Knox writes a massive treatise On Predestination in Geneva; published in 1560
- 1558 – Works with William Whittingham translating the Geneva Bible; published in 1560
- 1558 – Mary I, “Bloody Mary”, dies on November 17th and is succeeded by Elizabeth I
IN SCOTLAND: ADVANCING THE REFORMATION (1559-1560)
- 1559 – In January, most of Knox’s congregation safely returns to England
- 1559 – Knox arrives at Leith, Scotland on May 2nd and begins preaching in Perth
- 1559 – On June 11th Knox preaches at St. Andrews under threat of death; he fulfills his prophecy of preaching once again in St. Andrews
- 1559 – On June 29th Knox begins preaching at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh; opposition to reform increases
- 1560 – On June 11th the Queen Mother, Mary of Guise, suddenly dies
- 1560 – In August, Knox and five other “Johns” write the Scots Confession; adopted by Parliament
- 1560 – In December, Knox’s wife Marjory, his “dear bedfellow,” dies in Edinburgh (24 yrs. old)
IN THE CRUCIBLE: SEVERE TRIALS IN EDINBURGH (1560-1570)
- 1561 – In January, the Book of Discipline is presented to Parliament and rejected
- 1561 – In August, Marie Stuart, “Mary, Queen of Scots”, arrives to assume her throne
- 1561 – 1st audience with Marie Stuart regarding her authority as Queen and private Mass
- 1561 – 2nd audience with Marie Stuart regarding Knox’s sermon critical of her actions
- 1562 – 3rd audience with Marie Stuart regarding Roman Catholic priests saying Easter Mass in her Chapel at Holyrood
- 1562 – 4th audience with Marie Stuart regarding her plans to marry a Spanish Prince
- 1562 – 5th audience with Marie Stuart regarding Knox’s suspected treason; he is formally accused
- 1562 – After a stout defense Knox is unanimously acquitted of treason by the Scottish Lords
- 1564 – Knox (50 yrs. old) marries Margaret Stewart (17 yrs. old); three daughters follow: Martha, Margaret, and Elizabeth
- 1565 – In July, Mary Queen of Scots weds Lord Darnley; confers on him the title of “King Henry”
- 1566 – James VI is born to Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley
- 1567 – In February, the Earl of Bothwell murders Lord Darnley (King Henry)
- 1567 – On May 15th Mary Queen of Scots weds the Earl of Bothwell to public outrage
- 1567 – In August, Mary Queen of Scots is deposed by the Scots General Assembly
- 1568 – Marie Stuart, the ex-Queen, escapes her captivity by fleeing to Elizabeth I in England
- 1570 – Civil War breaks out in Scotland
- 1571 – An assassin’s bullet is fired through the window of Knox’s study but misses its intended target
THE END NEARS: ST. ANDREWS AND EDINBURGH (1571-1572)
- 1571 – In May, Knox temporarily moves to St. Andrews due to the Civil War that has broken out
- 1571 – Knox finishes compiling material for his History of the Reformation in Scotland
- 1572 – In August, Knox returns to Edinburgh and resumes preaching at St. Giles
- 1572 – On November 24th after hearing his wife read aloud John 17, “Where I cast my first anchor,” John Knox dies in his bed at Edinburgh (58 yrs. old)
- He is buried next to St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland
Select Bibliography:
Bond, Douglas. The Mighty Weakness of John Knox. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2011.
Cameron, Nigel M. de S., ed. Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993
- “Book of Common Order (1564)”, by H.R, Sefton
- “First Book of Discipline”, by J. Kirk
- “Kirk Session”, by A.I. Dunlop
- “Major (Mair), John”, by J. Kirk
- “Reformation, Scottish”, by J. Kirk
- “St. Giles”, by G.I. Macmillan
Dawson, Jane. John Knox. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015.
Douglas, J. D., ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Revised edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.
- “Beaton, David”, by J.D. Douglas
- “Calvin, John”, by W.S. Reid
- “Calvinism”, by W.S. Reid
- “Common Order, Book of”, by W.S. Reid
- “Discipline, Books of”, by Adam Loughridge
- “Edward VI”, by P.W. Petty
- “England, Church Of”, by John A. Simpson
- “Geneva Bible”, by Robert D. Linder
- “Genevan Academy”, by W.S. Reid
- “Henry VIII”, by Robert Schnucker
- “James VI (of Scotland) and I (of England)”, by Henry R. Sefton
- “Knox, John”, by Richard L. Greaves
- “Mary, Queen of Scots”, by Henry R. Sefton
- “Mary Tudor”, by Peter Toon
- “Presbyterianism”, by W.S. Reid
- “Reformation, The”, by Robert D. Linder
- “Scots Confession”, by W.S. Reid
- “Scotland”, by W.S. Reid
- “Scotland, Church of”, by W.S. Reid
- “Wishart, George”, by J.D. Douglas
Knox, John. The History of the Reformation in Scotland. Charles J. Guthrie, ed. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, Reprint 1982.
Knox, John. Select Practical Writings of John Knox. The Committee of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, 1845; Reprint, Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2011.
Lindsay, Thomas M. A History of the Reformation. 2 Volumes. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1949.
MacGregor, Geddes. The Thundering Scot. London, England: MacMillan and Company LTD, 1958.
McEwen, James S. The Faith of John Knox. London, England: Lutterworth Press, 1961.
McFeeters, J. C. Sketches of the Covenanters. Philadelphia, PA: The Second Church of the Covenanters, 1913.
M’Crie, Thomas. The Life of John Knox. Originally published in 1811; Reprint, Glasgow, Scotland: Free Presbyterian Publications, 1991.
M’Crie, Thomas. The Story of the Scottish Church. London, England: Blackie and Son, 1875.
Morecraft, Joseph. “Calvin’s Influence on Scotland” in Volmer, Philip. John Calvin: Man of the Millennium. San Antonio, TX: The Vision Forum, 2009.
Murray, Ian H. A Scottish Christian Heritage. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2006.
Reed, Kevin, ed. Selected Writings of John Knox. Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Heritage Publications, 1995.
Reid, W. Stanford. Trumpeter of God: A Biography of John Knox. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1974.
Ridely, Jasper. John Knox. London, England: Oxford University Press, 1968.
Schaaf, Philip. The Creeds of Christendom. 6th Edition. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Sefton, Henry R. John Knox: An Account of the Development of His Spirituality. Edinburgh, Scotland: Saint Andrew Press, 1993.
Whitley, Elizabeth. The Plain Mr. Knox. Reprint, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2001.
Wylie, James A. The History of Protestantism. 3 Volumes. Kilkeel, N. Ireland: Mourne Missionary Trust, 1990.
Dr. Marcus Serven, ThM and DMin
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