Week 22 Essay

           This week, in history, I learned about a few church reformers during the Reformation. They were Gerhard Groote, Martin Luther, Desiderius Erasmus, and Ulrich Zwingli. However, I found Gerhard Groote most interesting.

          Groote was born in 1340, in a small town in the Netherlands. At ten years old, both of Gerhard’s parents died in the Black Plague when it struck his town. The orphan then inherited all of his fathers wealth and became rich. He went to school and got a great education, but he basically became a spoiled brat, spending his money on fancy things and trips.

          Thankfully, Gerhard ended this bad lifestyle. He went on a trip, and while on that trip, listened to someone preach and was converted to Christianity. He went back to his home and started studying the Bible.

          Unfortunately, the Black Plague swept through his town again. Groote survived this disease again, but when it passed, many orphaned boys were left. Gerhard felt bad for these children, knowing that he was an orphan too, so he let them into his own house. He taught them about Christianity and even taught them how to read and write. He did this by having the boys read and copy down parts of scripture.

          He also opened a school for girls, doing the same thing. He called these schools: Brethren of the Common Life. One of the reasons for this name was because the children who went to the school shared everything. His schools spread, because of all the money that he had, and some of his students worked there as teachers! However, with the Black Death, Hundred Years War, and the Hanseatic League around during the time, not many people noticed and cared about his school.

          The Black Death came through his town a third time, but this time he did not survive. He died in 1384, after running his school only for less than ten years! Obviously his students wanted to carry on his legacy, but he did not teach them anything about teaching. This did not stop them though, and they continued teaching the exact same way he did. Because of this, Brethren of the Common Life lasted for about one hundred and fifty years after Gerhard Groote’s death!

          Groote is not a very well known man today. He basically started the Reformation, but he was not trying too. All he wanted was to teach people about the gospel. Despite this, many reformers went to his school, such as John Calvin, and even Martin Luther, who is probably the most well-known reformer.

          Although Groote is not a very well known reformer, he was one of the main people who started the Reformation. He and his schools played a major role in history, starting the Reformation and teaching children Christianity and how to read and write. I am excited to learn about more church reformers next week, and what they did to shape the world, just like Gerhard Groote.