A list follows (not quite up to date) of memorable Christians of the past
for whom I have posted or hope to post biographical sketches. Some
readers may find it helpful in giving them a kind of overall view of
Church history over the last 2000 years, and some may wish to read and
compare the lives of Christians of the same century. (Some, noting that
their favorite example of a memorable Christian has been omitted, may
write me indignant letters, but that is the chance I take. Note that
there is nothing to prevent you from posting a biography written by you.)
1 Nov XXXX All Saints 2 Nov XXXX All Souls--Commemoration of All Faithful Departed 29 Sep XXXX Michael and All Angels 26 Jul NT The Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary 25 Mar NT The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ 31 May NT The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 24 Jun NT The Nativity of John the Baptist 1 Jan NT The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ 6 Jan NT The Epiphany (Revealing) of Our Lord Jesus Christ 28 Dec NT The Holy Innocents 2 Feb NT The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple 19 Mar NT Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord 29 Aug NT Beheading of John the Baptist 18 Jan NT The Confession of Peter the Apostle 6 Aug NT The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ 26 Dec NT Stephen, Dn and Protomartyr 25 Jul NT James the Apostle 1 Aug NT Peter's Deliverance (Lammas Day) 29 Jul NT Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany, friends of Jesus 22 Jul NT Mary Magdalene, first witness of the Resurrection 12 May NT Simon of Cyrene 3 Aug NT Nicodemus, A Teacher of Israel 31 Jul NT Joseph of Arimathea, friend of Jesus 24 Feb NT Matthias the Apostle 4 Feb NT Cornelius the Centurion 25 Jan NT The Conversion of Paul the Apostle 26 Jan NT Timothy, Titus and Silas, Companions of Paul 29 Jan NT Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe, Co-Workers with the Apostles 11 Jun NT Barnabas the Apostle 25 Apr NT Mark the Evangelist 23 Oct 62 James of Jerusalem, brother of Our Lord, M 30 Jun 62 Early MM of the Church (at Rome under Nero) 29 Jun NT Peter and Paul, Apostles 13 Jul NT Silas, Apostle 8 Jul NT Aquila and Priscilla, evangelists 21 Dec NT Thomas the Apostle 21 Sep NT Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist 30 Nov NT Andrew the Apostle 1 May NT Philip and James, Apostles 28 Oct NT Simon and Jude, Apostles 24 Aug NT Bartholomew the Apostle 11 Oct NT Philip the Evangelist, Dn 18 Oct NT Luke the Evangelist 15 Aug NT Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ 27 Dec NT John, Apostle and Evangelist
23 Nov 100 Clement, Bp of Rome, teacher and M 17 Oct 115 Ignatius, Bp of Antioch, and M 23 Feb 156 Polycarp, Bp and M of Smyrna 1 Jun 167 Justin, M at Rome 2 Jun 177 The MM of Lyons
7 Mar 202 Perpetua and her Companions, MM at Carthage 28 Jun 202 Irenaeus, Bp of Lyons, teacher 5 Dec 210 Clement of Alexandria, Priest 12 Aug 235 Hippolytus, Bp and M at Rome 20 Jan 250 Fabian, Bp and M of Rome 10 Aug 258 Laurence, Dn, and M at Rome 13 Sep 258 Cyprian, Bp of Carthage, M 21 Nov 265 Dionysius of Alexandria, educator and Bp 12 Feb 280 Valentine, M
23 Apr 303 George, Patron of England, M 21 Jan 304 Agnes, M at Rome 22 Jan 304 Vincent, Dn at Saragossa, and M 22 Jun 304 Alban, First M of Britain 13 Dec 304 Agatha and Lucy, MM 3 Feb 314 Blaise, Bp & M 25 Nov 304 Catherine of Alexandria, M 10 Mar 320 Forty MM of Sebaste 19 Aug 330 Helena, Queen and Widow 23 Mar 332 Gregory the Illuminator, Apostle of Armenia 31 Dec 335 Sylvester, Bp of Rome 14 Sep 335 Holy Cross Day 6 Dec 342 Nicholas, Bp of Myra, philanthropist 14 May 346 Pachomius, Founder of Christian Community Monasticism 17 Jan 356 Antony, Abt in Egypt, initiator of religious communities 13 Jan 367 Hilary, Bp of Poitiers, teacher 2 May 373 Athanasius, Bp of Alexandria, teacher 10 Jun 373 Ephrem of Edessa, Syria, Dn 14 Jun 379 Basil the Great, Bp of Caesarea 18 Mar 386 Cyril, Bp of Jerusalem, teacher 4 May 387 Monnica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo 9 May 389 Gregory of Nazianzus, Bp of Constantinople, teacher 9 Mar 394 Gregory, Bp of Nyssa 11 Nov 397 Martin, Bp of Tours, evangelist 7 Dec 397 Ambrose, Bp of Milan
27 Jan 407 John Chrysostom, Bp of Constantinople, teacher 30 Sep 420 Jerome, Priest, Monk of Bethlehem, biblical scholar 28 Aug 430 Augustine, Bp of Hippo, teacher 16 Sep 430 Ninian, Bp and Msn in Scotland 27 Jun 444 Cyril, Bp of Alexandria, teacher 17 Mar 461 Patrick, Bp and Msn of Ireland 10 Nov 461 Leo the Great, Bp of Rome, teacher
1 Feb 523 Brigid, Abbess of Kildare 1 Oct 530 Remigius, Bp of Orleans, Apostle of the Franks 11 Jul 540 Benedict of Nursia, Founder of Western Monasticism 10 Feb 543 Scholastica, Abbess, sister of Benedict 1 Mar 544 David, Bp of Menevia, Wales 9 Jun 597 Columba, Abbot of Iona, Msn
12 Mar 604 Gregory the Great, Bp of Rome 26 May 605 Augustine, First Abp of Canterbury, Msn 25 Feb 616 Ethelbert, King and Confessor 5 Aug 642 Oswald, King of Northumbria, M 10 Oct 644 Paulinus, First Bp of York, Msn 31 Aug 651 Aidan, Bp of Lindisfarne, Msn 2 Mar 672 Chad, Bp of Lichfield, Msn 18 Nov 680 Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, mediator 20 Mar 687 Cuthbert, Bp of Lindisfarne, Msn 19 Sep 690 Theodore of Tarsus, Abp of Canterbury
12 Oct 709 Wilfred, Abp of York 25 May 735 Bede the Venerable, Priest, Monk, scholar and teacher 7 Nov 739 Willibrord, Abp/Utrecht, Msn/Frisia 5 Jun 754 Boniface, Abp, Msn, and M 4 Dec 760 John of Damascus, hymn-writer, defender of icons
20 May 804 Alcuin, Dn, and Abbot of Tours 3 Feb 865 Anskar, Abp & Msn 14 Feb 869 Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bp, Msns 20 Nov 870 Edmund, King of East Anglia, M 26 Oct 899 Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons
30 Apr 909 The Early Abbots of Cluny 19 May 988 Dunstan, Abp of Canterbury, reformer
21 Feb 1007 Peter Damian, Bp, Theologian, Reformer, Hermit 19 Apr 1012 Alphege, Abp of Canterbury, and M 15 Jul 1015 Olga and Vladimir, first Christian rulers of Russia 16 Aug 1038 Stephen of Hungary, King 13 Oct 1066 Edward the Confessor, King of England 16 Nov 1093 Margaret, Queen of Scotland 19 Jan 1095 Wulfstan, Bp of Worcester
21 Apr 1109 Anselm, Abp of Canterbury 20 Aug 1153 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, theologian and poet 17 May 1160 Erik, King of Sweden, M 12 Jan 1167 Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx 29 Dec 1170 Thomas a Becket, Abp of Canterbury, M 17 Sep 1179 Hildegard of Bingen, Visionary
17 Nov 1200 Hugh, Bp of Lincoln, pastor and philanthropist 8 Aug 1221 Dominic, Priest and Friar, founder of the OP 4 Oct 1226 Francis of Assisi, Friar, Preacher, founder of OFM 19 Nov 1231 Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary 13 Jun 1231 Antony of Padua, Priest, OFM 3 Apr 1253 Richard, Bp of Chichester 11 Aug 1253 Clare, Abbess at Assisi, Founder of the Second Order 9 Oct 1253 Robert Grosseteste, Bp of Lincoln 25 Aug 1270 Louis IX, King of France 28 Jan 1274 Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Friar, theologian 15 Nov 1280 Albert the Great, Bp of Ratisbon and Friar
15 Sep 1321 Dante Alighieri, poet 13 Nov 1359 Gregory Palamas, monk, mystic, theologian 23 Jul 1373 Birgitta of Sweden, spiritual writer and foundress 29 Apr 1380 Catherine of Siena, Reformer and Spiritual Teacher 31 Dec 1384 John Wyclif, controversialist and translator 25 Sep 1392 Sergius of Radonezh, Abbot, spiritual teacher
25 Oct 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer, poet 6 Jul 1415 Jan Hus, M 8 May 1415 Dame Julian of Norwich, anchoress, mystic, writer 24 Jul 1471 Thomas a Kempis, Priest
6 Apr 1528 Albrecht Duerer 6 Oct 1536 William Tyndale, Thomas More, and John Fisher, MM 23 May 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus, scholar 18 Feb 1546 Martin Luther, monk, translator, renewer/church 08 Jun 1549 The First Book of Common Prayer 3 Dec 1552 Francis Xavier, Msn to the Far East 16 Oct 1555 Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer, the Oxford MM 31 Jul 1556 Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus 12 Apr 1557 Mikael Agricola, Bp of Turku (Finland) & others 25 Jun 1560 Philip Melanchthon, renewer of the Church 6 Apr 1564 Michelangelo 27 May 1564 John Calvin, renewer of the Church 18 Jul 1566 Bartolome de Casas, defender of the oppressed 25 Oct 1570 Forty MM (RC) of England and Wales 15 Oct 1582 Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Teacher and Reformer 14 Dec 1591 John of the Cross, friar, reformer, poet, mystic 5 Feb 1597 The MM of Japan, crucified at Nagasaki
3 Nov 1600 Richard Hooker, defender of the Faith 20 Feb 1620 Rasmus Jensen 24 Jan 1622 Francis de Sales, Bp, Spiritual Writer 26 Sep 1626 Lancelot Andrewes, Bp, Scholar, Writer 1 Dec 1637 Nicholas Ferrar, Dn, man of prayer 31 Mar 1631 John Donne, Priest and Poet 27 Feb 1633 George Herbert, Parish Priest and Poet 29 May 1637 Juraj Tranovsky, Hymnwriter 19 Oct 1642 Jesuit MM of North America 10 Jan 1645 William Laud, Archbp of Canterbury, theologian, M 30 Jan 1649 Charles I of England and Scotland, King and M 24 Oct 16xx Nicolai, Heermann, and Gerhardt, hymnwriters, 1600's 27 Sep 1660 Vincent de Paul, pioneer of the care of the poor 13 Aug 1667 Jeremy Taylor, Bp of Down, Connor, and Dromore 8 Nov 1674 John Milton, poet 30 Aug 1688 John Bunyan, Author 21 May 1690 John Eliot, Msn to the American Indians 15 Jun 1691 Richard Baxter, pastor and author
21 Mar 1711 Thomas Ken, Bp and Non-Juror 23 Feb 1719 Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, Msn 28 Jul 1750 J. S. Bach, musician 16 Jun 1752 Joseph Butler, Bp of Durham 24 Mar 1758 Jonathan Edwards, theologian, teacher, Msn 9 Apr 1761 William Law, priest, writer, non-Juror 4 Jul 1776 Independence Day (USA) 7 Oct 1787 Henry Muhlenberg, patriarch of American Lutherans 14 Nov 1784 Samuel Seabury, 1st Anglican Bp in Americas 3 Mar 1788 John and Charles Wesley, PP and EE 21 Jan 1793 Louis XVI of France, King and M
20 Oct 1812 Henry Martyn, Priest, Translator, Msn 13 Feb 1818 Absalom Jones, Priest 30 Mar 1824 Hans Neilsen Hauge, renewer of the Church 12 Sep 1830 John Henry Hobart, Bp of New York 30 Jul 1833 William Wilberforce, opponent of the slave trade 3 Dec 1834 Robert Morrison 17 Jul 1836 William White, Bp of Pennsylvania 12 Nov 1836 Charles Simeon, teacher, promoter of missionary work 30 Jun 1839 Johan Olaf Wallin of Uppsala, Bp, hymnwriter 3 Dec 1851 Karl Guetzlaff 4 Aug 1859 Jean-Baptise Marie Vianney, cure d'Ars 5 Oct 1864 Theodor Fliedner, renewer of society 30 May 1865 Memorial Day 29 Mar 1866 John Keble, Priest, Poet, renewer of the Church 7 Jun 1866 Seattle, chief of the Duwamish Confederacy 7 Aug 1866 John Mason Neale, Priest 24 May 1870 Jackson Kemper, First Msn Bp in the USA 20 Sep 1871 John C Patteson, Bp, Msn, and M 1 Apr 1872 Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest 3 Sep 1872 Nikolai Grundtvig, Bp and Writer 2 Apr 1876 James Lloyd Breck, Priest 8 Apr 1877 William Augustus Muhlenberg, Priest 11 Apr 1878 George A Selwyn, B of New Zealand and of Lichfield 1 Jul 1878 Catherine Winkworth, hymn translator 9 Sep 1878 Constance and her Companions, MM 22 Mar 1879 James De Koven, Priest 16 Apr 1879 Bernadette, nun, visionary 18 Sep 1882 Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest 29 Oct 1885 James Hannington, Bp, et al., MM in Uganda 3 Jun 1886 MM of Uganda 15 Apr 1889 Damien, priest, Msn, and M 23 Jan 1893 Phillips Brooks, Bp of Massachusetts 18 Jun 1896 Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and M in Mashonaland 1 Jul 1867 Canada Day
27 Aug 1890 Thomas Gallaudet with Henry Winter Syle, Priests 3 Dec 1905 James Hudson Taylor, Msn 15 Oct 1906 S I J Schereschewsky, Bp of Shanghai 30 Dec 1906 Josephine Butler, pioneer worker among women 27 Jul 1909 William Reed Huntington, Priest 8 Mar 1910 Edward King, Bp of Lincoln, Educator and Pastor 18 May 1910 Florence Nightingale, Nurse 3 Dec 1910 Channing Moore Williams, Msn to the Far East 30 Aug 1912 Charles Chapman Grafton, Bp 24 Apr 1915 The MM of Armenia 1 Dec 1916 Charles de Foucauld, hermit and servant of the poor 22 May 1918 Ludwig Nommensen, Msn to Sumatra 18 Aug 1918 William Porcher DuBose, Priest 26 Feb 1921 Elizabeth Fedd 9 Jan 1922 Julia Chester Emery, upholder of missions 27 Mar 1929 Charles Henry Brent, Bp, worker for Christian Unity 12 Jul 1931 Nathan Soderblum of Sweden, Bp 21 Jun 1931 Onesimos Nesib, translator, Msn 1 Sep 1931 David Pendleton Oakerhater, Dn 25 Nov 1935 James Otis Sargent Huntington, founder 15 Jun 1941 Evelyn Underhill, mystical writer 14 Aug 1941 Maximilian Kolbe, Friar, M 2 Sep 1942 The MM of New Guinea 27 Oct 1944 William Temple, Abp of Canterbury, scholar 10 Apr 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor, writer 28 Nov 1864 Kamehameha and Emma of Hawaii 18 Sep 1961 Dag Hammarskjold 4 Jun 1963 John XXIII, Bp of Rome, inspirer of renewal 22 Nov 1963 C. S. Lewis, Spiritual Writer 14 Aug 1965 Jonathan Daniels, Seminarian, M 4 Sep 1965 Albert Schweitzer, Theologian, Physician, Msn17 Feb 1977 Janani Luwum, Abp of Uganda, M