October 26
366 Mass massacre of the followers of Ursinius in their Basilica by Damasus’s supporters in one of the battles that took place after the rival popes were elected.
899 (Probable date) Demise of Alfred the Great, ruler of Wessex, England, who defeated the Danes ensuring the survival of Christianity in England; he is also known for the ecclesiastical reforms and efforts to revive learning in his country.
1277 Walter of Merton, bishop of Rochester, who had written the will donate all his fortune to Merton College, Oxford, England, changes his will to set apart his endowment for his numerous cousins and nephews.
1633 The Puritan congregation at Newton (now Cambridge), Massachusetts, chooses Thomas Hooker as its pastor. Hooker had fled persecution in England.
1751 Demise of Philip Doddridge, known for his book The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul that led William Wilberforce and others to Christ. He also authored over four hundred hymns, including “O Happy Day.”
1889 Birth of Millar Burrows, an American archaeologist who also served as the director of the American School of Oriental Research at Jerusalem 1931-32, 1947-48). His most popular published work was What Mean These Stones?
1928 Death of Reuben A. Torrey, an Independent Congregationalist educator and evangelist, who also served as the first superintendent of both the Moody Bible Institute and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Biola). Torrey was also the editor of The Fundamentals, a magazine which helped unite fundamentalists.
1929 Arrest of the Orthodox priest Innocent Semyonovich Popov on accusation of “massive disturbance amidst the population” since “he conducted intensified agitation for the preservation of the church, organized illegal meetings in his flat,…” during the anti-religious campaign.
1944 Repose of William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, known for his promotion of social justice, for war-time radio broadcasts, and for ecumenism. His most memorable writing is Nature, Man and God and The Faith and Modern Thought.
1948 The Pentecostal Fellowship of North America organized at Des Moines, Iowa, comprising 24 Pentecostal groups. It meets annually to promote unity among Pentecostal Christians.
Edited by: T. Chempilayil MCBS
Courtesy: https://studylight.org