April 19: Today in Christian History

April 19, 1054

Death of Pope St. Leo IX. He had been notable for efforts to end the practice of simony (buying of religious offices) and the practice of priests marrying. He had also spent ten months in prison after his capture while leading an army against the Germans.

April 19, 1552

Death of Olaus Petri, a leading religious reformer of Sweden. Olaus and his brother Laurentius (Sweden’s first Protestant archbishop) had converted much of the nation through their writings, hymns, and examples.

April 19, 1560

Death of German reformer Philip Melanchthon. He had composed the Augsburg Confession of 1530. More of a peacemaker than Luther, he called for Lutherans and Zwinglians to put aside their differences for the sake of the reformation of the church. In addition, he led extensive efforts to develop the German educational system. The universities at Marburg, Koenigsberg, and Jena arose under his advice and Leipzig was reorganized.

April 19, 1854

Nineteen-year-old English Baptist preacher, C.H. (Charles Haddon) Spurgeon, is called to pastor the New Park Chapel in London, one of the city’s largest churches.

April 19, 1858

Death in Philadelphia of evangelist Dudley Tyng, having suffered several days after an accident that mangled one of his arms. In the last sermon he had preached, he supposedly said words to the effect that he “would rather lose his right arm” than fail to share the gospel. Shortly before his death, he urges his father and ministerial brethren to “Stand up for Jesus”—words that will inspire the hymn “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.”

April 19, 1949

Death of Maria José Azevedo, notable as a hard-working Nazarene evangelist in Cape Verde who fed and clothed many people from her own small earnings, while sustaining her own family. She had preached when no one else was available.

April 19, 1959

Nomination of a priest named Mina El-Baramousy to become Pope of the Coptic Church of Egypt. His name is drawn. Mina, who has always preferred solitude and once ran away rather than become a bishop, breaks into tears. In May he will be installed as Kyrillos VI, the 116th Patriarch of the Coptic church.