10/16/2026
The church remembers Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, "The Oxford Martyrs," on October 16th. These two bishops were bound back to back and burned at the stake for their part in preaching the Reformation in England. Justin Clemente writes:
On their way to the stake, Bishop Ridley moved faster than Latimer. He looked back and said, in effect, “Come on, slowpoke!” They greatly encouraged each other. Leading up to their martyrdom, they read the New Testament together no fewer than seven times. Just before Latimer died, tradition tells us he offered one last word of encouragement—words that have echoed through history and come to us again in the recollection of their lives: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
What were these two fighting for? And why were they willing to die for it?
Simply this: the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s shed blood to save sinners. They died for the purity, promotion, and advancement of the Gospel in England.
READ ON: https://anglicancompass.com/a-burning-candle-the-oxford-martyrs-latimer-and-ridley/
