A Handbook of Church History - Chapter V - Series: 1 - 1973

Dean C Blackwell

When Waldenses Began: From the New International Encyclopedia, article Waldenses: The name given to the followers of Peter Waldo and his successors in modern times. In modern times, there are two things you need to discern especially about the Waldenses. First, how old are they? Do they go all the way back to the apostles? The Baptists try to claim they do, as do others who trace their church history back through them. Yet, can you prove that by the facts of history? Are they a group that arose in the days of Peter Waldo? The second thing you need to realize: Waldenses exist even today. They have 40 or 50 churches in the world today. There is one in Missouri, one in North Carolina, and they exist in Italy today. Most of the accounts of their doctrine, and its history, pertain to the Waldenses of the last three or four centuries. That is where you have to be careful. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library