February 9 in Christian History

John Hooper was a fiery and obstinate English bishop whose tenacity made him a controversial figure on both sides of the reformation. He came to be known as the “stubborn reformer” due to his constant disregard for authority. While he was unpopular among the English authorities, he was loved and respected by the members of his impoverished congregation.

After living as a fugitive in Catholic Europe, Hooper was appointed bishop of Gloucester during the infant years of the Anglican church. He was disgusted by the arrogant and elitist attitude of the bishops, and adamantly refused to wear the traditional robes. He had no desire to associate himself with the corruption of the clergy members.

For this he was arrested and imprisoned in London. During this time, he stubbornly refused to compromise. While the arch-bishop despised him, his popularity forced the church to release him and return him to his congregation in Gloucester. As a Bishop, he chose to live a life of poverty and frequently advocated for relief to the poor.

When Mary Tutor came to the throne, the Catholic regime returned with violent vigour. As Anglican priests fled in droves, Hooper refused to abandon his people. Stubborn as always, Hooper declared: “I will continue to live and die with my sheep”.

One of Mary’s first acts in her attempt to purge the county from Protestantism was to arrest bishop Hooper. Thus, he found himself in the same prison he had been in only a few years before. This time, however, he faced brutal torture at the hands of the bishop of London. Never the less, he refused to recant his protestant faith. Frustrated, the bishop declared him “an obstinate and incorrigible heretic”, and sent him back to Gloucester to face his sentence.

This turned out to be a mistake, for on the day of the execution, seven thousand sympathetic villagers appeared in support of their beloved bishop. When Hooper, once again, refused to recant, he was burned alive on the morning of February 9, 1555.

Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward them for what they have done.