Lesser-Known Reformers: Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562)

Although it is known as a Catholic country today, even Italy produced reformers! Peter Martyr Vermigli is the focus of this article, but at least two other Italians are also connected to the Reformation. Jerome Savonarola (1452–1498) is often called a pre-reformer. He did not entirely break with Rome (none of the pre-reformers did), and some of his ideas seem not very Reformed. But he certainly opposed Rome in significant ways. Over a century later, Giovanni Diodati (1576–1649) replaced...