History of the Waldenses: A Book Review

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake.

Matthew 24:9

I've had this book in my library for many years. As a matter of fact, it had my married surname inside the front cover, and I reverted to my maiden name sometime around 2005/2006. So, I've owned it for over 20 years. But it's not light reading, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. I think I started reading it at least a couple of times, the most recent, according to Good Reads, was June of 2024. I made it about halfway through by November of that year, and then it languished. Until last night, when I was suffering insomnia, and got up and decided to read, and I finished it.
As the text at the beginning of this post indicates, the Bible forewarns us that we will suffer for our faith. But it doesn't generally go into graphic detail. As a matter of fact, Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." So I'm really not sure how this book fits into that verse. I do believe that we should know our history and be aware of what has gone on and is going on in the world around us. I'm aware that throughout history, many Christians have been persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and martyred for their faith. And having read the book, The Great Controversy, I was aware of a brief history of the Waldenses. And personally, I think that's all I needed to know about them. 
This book is more appropriate for a reference book, that you might want to refer to if you're doing research. As a matter of fact, it's actually quoted in The Great Controversy. Otherwise, it's not something I would recommend for general reading. I also find that the writer tends to use flowery language (the Waldenses' valleys and homes "smiled") and occasionally waxes eloquent and poetic in his descriptions of the mountains and valleys and rivers... I felt like telling him to get to the point. Maps would have been far more beneficial than poetic descriptions. I read the writings of Ellen G. White, mostly written in the mid to late 19th century. I read the King James Version of the Bible, dated 1611. And mostly, I don't have any problems understanding what they are saying, occasionally referring to a dictionary or a Bible commentary. But I found J. A. Wylie hard to follow at times. I can read a whole paragraph and wonder what on earth he just said. And he often inserted French phrases in his writing, assuming that his reader would understand what he was talking about. I didn't. Even though I took 4 years of French in school. 
While I am inspired by the example of faithfulness on the part of the Waldenses, my biggest takeaways from this book are: 

1. Don't trust your enemies. The Waldenses repeatedly over the centuries trusted the promises of their persecutors, only ending up paying the price in blood. 
2. If your enemies give you an ultimatum to give up your faith or leave, then LEAVE! Especially if you have a safe place to go. Even if leaving would create hardships. At one point in the book, the Waldenses were given the option to give up their faith or leave, as all their liberties were being removed. Yes, it would have posed a great hardship to leave and travel over the mountains in the dead of winter to freedom and safety in Protestant lands. But by choosing to stay and fight, many ended up dead, many more imprisoned and when Protestant leaders negotiated their release, there was only a small fraction of them still alive and they ended up having to leave in the dead of winter anyway.
3. Don't get so attached to a location that you are willing to sacrifice your safety to return there. At one point, the author tells us that the Waldenses regarded their valleys as their promised home as much as the Jews regarded the land of Canaan. I'm not sure if that's the author's interpretation or if it was their actual belief. And while I do believe, as the Scripture says, that God prepared a place for them in the wilderness to escape persecution (Revelation 12:6), it was no longer a safe retreat for them. And I also believe that this world is not our home, so attachment to any location in this world should only be temporary. (Hebrews 11:16). Honestly, I couldn't understand the determination of the 800 to return to the Piedmont rather than settle in relative safety in the Protestant nations. I don't know if it was actually the direction of God or their extreme longing for "home" that made them return, so I really cannot judge. But it seemed like an extremely foolhardy decision to me. And they suffered severe hardship as a result, with their original numbers being reduced to only 400. And even when the Duke of Savoy made peace with them, and the remaining refugees were invited to return, they lived a severely circumscribed life. I have to question if that was actually God's plan for them, or if He just allowed them to follow the desires of their hearts. I believe that we should be willing to suffer hardship and even death for the sake of the gospel, as the Apostles did, and many other Christians have over the centuries, when that is what God calls us to do. But it is foolish for us to place ourselves in a position of hardship if that is not where God wants us to be. As I said, I honestly don't know if God actually directed them to return, but it is a cautionary tale to make sure that it is God's voice and not just our own hearts speaking. 

I'm on the fence as to whether or not I will keep this book in my library. I could keep it for reference, should I require it (although it is available online as well). Or maybe find it a new home so that I have the shelf space for books that I find more encouraging than this one. 
Now, I'm going to try to tackle History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. I'm 115 pages in of 870 pages in rather small print...