Peter Waldo (c. 1140 – c. 1218) lived in the darkest days of the Dark Ages. A wealthy merchant of Lyon, Waldo was enjoying dinner with friends one evening when one of them suddenly fell lifeless to the floor. This was such a shock that he abandoned his occupation, giving his attention completely to the salvation of his soul. The priests were no help. He knew no one who understood the gospel so he turned to the Scriptures and there discovered God’s way of salvation. Immediately he began to distribute his wealth to the poor, paid for the translation of the Bible into the Romance languages, and printed and, with others of like passion, distributed the Word of God widely, preaching as they went. This brought down the anathema of the pope, driving Peter and “the Waldenses” or “Vadois” as they became known, into the valleys of the Piedmont. He eventually settled in Bohemia, where in the 14th century, as many as 80,000 believers were put to death for Christ.