Matthew Hammond

Matthew Hammond (died May 20, 1579) was a plough-wright from Hetherset, Norfolk, England. He was a Unitarian. On May 19, 1579, his ears were cut off and the following day, on May 20, 1579, he was burned to death at Norwich by the bishop.[1] During his BBC special A Brief History of Disbelief, Jonathan Miller quoted Hammond's beliefs—for which he was tortured and killed:

"Christ is not God, not the saviour of the world, but a mere man, a sinful man and an abominable idol. All who worship him are abominable idolaters and Christ did not rise again from death to life nor did he ascend into heaven."[2]

Notes

  1. ^ Henry Martyn Dexter, Morton Dexter (1905). The England and Holland of the Pilgrims. Houghton, Mifflin. p. 140. http://books.google.com/books?id=-EwiqC6neusC. 
  2. ^ "Jonathan Miller’s 'A Short History of Disbelief'". secularsites.freeuk.com. http://www.secularsites.freeuk.com/jonathan_miller_quotes.htm. Retrieved December 18, 2010.