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Trail of Blood:

"Apostolic Succession of Heresy"

The Trail of Blood theory makes the rounds from time to time. This theory attempts to trace certain Protestant groups back to apostolic times. I call it an Apostolic Succession of Heresy* since its proponents (mostly some Baptists and Fundamentalists) attempt to lay claim to almost any group so long as it is outside the Holy Catholic (& Orthodox) Church. [Most "classical" Protestants acknowledge their history through the historic Church.]

This Baptist page at the Protestant site Hall of Church History has the "Trail of Blood". Two links below that is another Baptist work refuting the Trail of Blood theory.

Former Baptist Steve Ray has an article on the Trail of Blood.

Here's an article by Phil Porvaznik, Who Were the Waldenses: Early Evangelicals?

Were the Albigensians Primitive Protestants by Dave Armstrong.

Were the Waldensians Primitive Protestants by Dave Armstrong.

Dave Armstrong's Protestantism page has more information on Protestant History.

Trail of Blood proponents sometimes like to claim the Donatists and Novatians. See these links from History of the Church at Una Fides:

Volume I, the Schism of Novatian.

Volume II, Parts I & II on the Donatism Schism & St. Augustine.

The problem with the Donatists & Novatians is that they were perhaps TOO CATHOLIC! They definitely weren't Baptists in theology or outlook.

Novatians and Donatists apparently arose as a result of the Roman persecutions and the issue of how to deal with apostates.

The Novatians apparently were fully Catholic in everything EXCEPT one thing: Novatians would not allow apostates back into the Church at all! The Catholics would readmit upon severe penance. Furthermore, Novatian himself apparently tried to set himself up as Pope...hardly what a Baptist minister would do.

Donatists apparently arose from the belief that the validity of the Sacraments depended on the personal worthiness of the priest. Donatists apparently were Catholic in everything except one thing: Donatists denied the validy of the Catholic clergy, apparently because some might have been ordained by former apostates. Donatists demanded a "pure" clergy for the Sacraments to be valid. Consequently, Donatists rebaptised Catholic converts who entered Donatist Churches, but it apparently had nothing to do with "believer's baptism".

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* I first heard the term Apostolic Succession of Heresy used by a college professor, an Anglican and an Englishman, in a History of Religion in America class in the late 1970's. It is apparently the only lasting thing I learned from him.

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