Martyrs Mirror: Selections

Summary

The Martyrs Mirror, first published in Dutch in 1660 as The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians, is a massive collection of accounts of Christians who died for their faith, compiled by the Mennonite preacher Thieleman J. van Braght. The first part traces those van Braght regarded as faithful witnesses who held to believers' baptism from the time of Christ through the Middle Ages; the second and larger part records the Anabaptists executed in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries by both Catholic and Protestant authorities. Next to the Bible, it has long been one of the most important books in Mennonite and Amish homes. The Anabaptists, so called by opponents because they baptized adults who had been baptized as infants, emerged in Zurich in 1525. They taught that the church should consist of committed believers, that Christians should not swear oaths or bear the sword, and that church and state should be separate. Both Catholic and Protestant governments regarded them as dangerous, and thousands were executed. This library presents six complete accounts from the 1886 English translation. Felix Mantz, one of the first Zurich Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat by the Protestant city council; van Braght gives the year as 1526, though historians date his death to January 1527. George Wagner was burned in Munich in 1527. Michael Sattler, a former Benedictine prior and author of the Schleitheim Confession, was tried at Rottenburg and executed in 1527 after charges that included refusing oaths and teaching non-resistance. George Blaurock was burned in the Tyrol in 1529. Dirk Willems, fleeing arrest across the ice in Holland in 1569, turned back to rescue his pursuer who had fallen through, and was then recaptured and burned. Maeyken Wens was burned in Antwerp in 1573 with her tongue screwed to prevent her from speaking; the selection includes her letters to her son. The accounts are devotional as well as historical, and van Braght's commentary is sharp toward the 'papists' and other persecutors. Historians value the documents and letters while noting the compiler's purposes. The Dirk Willems story, illustrated in Jan Luyken's 1685 engraving, became a symbol of love for enemies.

Plot or Argument

• Felix Mantz (1526/1527)

  An early Zurich Anabaptist drowned by the city council; his admonition to the brethren.

• George Wagner (1527)

  Burned at Munich after refusing to recant.

• Michael Sattler (1527)

  The trial at Rottenburg, the nine charges, his defence and execution.

• George Blaurock (1529)

  A leading evangelist of the movement burned in the Tyrol.

• Dirk Willems (1569)

  He saves his pursuer from the ice and is then executed.

• Maeyken Wens (1573)

  Burned in Antwerp; her letters to her husband's congregation and to her son.

Lessons

• Love of enemies

  Dirk Willems risked his freedom to save the man pursuing him.

  • Why did Willems turn back?
  • What does the burgomaster's response reveal about the authorities?

• Persecution by fellow Christians

  The Anabaptists were executed by Catholics and Protestants alike.

  • Why did both sides consider Anabaptists dangerous?
  • How do Sattler's charges show the political fears behind persecution?

• Faithfulness in families

  Maeyken Wens's letters show a mother's concern for her son even as she faced death.

  • What advice does Maeyken Wens give her son?
  • How do the letters change our view of the martyrs as ordinary people?

• For the Christian reader

  Anabaptists were put to death by both Catholic and Protestant authorities in the sixteenth century, and the Martyrs Mirror is still kept in many Amish and Mennonite homes. The book's best-known story, of Dirk Willems, who turned back to rescue his pursuer from icy water and was then recaptured and executed, is a striking picture of love for enemies (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:20).

  • What does Dirk Willems's choice reveal about his faith?
  • Why is it important for Christians to remember that believers also persecuted other believers?

Context

The Radical Reformation began in Zurich in January 1525, when Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock. Anabaptism spread through Switzerland, southern Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, and Menno Simons later gave the Dutch movement its name.

Composition

Van Braght compiled the book at Dordrecht in a period of Dutch toleration, drawing on earlier martyrologies such as the Offer des Heeren. The second Dutch edition of 1685 added Jan Luyken's 104 etchings.

Reception

Mennonites in Pennsylvania commissioned a German translation printed at Ephrata in 1748–1749. Sohm's English translation of 1886 is still in print, and the book remains central to Mennonite, Amish and Hutterite identity.

Comparisons

• Foxe's Book of Martyrs

  The English Protestant martyrology, whose heroes were sometimes the persecutors of Anabaptists.

• The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

  An early martyr narrative with a woman's testimony at its centre, like Maeyken Wens's.

• The Augsburg Confession

  Lutheran articles that explicitly condemn the Anabaptists' teaching on baptism and civil office.

• The Cost of Discipleship

  Bonhoeffer's modern call to costly obedience to the Sermon on the Mount.

• The Journal of George Fox

  The Quakers shared the Anabaptist refusal of oaths and violence.

• Institutes of the Christian Religion

  Calvin wrote against the Anabaptists in the Institutes and in separate treatises.

Quotes

For Students

A reading companion for classical Christian high school students. See the student guide.

Reading Guide

Watch for

• The pattern of arrest, trial, testimony and death.
• The nine charges against Sattler.
• The Dirk Willems rescue.
• Maeyken Wens's letter to her son.

Key terms and names

Anabaptist

'Re-baptizer': a name given to those who baptized adult believers.

Defenseless (wehrlos)

Refusing to use force, even in self-defence.

Burgomaster

A town's chief magistrate.

Thief-catcher

An officer employed to arrest fugitives.

Seminar Questions

1. Comprehension How did Dirk Willems save his pursuer?
2. Comprehension Name three of the charges against Michael Sattler.
3. Interpretation Why does van Braght call these Christians 'defenseless'?
4. Interpretation What did the authorities fear from people who refused oaths?
5. Interpretation Why does van Braght include court records and letters as well as narrative?
6. Big Question Should a person obey the law when it conflicts with conscience, and at what cost?

Faith Connections

• Matthew 5:38-48 (Scripture)

  'Love your enemies', which the Willems story illustrates.

• Matthew 5:33-37 (Scripture)

  The command not to swear, behind the Anabaptist refusal of oaths.

• The Schleitheim Confession (1527) (Great Conversation)

  Sattler's statement of the beliefs for which he died.

Logic and Rhetoric

Central argument: Faithful followers of Christ will love even their enemies and refuse violence and oaths, accepting suffering rather than abandoning conscience.

Rhetorical device: exemplary narrative with documents. Court records and letters are woven into the accounts to authenticate and inspire.

Debate: Resolved: that the authorities of the sixteenth century had a reasonable fear of the Anabaptists' political teachings.

Memory Work

Dirk Willems, perceiving that the former was in danger of his life, quickly returned and aided him in getting out, and thus saved his life.

Sixthly, He has declared that men are not to swear before the authorities.

Writing Prompts

Essay: What does the Martyrs Mirror reveal about the relationship between religious belief and political authority in the sixteenth century?

Comparison with Foxe's Book of Martyrs: Compare who is a martyr and who is a persecutor in Foxe and in van Braght.

Creative Prompts

• Essay

  Study Jan Luyken's engraving of Dirk Willems and write a paragraph explaining how the image tells the story.

• Fiction

  Write a reply from Maeyken Wens's son, Adriaen, reflecting on her letter years later.

• Essay

  Write an essay explaining why the Dirk Willems story became a symbol of love for enemies.

Further Reading

• The Schleitheim Confession, Michael Sattler and others

  The 1527 statement of Swiss Anabaptist beliefs.

• The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, Menno Simons