BIOGRAPHY OF MENNO SIMONS

Gathered from his own writings and also from Gerhard Roosen, a Mennonite minister at Hamburg, in his book  named: “Innocence of the Evangelical Baptists, who are called Mennonites,” which was printed in the year 1702, as well as from several other writers.

He was born in the year 1495 at Witmarsum in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands, and in the year 1524, in his 28th year, became a monk.

However, he himself writes in his Renunciation of the Roman Church, how he became enlightened through the grace of God. He also states that he practised reading and writing in the word of God in solitude, that six, or seven or eight persons came to him and with much persuasion entreated him to become a preacher (likely they were of the sect of Waldo or Baptists, who, through persecution, came like scattered sheep into the Netherlands.).

It is clearly shown that Menno, after he had begun the work of the Reformation through the grace of God, was needed; firstly, to gather together the scattered children of God; and secondly, since the time of the General Reformation was at hand, also to be as a tool in the hand of the Lord. Also, it is shown how he, during every persecution and danger, worked with great zeal especially in the provinces of the Netherlands. He was one of the principal teachers and elders in that bloody and dangerous time, and was in his glorious exhortations and scriptures from God’s word so profuse that none of his opponents dared undertake to openly defy him, although he already had petitioned them to do such with great zeal at various times.

Through his healing teaching, pious exhortation, and effective power from the Almighty, he brought, converted and won a very great multitude of people from darkness to the living God. On this account his opponents became all the more bitter, and to prevent and hinder such teaching, in the year 1543, published the bloody and terrible order for his arrest, whereby he was declared free to be caught by anyone. They had his likeness and face depicted, and posted his picture on doors and public places and also proclaimed throughout the whole of West Friesland that every criminal and murderer should be let free from imprisonment and through the grace of the Emperor, be promised freedom and moreover one hundred guilders, if they could deliver Menno Simons into the hands of his enemies and tormentors.

Those also, who showed any sympathy toward Simons, were treated unmercifully. A man, called Tjart Reynerts, was brought as a captive to Leeuwarden. The reason for his arrest was because he had secretly harbored Menno Simons in his great misery,-out of sympathy and love. When his enemies found this out, he was attacked and cruelly sentenced. He was placed on a wheel and rolled to death, although he already had a testimony of his greatest enemies, that he was a very pious man.

Even if his enemies thirsted after his blood tyrannically beyond measure and with bitterness sought to kill and persecute him, nevertheless the Almighty God watched over and protected Menno Simons, indeed, contrary to the hope of all his enemies was wonderfully protected so that they could not practice their bloodthirsty wantonness on him. A traitor, that believed his scheme to be sure, sold Menno for a certain sum of money, either to deliver him into the tyrants’ hands or to suffer his own head to be taken instead. He had the place thoroughly spied out, but even then Menno escaped in a wonderful way.