Menno Simons

Lore & Background

Menno Simons was born in 1496 in Witmarsum, Friesland, Holy Roman Empire, into a poor peasant environment. He learned Latin and some Greek and was taught about the Latin Church Fathers during his training to become a priest, but he had never read the Bible before or during his training, out of fear that he would be adversely influenced by it. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1515 or 1516 in Utrecht and later appointed chaplain in his father's village Pingjum in 1524. Around 1526 or 1527, questions surrounding the doctrine of transubstantiation led him to begin a serious and in-depth search of the Holy Scriptures, which he confessed he had not previously studied, despite being a priest. Dissatisfied with the inconsistent answers from Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, and Heinrich Bullinger, he resolved to rely on Scripture alone, and from this time described his preaching as 'evangelical', not 'sacramental'. In 1531, his first knowledge of the concept of 'rebaptism' came after hearing of the beheading of Sicke Freerks Snijder at Leeuwarden for being 'rebaptized'. A renewed search of the scriptures left Menno Simons believing that infant baptism is not in the Bible. In 1535, his brother Pieter was among a group of Anabaptists killed near Bolsward because of his participation in the violent takeover of a Catholic monastery known as the Oldeklooster (or Bloemkamp Abbey). After the death of his brother, Menno experienced a spiritual and mental crisis, praying to God 'with sighs and tears' for grace. He rejected the Catholic Church and the priesthood on 12 January 1536, casting his lot with the Anabaptists. He was probably baptized not long after leaving Witmarsum in early 1536, and was ordained around 1537 by Obbe Philips. Simons rejected the violence advocated by the Münster movement, believing it was not Scriptural.

Reader's Guide

Menno Simons' influence on Anabaptism in the Low Countries was so great that Baptist historian William Estep suggested their history be divided into three periods: 'before Menno, under Menno, and after Menno.' Simons is especially significant because he came to the Anabaptist movement in the north in its most troublesome days, helping not only to sustain it but also to establish it as a viable Radical Reformation movement. By 1544, the term Mennonite or Mennist was used in a letter to refer to the Dutch Anabaptists. His theology was focused on separation from this world, and baptism by repentance symbolized this. He taught that 'true evangelical faith is of such a nature that it cannot lie dormant; but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love.' Simons also held a distinctive view of Christ's incarnation, believing Jesus had a 'heavenly flesh' and was 'conceived not of her womb but in her womb.' His teachings on excommunication contrasted sharply with those of John Calvin on four basic principles: procedures, severity of sanctions, restoration of a repentant individual, and civil punishment. Simons advocated strict church/state separation and saw human perfectability as attainable after conversion. Twenty-five years after renouncing Catholicism, Simons died on 31 January 1561 at Wüstenfelde, Holstein, and was buried in his garden. He was married to a woman named Gertrude, and they had at least three children, two daughters and a son; only one daughter outlived him.

Did You Know?

• Menno Simons had never read the Bible before or during his training for the priesthood, out of fear that he would be adversely influenced by it.
• His first knowledge of 'rebaptism' came in 1531 after hearing of the beheading of Sicke Freerks Snijder, a tailor by trade, at Leeuwarden.
• His brother Pieter was among about 300 Anabaptists killed near Bolsward in 1535 after a violent takeover of the Oldeklooster monastery.
• Menno Simons rejected the Catholic Church and the priesthood on 12 January 1536, casting his lot with the Anabaptists.
• By 1544, the term Mennonite or Mennist was already being used in a letter to refer to the Dutch Anabaptists.