Professor Gerald Mast of Bluffton University in Ohio joins us to talk about the connection between Menno Simons and the Münster story. It’s hard to ignore the contributions that Menno Simons made to the Anabaptist movement, but what was his connection? What did he know about it? What did he do about it? Gerald takes us through all of that.
Menno Simons timeline:
- 1496 (est) – born in Witmarsum (present day Dutch province of Friesland)
- 1515/6 – ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in Utrecht
- 1526/7 – because of personal questions over transubstantiation (the bread and wine literally transforming into Jesus’ body and blood) begins a deeper study of the Bible
- 1531 – hears about the execution of Sickje Freerks for Anabaptism (Menno’s first awareness of the practice)
- 1534 – pens a letter to Jan van Leiden (this is sort of up for debate)
- 1535 – Menno’s brother Peter is killed in the violent Anabaptist uprising in Ooldeklooster monastery near his hometown, sending Menno into a personal crisis of faith and conscience
- 1536 – Menno abandons his Catholic position and faith. He is baptized by Obbe Philips and joins the Anabaptists.
- 1544 – The term ‘Mennonite’ or ‘Mennist’ is used in a letter to describe peaceful Anabaptists
- 1561 – Menno dies and is buried in Bad Oldesloe, Wüstenfelde, Holstein, Germany