1615: history of the martyrs · person
Hans de Ries
Waterlander teacher and collector whose 1615 martyr history helped prepare the way for Martyrs’ Mirror.
Also searchable as: Hans de Rys · Hans de Reis
Hans de Ries (1553–1638) was a Dutch Mennonite teacher associated with the Waterlanders. Baptized at De Rijp, he later served the congregation at Alkmaar and worked with other ministers on confessions of faith. He sought peace and cooperation among Mennonite groups divided over church practice.
He gathered reports and records of those who had suffered for their faith and encouraged others to contribute. In 1615 he published Historie der Martelaren, bringing a larger body of testimony together. His introduction urged the churches to learn love and peace from the witnesses whose suffering they remembered.
The work appeared in further editions and became an important foundation for Thieleman J. van Braght’s later collection. De Ries therefore connects the Waterlander story with the preservation of martyr accounts: the book inherited by later readers grew through the work of collectors, editors, and congregations as well as its best-known compiler.
Sources for this history: [1] [2] [3] [4]
