Living historyevent
Amish family and community life
The photographed account connects Amish homes, schools, work, marriage, and burial with a shared life shaped by Christian conviction and community tradition.
A True Christian Church · Our Anabaptist history
Follow the witness.
Trace the living streams.
A connected history of faith, discipleship, and community. Follow the Radical Reformation and its branches, and read the witnesses preserved in Martyrs’ Mirror.
1,272source accounts & sections45traditions & shared histories50branch connections
300 histories · showing 300 · present to beginnings
Branch developmentInfluence or shared fellowshipAbout this archive
1945–today
Living traditions
Living historyevent
Barn raising and mutual aid
A community rebuilding after fire or disaster makes visible the mutual care that the photographed history associates with Christian love.
Living historyevent
Christian love carried into service
The final globe scene joins the future of the church with the call to make God’s love in Jesus Christ known through both the gospel and practical service.
Living historyevent
Gathered for worship
The worship scenes present Amish, Hutterite, and Mennonite communities gathering in different settings while sustaining a shared life of faith.
Living historyevent
Reading the chart’s worldwide reach
The source map records a widening geographical horizon while leaving individual local histories to their own documented timelines.
The living Anabaptist familyevent
Anabaptist history is still being written
The present-day story includes communities across continents and many different traditions. Local histories, migrations, mission, and relationships between churches are part of the record still being gathered.
2002tradition
Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA formed in 2002 through the union of U.S. congregations of MC and GC.
2002event
Mennonite Church USA forms
Mennonite Church USA formed in 2002 through the union of U.S. congregations of MC and GC.
1969event
The Missionary Church union
The exhibit’s Mennonite Brethren in Christ line developed into United Missionary Church and joined a union in 1969.
Vietnam service and loss, 1962–1968person
Daniel Gerber and Ruth Wilting
Daniel Gerber’s alternative service and Ruth Wilting’s hospital work brought them to Vietnam, where Gerber disappeared after capture and Wilting was later killed.
1960tradition
Evangelical Mennonite Conference
The Canadian Kleine Gemeinde adopted the name Evangelical Mennonite Conference in 1960.
1960event
Evangelical Mennonite Conference name
The Canadian Kleine Gemeinde adopted the name Evangelical Mennonite Conference in 1960.
Somalia service, 1960–1962person
Merlin and Dorothy Grove
Merlin and Dorothy Grove served in education in Somalia; after Merlin’s killing and Dorothy’s injury, their mission colleagues offered a witness of love and forgiveness.
1959tradition
Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference
The Rudnerweider church adopted the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference identity on 1 July 1959.
1959event
Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference
The Rudnerweider church adopted the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference identity on 1 July 1959.
1958 association; 1994 incorporation; 2012 name changeevent
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries: learning together
Two Mennonite seminaries built an academic partnership that gradually became one institution at Elkhart.
1955 opening; 2010 transfer to Fresno Pacificevent
Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary at Fresno
Mennonite Brethren established a graduate seminary for church leadership and later joined its Fresno operation to Fresno Pacific University.
1952–1964event
Berlin Bible School and preparation for service
A winter Bible school at Pleasant View Mennonite Church became a continuing work of Bible study and preparation for Christian service at Rosedale, Ohio.
Twentieth-century family; multiple beginningstradition
Conservative Mennonite fellowships
A broad family of Mennonite fellowships maintaining distinctive church practices, with several different conference histories.
Opened 1947; university name 2019event
Bethel College at Mishawaka
Bethel in Mishawaka arose from Mennonite Brethren in Christ efforts to establish Christian higher education.
1947event
The Volendam and Mennonite refugees
The Volendam carried displaced Mennonites toward refuge in South America after the Second World War, with Peter and Elfrieda Dyck helping lead the transports.
1945–1958: Chicago and the move to Elkhartevent
Mennonite Biblical Seminary: the Chicago beginning
Mennonite Biblical Seminary revived General Conference theological education in Chicago and prepared the way for cooperation at Elkhart.
1800–1944
Across the world
1944–2000; Concord College from 1992event
Mennonite Brethren Bible College and Concord College
Winnipeg’s Mennonite Brethren Bible College developed ministerial and academic education before becoming Concord College and joining CMU.
1944–1976: institute to Fresno Pacific Collegeevent
Pacific Bible Institute and the growth of Fresno Pacific
A small Mennonite Brethren Bible institute in Fresno developed a wider college program while retaining Christian education at its center.
1943–2018event
Grace Bible Institute and Grace University at Omaha
The chart’s 1943 Grace institution is the Mennonite-founded Bible institute at Omaha, later Grace University.
Planning in 1941; opened 1947; joined CMU in 2000event
Canadian Mennonite Bible College: planning and opening
Canadian Mennonite Bible College grew from wartime planning into a Winnipeg institution for theological and church education.
1937event
Rudnerweider church organization
A renewal movement among Sommerfeld Mennonites organized as the Rudnerweider church in 1937.
1937tradition
Rudnerweider Mennonites
A renewal movement among Sommerfeld Mennonites organized as the Rudnerweider church in 1937.
1936 roots; 1970 merger; college status in 1987event
Columbia Bible Institute: a shared school at Clearbrook
Columbia Bible Institute united Mennonite Brethren and General Conference Bible-school work in British Columbia.
1936–1949event
International Mennonite Peace Committee
Mennonites organized international cooperation to support conscientious objectors and strengthen their peace witness.
1936–1996event
Swift Current Bible Institute and western Canadian church service
Swift Current Bible Institute trained congregational workers and brought together several western Canadian Mennonite educational efforts.
1935event
Roxbury Holiness Camp and Brethren in Christ renewal
A series of revival meetings in Pennsylvania developed into a continuing place of worship, Bible teaching, and fellowship.
1933–1969; Bachelor of Divinity introduced in 1946event
Goshen Biblical Seminary and graduate ministry training
Goshen’s Bible department developed graduate ministerial study before joining a shared Mennonite seminary campus at Elkhart.
First classes 1931; institute name 1953; college name 1979event
Steinbach Bible Institute and inter-Mennonite education
Steinbach’s Bible school developed from congregational classes into an inter-Mennonite institution for Christian service.
1930–1934person
Jacob Siemens and the escape across the Amur
Jacob Siemens led a group of more than two hundred Mennonites across the frozen Amur River into China in December 1930.
1929–1988; moved to Altona in 1940event
Elim Bible School: from Gretna to Altona
Elim provided Bible teaching and preparation for congregational service through several institutional forms in southern Manitoba.
1927tradition
Beachy Amish fellowships
The Beachy Amish history began with a 1927 division in an Amish congregation in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1927 · Anabaptist historyplace
Somerset County, Pennsylvania
The Amish congregation associated with Moses Beachy divided in 1927 in Somerset County.
1927event
The Beachy Amish division
The Beachy Amish history began with a 1927 division in an Amish congregation in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
First issue under this title: January 1927event
The Mennonite Quarterly Review: historical study in service of the church
Harold S. Bender and the Mennonite Historical Society established a lasting forum for Anabaptist and Mennonite historical research.
1925event
A worldwide gathering
The first Mennonite World Conference gathering was held in Basel in 1925. Later assemblies form part of the story of worldwide Anabaptist fellowship.
1925tradition
Mennonite World Conference
A global fellowship established in 1925 to connect Anabaptist churches across national and tradition boundaries.
1920–1965; Upland College name from 1949event
Beulah and Upland College in California
Beulah College became Upland College, a Brethren in Christ educational community whose work later joined Messiah.
1920tradition
Bruderhof
The Bruderhof began in Germany in 1920. Its communal history later connected with the Hutterite tradition and developed its own community story.
1920–1923event
Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization
Canadian Mennonites organized relief and immigration assistance for families affected by revolution, famine, and displacement.
Relief service in 1920person
Clayton Kratz
Clayton Kratz was one of the early Mennonite relief workers sent to communities suffering in the aftermath of revolution in Russia.
1920person
Eberhard Arnold
Eberhard Arnold, a Protestant theologian, founded the Bruderhof with Emmy Arnold and Else von Hollander in 1920. They left Berlin for Sannerz after the devastation of the First World War.
1920person
Else von Hollander
Else von Hollander was one of the three founders of the Bruderhof at Sannerz in 1920, alongside her sister Emmy Arnold and Eberhard Arnold.
1920person
Emmy Arnold
Emmy Arnold co-founded the Bruderhof in 1920 with her husband Eberhard and her sister Else von Hollander. Their first community was at Sannerz in Germany.
1920tradition
Mennonite Central Committee
Mennonite Central Committee began in 1920 as a cooperative response to hunger among communities in Ukraine.
1920event
Mennonite relief cooperation: MCC
Mennonite Central Committee began in 1920 as a cooperative response to hunger among communities in Ukraine.
1920 · Anabaptist historyplace
Sannerz
Sannerz was the German village where the Bruderhof began in 1920.
1920event
The beginnings of the Bruderhof
Eberhard and Emmy Arnold, together with Else von Hollander, founded the Bruderhof in Germany in 1920.
1918event
Hutterite communities move north
Wartime hostility and the costs of refusing military participation helped drive Hutterite colonies toward new homes in Canada.
1918–1919person
The Hofer brothers and Jacob Wipf
Joseph, Michael, and David Hofer and their brother-in-law Jacob Wipf suffered imprisonment after refusing military participation as Hutterite conscientious objectors.
Soviet period 1917–1991tradition
Soviet Mennonites: Kirchliche and Brethren
The chart follows Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren communities through revolution, war, repression, and migration in the Soviet period.
1917–1929event
The Dutch Gemeentedag movement
Dutch Mennonite gatherings and brotherhood houses grew from a desire to renew shared spiritual life.
1917–1919event
The Mennonite mission in Argentina
A mission begun in 1917 established a center at Pehuajó and became part of the growth of Mennonite congregational life in Argentina.
Peter: 1914–2010; Elfrieda: 1917–2004person
Peter and Elfrieda Dyck
Peter and Elfrieda Dyck served displaced people through Mennonite Central Committee and helped lead Mennonite refugee transports to South America.
Predecessor 1914–1915; independent seminary 1921–1931event
Witmarsum Theological Seminary at Bluffton
Witmarsum organized a shared Mennonite theological school at Bluffton before its assets supported a later seminary at Chicago.
1911–1912event
Mennonite mission and church growth in Congo
Planning in 1911 was followed by the arrival of the first Congo Inland Mission workers in 1912.
German edition published in 1911event
P. M. Friesen’s history of the Mennonites in Russia
Peter M. Friesen gathered documents and historical interpretation into a major account of Russian Mennonite church life.
1910tradition
Conservative Amish Mennonites: Rosedale Network
Ministers meeting at Pigeon, Michigan, formed the Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference in 1910; its history continues as Rosedale Network.
Opened 1909; early development through 1954event
Hesston College and Bible School
Hesston developed a Mennonite academy and Bible school into a college serving congregations and students in the western United States.
Chartered 1909; classes began 1910; university name 2020event
Messiah College: Bible school and Christian higher education
The Brethren in Christ founded Messiah as a Bible and missionary school that developed into a broader Christian university.
Opened 1908; conference ownership from 1934event
Tabor College and Mennonite Brethren education
Tabor College joined Mennonite Brethren Christian formation with broad education at Hillsboro, Kansas.
Chartered 1900; classes began 1903; junior college closed 1986event
Freeman Junior College and its earlier school
Freeman’s Mennonite school expanded from elementary and secondary education into teacher training and a junior college.
1897–1905event
Allianz fellowship in Molotschna
Bible courses and open fellowship on Mennonite estates contributed to the Allianz-related church organized in 1905.
1896event
The Lone Tree conference and confession
The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite gathered at Lone Tree, Kansas, and recorded a common confession of faith.
1893; division in 1926–1927event
Martinites, Wenger Mennonites, and the Horning fellowship
Pennsylvania's Martinite fellowship became the shared historical background of the Weaverland or Horning and Groffdale or Wenger conferences.
Mission began in 1890person
Abraham and Miriam Friesen: mission to India
Abraham and Miriam Friesen were sent from the Mennonite Brethren in Russia to begin mission work in India.
1890stradition
Sommerfeld Mennonites
A West Reserve Mennonite church associated with Bergthal migration and later colony and renewal movements.
1890event
The Budget: letters between scattered communities
A newspaper founded in Sugarcreek helped Amish and Mennonite communities remain in contact through local letters.
1889tradition
Evangelical Mennonite Brethren
A fellowship organized in North America in 1889, later named the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches.
1889event
Woolwichers and the Ontario Old Order beginning
Woolwichers was a local name for Ontario Old Order Mennonites associated with Bishop Abraham Martin and the division of 1889.
Society formed 1888; school opened 1889; rebuilt 1964–1965event
Mennonite Collegiate Institute at Gretna
Gretna’s Mennonite school grew from teacher preparation into a residential Christian secondary institution.
First issue: 1 August 1887event
Evangelical Visitor: a printed meeting place for the Brethren in Christ
The Brethren in Christ began Evangelical Visitor to share teaching, news, and the work of congregations separated by distance.
1887–1961event
Mennonite colleges: learning within the church
Mennonite communities founded colleges and church schools to join academic learning with faith, congregational life, and preparation for service.
1883tradition
United Missionary Church and Missionary Church
The exhibit’s Mennonite Brethren in Christ line developed into United Missionary Church and joined a union in 1969.
Publication began in 1882event
Der Zionspilger: a Swiss Mennonite paper with readers abroad
Der Zionspilger carried the life of Swiss Mennonite congregations into a wider German-reading community, including readers in America.
1882 origins; Halstead 1883–1893event
Halstead Seminary and the path to Bethel College
Halstead’s Mennonite school prepared students for teaching and church service before its work passed to Bethel College.
1882event
The Evangelical United Mennonite conference of 1882
Preserved minutes document an 1882 conference concerned with ministry, publishing, mission, and common church discipline.
1880–1882: trek to Central Asiaperson
Claas Epp Jr.
The younger Claas Epp led an eastward migration in 1880 while expecting a place of refuge before Christ’s return.
1880–1890event
General Conference mission among Native American communities
General Conference Mennonites began mission work among several Native American peoples in the American West.
1880–1930event
Russian Mennonites: upheaval, relief, and new homes
Prosperous settlements faced revolution, hunger, and displacement, drawing Mennonite congregations into coordinated relief and renewed migration.
1875–1925 in Manitobatradition
Reinländer Mennonites in Manitoba
Reinländer congregations formed a distinct Old Colony church history after migration to Manitoba.
Manitoba settlement 1874–1876tradition
Chortitzer Mennonites
The Bergthal migration to Manitoba’s East Reserve in 1874–1876 established the Chortitzer church history.
1874event
Hutterite migration to North America
Hutterite communities began migrating from the Russian Empire to North America in the 1870s after changes affecting military exemption and community life.
1874 · Anabaptist historyplace
Manitoba
Migration to Manitoba in the 1870s shaped several distinct Mennonite church histories.
1874–1890event
Mennonite and Hutterite migration to North America
Military-service changes and the search for secure community life contributed to migration from the Russian Empire.
1873–1876event
Mennonite Board of Guardians: helping immigrants
Two Mennonite aid committees united to help families travel from the Russian Empire and establish new homes in North America.
1872event
Bernhard Warkentin, Philip Wiebe, and the land scouts
Two scouts investigated North American farmland before the major migration from the Russian Empire.
Separation in 1872; conference in 1899tradition
Joseph Stuckey and the Central Illinois Amish division
A dispute over discipline separated Joseph Stuckey and several Illinois congregations from the wider Amish fellowship.
1872event
Old Order Mennonite regional divisions
Old Order Mennonite fellowships developed through several regional divisions beginning in the later nineteenth century.
Regional divisions 1872–1901tradition
Old Order Mennonites
Old Order Mennonite fellowships developed through several regional divisions beginning in the later nineteenth century.
1872event
The Masontown meetings of 1872
Daniel Brenneman and John F. Funk conducted a series of meetings that became an early milestone in Mennonite Church revivalism.
1872; further division in 1907event
Wisler Mennonites: Indiana and Ohio beginnings
The Wisler name connects the Indiana–Ohio Old Order beginnings with a later conference that retained the name after a further division.
Opened 1868; theological work ended 1878; normal school ended 1879event
Wadsworth Mennonite School: an early shared educational effort
Wadsworth’s short-lived school joined biblical instruction, languages, and practical work in an early General Conference project.
1866tradition
Egly Amish and Evangelical Mennonite Church
Henry Egly’s Amish reform movement developed into the Defenseless Mennonites and later the Evangelical Mennonite Church.
1864–1908event
Herald of Truth: teaching and news across Mennonite homes
John Fretz Funk’s newspaper served the Mennonite Church for forty-four years before joining Gospel Witness to form Gospel Herald.
1864 beginnings; 1867 move to Elkhartperson
John Fretz Funk
Publisher and Mennonite leader whose Elkhart work circulated periodicals, historical books, and practical help for immigrants.
1862event
Walnut Creek: meetinghouse and Amish Mennonite change
The first Amish meetinghouse in Holmes County became part of wider debate about congregational change.
1861–1862: itinerant ministryperson
Daniel Hege
An early General Conference minister who traveled among congregations to encourage fellowship, mission, and education.
1860tradition
General Conference Mennonite Church
A Mennonite conference shown on the exhibit’s North American timeline; its U.S. congregations joined in forming Mennonite Church USA in 2002.
1860tradition
Mennonite Brethren
The Mennonite Brethren arose through renewal among Mennonites in the Russian Empire. The tradition later developed across national boundaries.
Later nineteenth centurytradition
Old Order Amish
Old Order Amish identity developed during nineteenth-century disagreements over conference organization and changes in church life.
1860event
The Mennonite Brethren emerge
Renewal within Mennonite communities in the Russian Empire contributed to the formation of the Mennonite Brethren in 1860.
1859tradition
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
John Holdeman and others began worshiping separately in Ohio in 1859, forming a distinct Mennonite church history.
1859event
John Holdeman’s separate fellowship
John Holdeman and others began worshiping separately in Ohio in 1859, forming a distinct Mennonite church history.
Founded 1 January 1854event
Mennonitische Blätter: connecting German Mennonite congregations
Jakob Mannhardt’s periodical joined historical remembrance, Christian instruction, and news from scattered Mennonite congregations.
1853–1856event
Mennonite care for the wounded during the Crimean War
Mennonites near the Crimean War cared for wounded people while declining active military service.
Publication began in 1852event
Religiöser Botschafter: an early Mennonite newspaper in America
John H. Oberholtzer’s German-language newspaper opened a durable channel for teaching and communication between American Mennonite congregations.
1847–1851event
Mennonite mission from the Netherlands to Java
A Dutch mission association helped begin a Mennonite mission in Java with support across national boundaries.
1847–1863event
Oberholtzer and the Eastern District Conference
A Pennsylvania division over conference order and cooperation produced the fellowship later known as Eastern District Conference.
1847–early 1990sevent
Swiss Mennonite congregations: chapels and conference
Swiss Mennonite congregations continued through local worship, new meetinghouses, shared conference work, and the preservation of their community records.
1840–1842event
Early Mennonite Sunday schools in Ontario
Congregations in Waterloo County introduced organized Sunday instruction alongside the worshiping life of the church.
Colony established 1836; registers from 1843tradition
Bergthal Mennonites
The Bergthal colony’s migration to Manitoba became the background of the Chortitzer and Sommerfeld church histories.
1832–1900person
John Holdeman and a call to renewal
John Holdeman gathered a separate fellowship after a religious awakening and a call to preach in Ohio.
1817: agricultural society leadershipperson
Johann Cornies
Molotschna leader associated with agricultural improvement, settlement development, and the society marked on the timeline in 1817.
1812tradition
Kleine Gemeinde
A reform movement in the Molotschna settlement that began in 1812 under Klaas Reimer and later developed different national histories.
1812event
Kleine Gemeinde begins
A reform movement in the Molotschna settlement that began in 1812 under Klaas Reimer and later developed different national histories.
1812 · Anabaptist historyplace
Molotschna
The Molotschna settlement was the setting of Kleine Gemeinde and Mennonite Brethren beginnings.
1812tradition
Reformed Mennonites
A distinct North American Mennonite fellowship led by John Herr from 1812.
1811tradition
Dutch Mennonite Conference: ADS
The Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit brought Dutch Mennonite congregations into a shared association in 1811.
1808–1865event
Westward settlement from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa
Amish and Mennonite families formed new settlements across the expanding American Midwest.
1803–1857person
Samuel Frölich and the Apostolic Christian beginnings
Samuel Frölich’s preaching gathered believers from Reformed and Mennonite backgrounds into a new church community.
1600–1799
Confession & migration
1789 · Anabaptist historyplace
Chortitza
The Chortitza settlement became the Old Colony within the Mennonite history of the Russian Empire.
1789tradition
Old Colony Mennonites
Old Colony history connects the Chortitza settlement with later migrations and a wider family of colony-based Mennonite churches.
1789tradition
Russian Mennonite communities
Communities established in the Russian Empire developed several church traditions and later migrated to the Americas and elsewhere.
1789event
Settlement at Chortitza
Communities established in the Russian Empire developed several church traditions and later migrated to the Americas and elsewhere.
1787–1871person
Jonas Stutzman and the first Amish settlement at Walnut Creek
Jonas Stutzman’s life joined pioneer settlement, teaching, and an intensely personal expectation of Christ’s return.
1786–1806event
From Prussia to Chortitza and Molotschna
Scouts, wagon journeys, and new villages linked Prussian Mennonites to settlements in the Russian Empire.
1783–1826event
Mennonite migration into Canada
Revolution, conscience, and the search for farmland contributed to Mennonite and Amish settlement in Canada.
1778–1851event
Christian Funk and the Revolutionary-era separation
A disagreement over allegiance and support for the American Revolution divided Pennsylvania Mennonites and left a long search for reconciliation.
1778–1836person
Christian Nafziger and the journey to Ontario
Christian Nafziger explored a Canadian settlement and recruited Amish Mennonite families to establish homes there.
1778; Brethren in Christ name by 1863event
The River Brethren and believers’ baptism
A revival among Pennsylvania Mennonite communities contributed to the gathering of the River Brethren.
Beginnings 1775–1788tradition
Brethren in Christ: River Brethren
A Pennsylvania movement with Anabaptist and Pietist roots that emerged between 1775 and 1788.
1766 publication; 1773 recognitionperson
Cornelis Ris
The Hoorn minister whose 1766 confession circulated among Dutch and German Mennonite congregations.
1761event
Hutterite communities under coercion in 1761
Arrest and compulsory religious instruction disrupted Hutterite communal life in Austria and Hungary.
September 1757person
Jacob Hochstetler and the test of nonresistance
The Hochstetler family’s ordeal at Northkill became a remembered test of refusing violence in the face of danger.
1748 edition; Revolutionary-era episode labeled 1776event
Ephrata and the German Martyrs’ Mirror
The Ephrata printing of Martyrs’ Mirror carried the memory of faithful witnesses to German-speaking readers in Pennsylvania.
1718–1771: documented teaching and deathperson
Christopher Dock
Pennsylvania schoolmaster whose teaching, illustrated writing, and School Management joined learning with Christian formation.
1708; stone replacement in 1770event
A meetinghouse at Germantown
A log meetinghouse gave the Germantown Mennonites a settled place for congregational worship.
Documented activity 1708–1729person
Alexander Mack and the gathered Brethren
Alexander Mack helped gather believers at Schwarzenau for baptism and a shared life ordered by the New Testament.
1708tradition
Schwarzenau Brethren
The Schwarzenau Brethren represent a related movement shaped by Anabaptism and Pietism, beginning with the baptisms at the Eder River in 1708.
1708event
The Schwarzenau Brethren
A group baptized in the Eder River at Schwarzenau began a movement shaped by both Anabaptist convictions and Pietism.
Born c. 1706; ministry documented 1765–1770person
Johannes Nafziger and the care of Amish congregations
Johannes Nafziger supported Amish congregations through personal assistance and written guidance for ministry.
1700–1743; expulsion in 1711event
Anabaptist hunters and the expulsion from Bern
Bounties, confiscation, hidden worship, and forced migration shaped the lives of Swiss Anabaptists in the early eighteenth century.
North American development, eighteenth centurytradition
Mennonite Church: MC
The older Mennonite Church in North America developed from Swiss and German congregational histories.
1700–1800event
Worship behind the street front in Holland
Dutch Mennonites worshiped in meeting places whose outward appearance was restricted even as congregational life continued within.
1693tradition
Amish traditions
Amish history grows from the Swiss Anabaptist tradition and the disagreements associated with Jakob Ammann. The later story includes migrations and distinct fellowships.
1693person
Jakob Ammann
Jakob Ammann was a Swiss Anabaptist leader concerned with spiritual renewal, separation from the world, and the practice of church discipline. Disagreement over the ban and shunning contributed to the division of 1693, and his followers came to be called Amish.
1693–1694event
The Amish division and the call for renewal
Disagreement over communion, church discipline, and relations with sympathetic outsiders divided the Swiss Brethren.
1683event
Mennonite migration to Germantown
The 1683 Germantown settlement opened an important North American chapter in Mennonite migration.
1683 · Anabaptist historyplace
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania connects early Mennonite migration with later congregational and fellowship histories.
1681–1683event
Pennsylvania: an opening for persecuted believers
Pennsylvania offered Mennonites and other persecuted communities a place to worship and establish new homes.
Division in 1664; reunion in 1801tradition
The Lamb and Sun congregations
The Lamb and Sun names remember an Amsterdam division and the later reunion of its congregations.
1660: publicationevent
Preserving the memory: Martyrs’ Mirror
Thieleman J. van Braght’s collection preserved accounts of Christian witnesses and Anabaptist martyrs, along with letters, confessions, and reflections.
1660person
Thieleman J. van Braght
Thieleman J. van Braght gathered the accounts, letters, confessions, and exhortations that make up Martyrs’ Mirror. He organized Christian witness century by century, bringing the testimony of the early church and medieval believers together with the sufferings of the Anabaptists.
1659 measures; 1671 banishmentevent
Swiss Brethren banished toward the Palatinate
The supplied overview describes an Anabaptist commission at Bern in 1659 and increasing pressure on Swiss Brethren to conform or leave. Arrest, removal, and the loss of a settled home continued the persecution into a period beyond many of the book’s individual martyr accounts.
Mid-seventeenth centuryevent
Swiss believers condemned to the galleys
The end of some executions did not end the coercion of Anabaptist believers; forced labor and exile continued.
1644–1708person
William Rittenhouse: ministry and papermaking
William Rittenhouse joined Mennonite pastoral service to the trade of papermaking in early Pennsylvania.
1639–1651: leadership and orderevent
Hutterite order and renewal under Andreas Ehrenpreis
Andreas Ehrenpreis took leadership after a period of great disruption in Hutterite community life. The supplied overview dates his election as bishop to 1639 and describes his work to restore the fellowship’s order and discipline.
1632–1660: confession and publicationplace
Dordrecht (Dort)
Dordrecht, called Dort in the supplied edition, connects the confession of faith drawn up on 21 April 1632 with the later work of Thieleman J. van Braght. The introductory line of the Third Confession identifies the gathering and its date.
21 April 1632event
The Dordrecht Confession
The Third Confession printed near the beginning of Martyrs’ Mirror identifies itself as a statement drawn up at a peace convention at Dort on 21 April 1632. Its eighteen articles set out a shared confession of Christian faith and practice.
Distinct fellowships from c. 1630tradition
Old Flemish Mennonites
Old Flemish congregations retained separate church relationships while other Dutch groups pursued union.
1615: history of the martyrsperson
Hans de Ries
Waterlander teacher and collector whose 1615 martyr history helped prepare the way for Martyrs’ Mirror.
1614person
Hans Landis
Hans Landis was a Swiss teacher who continued ministering when the Zürich authorities ordered him to stop. Martyrs’ Mirror describes his arrest, release from an earlier imprisonment, renewed examination, and execution by beheading in September 1614.
September 1614event
Hans Landis and the Swiss persecution
The account of Hans Landis in Martyrs’ Mirror shows that persecution of Swiss Anabaptists continued into the seventeenth century.
1607–1612event
English refugees and the Dutch Mennonites
John Smyth and John Robinson led English religious refugees to the Netherlands in 1607–1608. The supplied overview follows their communities to Amsterdam and, in Robinson’s case, to Leiden in 1609.
1605–1650event
War and the dispersal of Hutterite communities
The supplied overview follows attacks on Hutterite communities during the wars that afflicted Moravia and the surrounding lands from the beginning of the seventeenth century. It describes killing, captivity, plunder, and the loss of homes and communal resources.
1601–1641event
Altona: refuge and freedom of worship
Dutch Mennonite refugees established a congregation at Altona under privileges that protected worship and trade.
17th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Seventeenth Century,
FROM 1600 TO 1660.
Read the 17th-century accounts →Seventeenth and eighteenth centuriesevent
Krefeld: refuge, work, and Mennonite community
Mennonites at Krefeld established a community whose weaving and trade brought a measure of protection.
Migration history, seventeenth–eighteenth centuriestradition
Mennonites of Swiss–South German ancestry
Migrations connected Swiss and South German Anabaptist communities with European refuges and later congregations in North America.
1500–1599
Radical Reformation
1571person
Hans Haslibacher
Hans Haslibacher was an older Swiss believer brought before the authorities at Berne. Martyrs’ Mirror recounts his imprisonment, examination, and steadfast refusal to renounce the faith he had confessed.
1569: Dirk Willems’s witnessplace
Asperen
Asperen in Holland is the setting of Dirk Willems’s imprisonment, flight across the ice, rescue of his pursuer, and recapture. Martyrs’ Mirror gives the local setting as part of the account of his faith and suffering.
1569person
Dirk Willems
Dirk Willems was imprisoned at Asperen in Holland in 1569. Martyrs’ Mirror recounts that he escaped, crossed the ice, and turned back when the man pursuing him fell through it. His rescue of the pursuer cost him the opportunity to get away.
1569; sentence dated 16 Mayevent
Dirk Willems saves his pursuer
Martyrs’ Mirror recounts how Dirk Willems turned back to rescue a pursuer who had fallen through the ice. He was recaptured and later executed.
c. 1569; sentence dated 26 February 1569event
Worship in Pieter Pieters Beckjen’s boat
An Amsterdam boatman made room for persecuted believers to encourage one another from Scripture, and was condemned for his faith.
1566tradition
Flemish Mennonites
Flemish Mennonite communities formed one of the Dutch branches during sixteenth-century disagreements over discipline and congregational life.
1566tradition
Frisian Mennonites
A Dutch Mennonite branch that developed in Friesland and also took root in West Prussia.
1565–1592event
Hutterite schools, crafts, and shared life
Hutterite communities in Moravia developed schools, religious writing, agriculture, and skilled crafts. The institutional Hutterite history identifies 1565–1592 as a flourishing period, with communal work supporting the life and teaching of the congregations.
From 1560; continued through 1665event
The Hutterite Chronicles
The supplied overview describes the beginning of an official Hutterite chronicle in 1560 at Austerlitz in Moravia. The work gathered accounts of the community’s beginnings, leaders, migrations, and suffering for preservation by later generations.
Winter 1553–1554event
Mennonite aid to refugees at Wismar
During the winter of 1553–1554, Mennonites at Wismar helped Reformed refugees whose ship had become ice-bound. The supplied overview remembers practical assistance across a difference of confession.
1551–1582: ministryperson
Leenaert Bouwens
Leenaert Bouwens was ordained as an elder by Menno Simons at Emden in 1551, according to the supplied overview. His ministry involved travel, preaching, and baptism among congregations from East Friesland to Flanders.
Sixteenth century to the 1639 Amsterdam uniontradition
High German Mennonites
The High Germans connected South German and Rhineland believers with Dutch congregations and efforts toward reconciliation.
Mid-sixteenth century; confession 1577tradition
Waterlander Mennonites
A Dutch Mennonite stream associated with Waterland, with a confession of faith in 1577 and a distinctive approach to church discipline.
1547–1552event
Hutterite banishment and winter refuge
The supplied history overview describes a period of renewed pressure on the Hutterites from 1547 to 1552. An imperial edict forced believers from communal homes in the regions of Moravia, Austria, and Hungary.
1544event
Maria and Ursula van Beckum: steadfast together in 1544
Martyrs’ Mirror remembers Maria and her sister-in-law Ursula refusing to abandon Christ and praying for those who condemned them.
Sixteenth-century settlementtradition
Danzig and Prussian Mennonites
Mennonite communities in the Vistula region linked Dutch Anabaptist histories with later migrations into the Russian Empire.
1540 · Anabaptist historyplace
Danzig and the Vistula region
Mennonite settlements in the Vistula region linked Dutch congregations with later migration to the Russian Empire.
1539person
Anna Jans
Anna Jans is the woman remembered in the supplied edition as Anna of Rotterdam. The account preserves the testament she gave to her son Isaiah on 24 January 1539, as she prepared to die for her faith.
1536: Jakob Hutter’s executionplace
Innsbruck
Innsbruck is the place where Jakob Hutter was executed on 25 February 1536, according to the Hutterite institutional history. The event belongs to the period when he led and organized believers moving between Tyrol and Moravia.
1536person
Jakob Hutter
Jakob Hutter led Anabaptist believers from Tyrol toward refuge in Moravia and helped organize their shared life. The Hutterite history dates his election as chief elder to 1533 and his execution at Innsbruck to 25 February 1536.
25 February 1536event
Jakob Hutter’s witness
Jakob Hutter was executed in Innsbruck in 1536. His leadership and organization helped give the Hutterite tradition its lasting name.
1536–1556 (David Joris’s later ministry)event
Jorists: David Joris and the meaning of discipleship
The Jorists appear in the Dutch portion of the chart as a distinct movement whose teachings nonresistant witnesses examined against Scripture.
Menno Simons’s ministry, 1536–1561person
Menno Simons
Menno Simons was a former Dutch priest who became an influential Anabaptist teacher. The Mennonite name preserves his association with the communities he helped strengthen; it does not make every later branch the work of one founder.
1536event
Menno’s commitment and call to leadership
The supplied overview connects Menno Simons’s study of Scripture with his decision to leave the priesthood and identify openly with the Anabaptists. It dates his public commitment to 30 January 1536.
1535–1544 (principal activity described here)event
Batenburgers: violence and the nonresistant witness
The Batenburgers’ separate line in the chart supplies context for the accusations of religious violence that peaceful Anabaptists had to answer.
1535–1540 songs; 1564 collectionevent
The Ausbund: prison songs and congregational memory
The Ausbund grew from hymns written by imprisoned believers. The supplied overview dates the core prison songs to 1535–1540 and the earliest printed collection it describes to 1564.
1534–1535event
Münster and the rejection of armed religion
In 1534–1535, leaders at Münster proclaimed the city a new Jerusalem and organized an armed religious community. The supplied overview names Jan Matthijs and Jan van Leyden and follows the siege, the fall of the city, and the punishment of its leaders.
1531 in overview; c. 1533 in Martyrs’ Mirrorperson
Sicke Snyder
Sicke Snyder received baptism upon his faith and was imprisoned at Leeuwarden in Friesland. Martyrs’ Mirror describes his refusal to abandon that confession under pressure and his death by the sword.
Ministry in Moravia and Poland, 1531–1540person
Ulrich Stadler and the shared life of the brotherhood
Ulrich Stadler helped lead refugee communities and explained the spiritual meaning of shared possessions.
Anabaptist ministry c. 1530–1563person
Leupold Scharnschlager: exile and pastoral correspondence
Leupold Scharnschlager cared for believers across borders after losing his home for joining the Anabaptists.
1530s; a wider family nametradition
Mennonite traditions
Mennonite history includes Dutch, Swiss, German, and later worldwide communities. Shared roots coexist with differences in worship, practice, organization, and relationships.
1528event
Community of goods in Moravia
A community of Anabaptist refugees in Moravia began sharing their possessions. This practice became a defining feature of Hutterite life.
1528tradition
Hutterite traditions
Hutterite history centres on gathered Christian communities and community of goods. Its migration story links Moravia, eastern Europe, and North America.
1528 · Anabaptist historyplace
Moravia
Moravia provided a setting for Anabaptist refugee communities and the development of Hutterite common life.
1527–1528person
Balthasar Hubmaier
Balthasar Hubmaier appears in the supplied Nikolsburg overview as a teacher who allowed the sword to political rulers, in contrast with believers who rejected participation in violence. The disagreement forms part of the background to the separation of the Stäbler group.
1527person
Felix Manz
Felix Manz helped shape the early Zürich fellowship and shared its conviction that baptism should follow faith. Martyrs’ Mirror calls him Felix Mantz and describes his preaching, imprisonment, and death by drowning at Zürich.
5 January 1527event
Felix Manz and the cost of conviction
Felix Manz was drowned in Zürich on 5 January 1527. His story is central to the memory of persecution among the Swiss Brethren.
1527person
Michael Sattler
Michael Sattler is associated with the seven Schleitheim Articles of 1527, which address baptism, church discipline, the breaking of bread, separation, shepherds, the sword, and oaths. They set out a shared order of discipleship for the gathered brethren.
1527–1528event
Nikolsburg: refuge, the sword, and shared goods
Anabaptist refugees found protection around Nikolsburg under the Lords of Liechtenstein. The supplied overview describes a large fellowship whose members disagreed about the use of the sword and payment of war taxes.
1527 · Anabaptist historyplace
Schleitheim
The 1527 gathering at Schleitheim produced seven articles of agreement for Anabaptist church life.
24 February 1527event
The Schleitheim Articles
The Schleitheim Articles set out seven points of agreement for a gathered Anabaptist community, including baptism, communion, church discipline, and refusal of the sword.
Ministry 1526–1527; died 6 December 1527person
Hans Hut: preaching, baptism, and imprisonment
Hans Hut carried Anabaptist preaching across South Germany and Austria before dying in imprisonment at Augsburg.
1525person
Bolt Eberli
The supplied overview names Bolt Eberli among the earliest Swiss Brethren to lose his life for his faith. It recounts his preaching at St. Gall, arrest, and death by burning on 29 May 1525.
1525person
Conrad Grebel
Conrad Grebel belonged to the Zürich circle that sought a church ordered by the teaching and practice of the New Testament. On 21 January 1525, after prayer, he baptized George Blaurock upon his confession of faith. Blaurock then baptized the others who were present.
1525–1529: baptism and ministryperson
George Blaurock
George Blaurock asked Conrad Grebel to baptize him at the Zürich gathering of 21 January 1525 and then baptized the others present. The act expressed their commitment to become a fellowship of believers following Christ together.
Documented leadership 1525–1556person
Pilgram Marpeck and the South German fellowship
Pilgram Marpeck joined civic experience, practical work, and written teaching in the service of Anabaptist congregations.
The Radical Reformationevent
Scripture and Anabaptist convictions
Believers’ baptism, discipleship, brotherly love, a gathered church, and nonresistance stand at the center of this history.
1525–1527 (early community)event
St. Gallen: Scripture, baptism, and a gathered community
St. Gallen became an early centre of believers’ baptism as public Scripture readings led townspeople to examine faith and the shape of the church.
1525tradition
Swiss Brethren
The Swiss Brethren emerged in the context of the Zürich baptisms and early Swiss Anabaptism. Later Swiss Mennonite and Amish histories share this background.
1520s: several regional beginningstradition
The regional roots of Anabaptism
Anabaptism developed in several regions during the Radical Reformation, including Switzerland, South Germany and Austria, and the Netherlands.
21 January 1525event
The Zürich baptisms
On 21 January 1525, Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock at a gathering associated with Felix Manz in Zürich. This is a central starting point for Swiss Anabaptist history.
1525 · Anabaptist historyplace
Zürich
Zürich was the setting of the 1525 believers’ baptisms and Felix Manz’s execution in 1527.
1522–1525event
Bible study and the Zürich circle
Lay Bible study in Zürich brought believers together around the Scriptures before the baptisms of 1525. The supplied overview dates these beginnings to 1522 and follows the participation of Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, with George Blaurock later joining them.
1506–1556person
Peter Riedemann: a confession written in captivity
Peter Riedemann expressed the faith of the Hutterite brotherhood through confessions written amid persecution.
1504–1568person
Dirk Philips and the teaching of a gathered church
Dirk Philips served with Menno Simons and wrote extensively about baptism, new birth, church order, and discipleship.
16th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Sixteenth Century.
Read the 16th-century accounts →16th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Sixteenth Century.
Read the 16th-century accounts →16th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
Enlarged And Improved From Various Credible Chronicles, Memoirs, Testimonies, Etc.
[The following Part of the Martyrs Mirror, was not originally written by van Braght, but was the outgrowth of a compilation from different authors, and published in different editions, which from time to time were enlarged and improved. The original book, as appears from the…
Read the 16th-century accounts →Born c. 1500; died November 1527person
Hans Denck: Scripture, conscience, and discipleship
Hans Denck’s teaching and writing influenced the early Anabaptist movement in South Germany.
Born c. 1500; died 1568person
Obbe Philips and the early Dutch brotherhood
Obbe Philips helped gather the early Dutch movement before withdrawing from its ministry around 1540.
500–1499
Medieval witness
Born c. 1494/1495; imprisoned 1533; death date uncertainperson
Melchior Hoffman: preaching and long imprisonment
Melchior Hoffman spread Anabaptist teaching in northern Europe and spent years imprisoned in Strasbourg.
c. 1471person
Stephen, Waldensian elder at Vienna
Stephen was an elder of the Waldenses who had sought refuge in Austria amid persecution in and around Bohemia. Martyrs’ Mirror recounts his arrest at Vienna and his refusal to abandon either his faith or the people entrusted to his care.
c. 1471: Stephen’s witnessplace
Vienna
Vienna is the setting of the death of Stephen, an elder of the Waldenses, in Martyrs’ Mirror. His community had sought safety in Austria after persecution in and around Bohemia.
1428: the Norwich witnessesplace
Norwich
Norwich is the setting of the accounts of William White, Abraham of Cholchester, and John Waddon. Their 1428 witness is accompanied by sections on the order for arrest, their confession, and imprisonment.
1428person
William White
William White appears with Abraham of Cholchester and John Waddon in Martyrs’ Mirror’s account of witnesses at Norwich in 1428. The surrounding sections preserve the royal order for their arrest, their confession, and the account of their imprisonment and death.
1415: teaching discussed in the sourceperson
John Huss
John Huss is discussed in Martyrs’ Mirror’s fifteenth-century account of faith and baptism. It relates how Jerome of Prague brought Wickliffe’s writings from England into Bohemia and sets out the articles Huss received from them, including opposition to oaths.
John WycliffeTouching The Articles Of Their Faith, Laid Before Them By The Inquisition, For Recantation.Touching The Articles Of Faith Which John Huss Had Derived From The Writings Of John Wickliffe.Notice Concerning The Followers Of John Huss, Who, According To The Accounts Of Jacob Mehrning, Were Very Different From Their Leader.Further Observation Concerning The Misdeeds Of The Followers Of John Huss.
15th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Fifteenth Century.
Read the 15th-century accounts →15th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Fifteenth Century.
Read the 15th-century accounts →1370: teaching in the source accountperson
John Wycliffe
Martyrs’ Mirror calls this English teacher John Wickliffe and places a discussion of his teaching at 1370. It describes his service at Lutterworth and considers his writings on baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the authority of Scripture, and the swearing of oaths.
14th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Fourteenth Century.
Read the 14th-century accounts →14th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Fourteenth Century.
Read the 14th-century accounts →c. 1285 (source account)person
Gerard Sagarellus
Gerard Sagarellus of Parma appears in Martyrs’ Mirror alongside Dulcinus in the discussion of those whose beliefs were associated with the Waldenses. The account emphasizes his refusal to abandon his confession under condemnation.
13th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Thirteenth Century.
Read the 13th-century accounts →13th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Thirteenth Century.
Read the 13th-century accounts →c. 1160–1170: conversion and beginningsperson
Peter Waldo
Peter Waldo was a wealthy citizen of Lyons whom Martyrs’ Mirror describes as moved to repentance after the sudden death of a companion. He gave generously to the poor and began teaching Scripture in the language understood by the people who came to hear him.
1147: apprehensionperson
Henry of Toulouse
Henry of Toulouse was a disciple and fellow teacher of Peter Bruis in Martyrs’ Mirror’s account. The source presents their preaching together, including the conviction that baptism should follow belief.
1145 (Peter in the source account)person
Peter Bruis
Peter Bruis preached in France against practices he judged contrary to the gospel. Martyrs’ Mirror describes his rejection of infant baptism and his teaching that baptism belongs to believers, alongside his objections to the mass, images, and pilgrimages.
12th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Twelfth Century.
Read the 12th-century accounts →12th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Twelfth Century.
Read the 12th-century accounts →1059–1079: examinationsperson
Berengarius
Berengarius appears with Bruno of Angiers in Martyrs’ Mirror’s accounts of teaching about baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The book follows the condemnation of their views and Berengarius’s repeated examinations before church councils.
Johannes ErigenaBruno, Bishop Of Angiers, And Berengarius, His Deacon, Condemned In Several Councils, Through The Roman Pope, On Account Of Their Views Against Infant Baptism, Transubstantiation, The Mass, Etc.; The First Time, A. D. 1059, The Last Time, A. D. 1079.Many Of The Followers Of Berengarius, Called Berengarians, Anathematized By Order Of The Pope, At Piacenza, In Italy, A. D. 1095, And Afterwards Persecuted Unto Death, About A. D. 1100.
1022–1023: fourteen witnessesplace
Orleans
Orleans is the setting of the account of fourteen witnesses, with Stephen named as their chief figure. The narrative places the proceedings near the close of 1022 or at the latest in 1023.
Fourteen Persons, The Chiefest Of Whom Was Called Stephen, Burned As Heretics For The Testimony Of The Truth, By The Papists, At Orleans, In France, Near The Close Of A. D. 1022.Further Observations Touching Said Fourteen Martyrs, According To The Accounts Of Various Papistic And Other Writers, Noted In A. Mellinus’ Second Book Of The Persecutions, Fol. 437, Col. 3, 4.
1022–1023 (source account)event
The fourteen witnesses at Orleans
Martyrs’ Mirror recounts the condemnation of fourteen people at Orleans, naming Stephen as their chief figure. The account discusses accusations concerning baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and other beliefs, and records their execution in the presence of King Robert.
OrleansFourteen Persons, The Chiefest Of Whom Was Called Stephen, Burned As Heretics For The Testimony Of The Truth, By The Papists, At Orleans, In France, Near The Close Of A. D. 1022.Further Observations Touching Said Fourteen Martyrs, According To The Accounts Of Various Papistic And Other Writers, Noted In A. Mellinus’ Second Book Of The Persecutions, Fol. 437, Col. 3, 4.
11th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Eleventh Century.
Read the 11th-century accounts →11th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Eleventh Century.
Read the 11th-century accounts →923person
Eugenia of Cordova
Eugenia is named in Martyrs’ Mirror among the Christians who suffered in the region of Cordova. The account describes her as a faithful Christian woman who was beheaded for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Tenth Century.
Read the 10th-century accounts →10th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Tenth Century.
Read the 10th-century accounts →c. 884person
Johannes Erigena
Johannes Erigena, also called Scotus in the source, is remembered for learning, translation, and teaching concerning the Lord’s Supper. Martyrs’ Mirror describes his opposition to transubstantiation and connects his writings with the later convictions of Berengarius.
850–923: linked witnessesplace
Cordova
Cordova is a recurring setting in the ninth- and tenth-century accounts. John’s witness in 850 is followed by other named Christians, including Eugenia near the city in 923.
850person
John of Cordova
John was a tradesman at Cordova accused of insulting Mohammed. Martyrs’ Mirror says the witnesses were insufficient to secure a death sentence, but he was severely beaten, publicly mocked, and imprisoned because he would not forsake Christ.
9th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Ninth Century.
Read the 9th-century accounts →9th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Ninth Century.
Read the 9th-century accounts →750person
Clement of Scotland
Clement joined Albert of Gaul in opposing teachings and ceremonies they believed contrary to the gospel. Martyrs’ Mirror describes them as companions in doctrine and follows Clement’s attempt to answer the charges brought against him.
Clement Of Scotland, A Companion Of Albert, Excommunicated And Then Burned, As A Heretic, By The Romanists, According To The Testimony Of The Ancients, A. D. 750, For The Same Reason, Namely, For Opposing And Rejecting The Roman Superstitions.Special Account Of Clement, According To P. J. Twisck.Further Observations Touching The Case Of Albert And Clement, According To The Account Of Sebastian Franck.
8th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Eighth Century.
Read the 8th-century accounts →8th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Eighth Century.
Read the 8th-century accounts →c. 606person
Adrian, teacher opposed to infant baptism
Adrian appears in Martyrs’ Mirror’s seventh-century discussion of baptism. A letter attributed to Gregory the Great accuses him of ordering that infants should not be baptized, and the book places the proceedings about the close of 606.
7th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism In The Seventh Century.
Read the 7th-century accounts →7th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Seventh Century.
Read the 7th-century accounts →511person
Arnold, teacher near Paris
Arnold preached the gospel in a forest near Paris. Martyrs’ Mirror records that he was killed there in 511 and that his wife buried him at the place of his death.
6th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism Of The Martyrs In The Sixth Century.
Read the 6th-century accounts →6th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Sixth Century.
Read the 6th-century accounts →30–499
Acts & the early church
424person
Albanus of Mentz
Albanus is a fifth-century teacher in Martyrs’ Mirror’s account of the spread of the gospel. He came to Mentz to preach Christ and was killed with others, the heading giving the year 424.
5th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism Of The Martyrs In The Fifth Century.
Read the 5th-century accounts →5th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Fifth Century.
Read the 5th-century accounts →302person
Eulalia of Emerita
Eulalia’s account belongs to the fourth-century persecution narratives. Martyrs’ Mirror describes her open confession of the one true God before the magistrates and her refusal to take part in idol worship at Emerita, also named Merida in the text.
4th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism Of The Martyrs In The Fourth Century.
Read the 4th-century accounts →4th century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Fourth Century.
Read the 4th-century accounts →3rd century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism Of The Martyrs In The Third Century.
Read the 3rd-century accounts →3rd century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Pious Martyrs And Witnesses Of Jesus Christ Who Suffered In The Third Century.
Read the 3rd-century accounts →c. 201event
Perpetua and Felicitas
Perpetua and Felicitas are remembered together in the third-century accounts. Martyrs’ Mirror describes them as Christian women of Tuburbi in Mauritania, one nursing a child and the other pregnant when they were imprisoned.
c. 172person
Blandina
Blandina appears with Maturus, Sanctus, and a youth from Pontus among the Christians persecuted on the Rhône. Martyrs’ Mirror describes her confession of Christ as the source of her strength through repeated torments.
Second- and twelfth-century witnessesplace
Lyons and the Rhône
The Rhône accounts preserve the witness of Blandina and her companions; the medieval account returns to Lyons in the story of Peter Waldo. The place links two distinct periods of Christian witness.
168person
Polycarp of Smyrna
Polycarp was a teacher of the church at Smyrna whom Martyrs’ Mirror describes as a disciple of the apostle John. The account opens with Christ’s encouragement to the church in Revelation 2 and presents Polycarp as a shepherd who remained faithful in suffering.
111person
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius served the church at Antioch in Syria. Martyrs’ Mirror describes him as a disciple of John and a diligent shepherd whose teaching centered on Christ. Arrested under Trajan, he was sent under guard to Rome.
2nd century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Baptism Of The Holy Martyrs In The Second Century.
Read the 2nd-century accounts →2nd century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of Those Who Suffered In The Second Century.
Read the 2nd-century accounts →69person
Paul the apostle
The first-century baptism section recalls Saul’s baptism after Ananias came to him, and the wider account follows Paul’s ministry through repeated suffering. His letters and example give the book a language of endurance, service, and hope in Christ.
69–111: linked source accountsplace
Rome
Rome connects the accounts of Peter and Paul under Nero with the later journey and death of Ignatius under Trajan. Martyrs’ Mirror gives 69 for the apostolic accounts and 111 for Ignatius.
Simon Peter, The Holy Apostle, Crucified With His Head Downward, Under Emperor Nero, A. D. 69.Paul, The Apostle Of Christ, Sorely Persecuted, And Finally Beheaded, At Rome, Under The Emperor Nero, A. D. 69.Ignatius, A Disciple Of The Apostle John, Devoured By Wild Beasts In A Circus At Rome, For The Testimony Of The Son Of God, A. D. 111.
69person
Simon Peter
Peter appears in the first-century baptism passages as a preacher at Pentecost and as a witness to the reception of the gospel in the household of Cornelius. The account joins repentance and baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gathered life of believers.
34person
Stephen of Jerusalem
Stephen was one of the seven chosen to serve the church at Jerusalem. Martyrs’ Mirror follows Acts 6–7: his wisdom in dispute, the accusations against him, and his testimony before the council about God’s dealings with his people.
33 (supplied overview)person
Jesus Christ: the cross and resurrection
The history begins with Jesus Christ, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. The supplied opening overview places Calvary and the empty tomb at the heart of the story, with the risen Christ presented as Lord and Savior.
Acts and the first centuryevent
Christian beginnings: baptism, fellowship, and witness
Acts begins this history with the preaching of Christ, repentance, baptism, fellowship, prayer, and care for one another. Martyrs’ Mirror’s first-century account brings together the baptisms at Pentecost, in Samaria, of the Ethiopian, of Saul, and in other households and communities.
1st century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Holy Baptism Of The Martyrs In The First Century,
That is, from the first year of the ministry of Jesus Christ to the year 100.
Read the 1st-century accounts →1st century (source section)Martyrs’ Mirror · century guide
An Account Of The Pious Martyrs And Witnesses Of Jesus Christ Who Suffered During The First Century:
That is, from the death of Christ to the year A. D. 100.
Read the 1st-century accounts →First-century Christian communityplace
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is the setting of the Pentecost preaching and the gathered community described in Acts. The first-century source passages connect baptism with teaching, fellowship, prayer, and the care of believers for one another.
