# Hans Knevel, A. D. 1572.

1572 · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: HANS KNEVEL, A. D. 1572.

Source heading; not independently verified

As is known to many, the world has become so
corrupted through the false teaching of antichrist,
and iniquity has, according to the prediction of
Christ (Matt. 24:12), so gained the ascendancy,
that the princes and kings of the earth have become
utterly perverted, through her seductive wine of
fornication (Rev. 17:2; 18:3), from their native
reasonable nature, who usually are wont to show
some love and mercy to their own friends and kindred,
and also to those who love and do good to
them. This reasonableness seems to have almost
ceased in many princes and rulers of this world, so
that in place of their native reasonableness they are
now like irrational beasts, who by nature are born
for taking and slaying. 2 Pet. 2:12; Jude 1:10.
This, among many other instances, appeared also,
about the year 1572, in the city of Antwerp, where
they apprehended a pious follower of Christ, by the
name of Hans Knevel. He was a young single man
and a cloth-shearer by trade. The circumstances
that led to his imprisonment were as follows: It
happened that one of his chief friends became known
to the margrave and to some one of his servants,
whereupon they laid plans to apprehend him. This
plot was made known to Hans Knevel, in his shop
where he worked. He therefore very earnestly
warned his friend with regard to it, and advised him
to go away from there, saying that he would go
with him. Thus they went together and took up
residence at Hamburg, where, after residing for a
time, Hans Knevel went back to Antwerp again,
there seeking to make a living by selling wool.
Hence, about ten o’clock, the margrave with his
servants came into the inn where he lodged and
asked him: “Is not your name Hans Knevel?”
He answered: “Yes.” They said: “You are an
Anabaptist; you must go with us.” And he was also
able to tell him, that he had gone from there to
Hamburg with his special friend Steven Janss Dilburgh.
And thus he was confined in a dark
dungeon, and on the following Monday brought
before the lords, the margrave, bailiff, two judges,
and the clerk of the criminal court. Now when this
friend of God, Hans Knevel, out of modesty hesitated
to sit down immediately, the bailiff said: “Sit
down and do what you are told; you obey your
people, you must also obey us.” When he asked
him what he held concerning their infant baptism,
Hans answered that he had read nothing of infant
baptism in the New Testament, hence he could hold
nothing concerning it. Quest. “Were you baptized
upon your faith?” Ans. “Yes.” Quest.
“How long ago?” He told them, and that it took
place between Chronenburgh and the Oever. This
they wrote down as he understood. Ques. “Where
have you attended preaching, and whom have you
seen there?” He named to them several persons,
and some who had already been offered up. Thereupon
they said; “You name to us persons that are
out of the country, and such as have been burned;
we want to know those who live in this place, and
who are your teachers, ministers, and informants.”
And they said such people as he, the prisoner, was,
had no liberty anywhere, and had to roam about
everywhere. Hans replied that also Christ himself
had no liberty anywhere. This they took ill, that
he the prisoner sought to compare himself to Christ.
The margrave said: “At Hamburg you people
have no liberty either.” Hans replied: “There,
however, they deprive no one of property and life,
as is done here.” Margrave. “What do they do
there then.” Hans. “They are sent out of the
city.” Margrave. “Then they have to go into
another again.” Hans. “Yes, but they shall not
have gone over all the cities of Israel, till their redemption
shall beat the door.” Matt. 10:23. At
this they laughed. Margrave. “We will send you
learned men, and if you will suffer yourself to be
instructed, mercy shall be shown you.” Hans.
“Yes, you will show me such mercy that I shall
have my head cut off.” Margrave. “No, but we
should release you.” Hans. “Though it were as
you say, you would love my body, but hate my
soul.” Margrave. “No, but I love your body,
and still much more your soul, since you are young
yet, and have been brought to it innocently; but if
you will not hear; you shall fare like the rest.”

Hans said that he was well satisfied, and thus
they parted. Afterwards these prisoners of the Lord
were for three consecutive days brought before a
priest, who endeavored with all his might to make
them believe his false doctrine, telling them many
things concerning their old custom, which this
friend of God did not deem worthy to write to his
friends. The priest especially made many words over
Rom. 13, by which he wanted to justify the murdering
and slaying perpetrated by the Romish church,
saying that the magistracy did not bear the sword
in vain, and that it must therefore be obeyed. Hans
replied that he was willing to obey the magistracy
in custom, taxes and the like; but that the priest
ought to be ashamed, that he sought to justify their
wicked murdering and burning even by the Scriptures;
asking him where Christ and his apostles had
ever done this: He further asked the priest why he
had come to him. The priest answered: “To win
your soul.” Hans Knevel told him, if he sought to
win souls, to go around in the city, in the brothels,
900
the tippling houses, tennis-courts, and to those who
shed so much innocent blood, and to seek to win
their souls. His own soul Christ had already won.
Thus this prisoner disputed five different times with
the priest. Afterwards he was put upon the rack
several times; but the Lord his God; in whose grace
he trusted, faithfully succored him according to his
promise. When he again appeared before the lords,
he was severely upbraided, why he refused to hear
the learned men whom they had sent. Hans replied:
“Your learned men wanted to make me believe in
infant baptism, of which the Scriptures no where
speak; and he offered to show the lords the Scriptures
relating to the true Christian baptism; but the
lords did not wish to hear it, claiming not to understand
the matter. Hans asked how they then
dared judge such an important matter, involving
body and soul, and which they, according to their
own saying, did not understand.

Having been severely confined for about nine days
in the Emperor’s Chair, he was again summoned
before the margrave, and the clerk of the criminal
court. The margrave told him that he had received
a letter from the Duke, with the import that the
prisoner must be examined still further or more rigorously.
Hans replied that he could not give them
any further information. Hence he had to go upon
the rack again. When they could obtain nothing
else from him, they released him from the rack.
Hans said: “How can you torment us thus, when no
one complains of us, that we have injured any one?”
The margrave said: “You will not obey the authorities.”
Hans replied: “We will gladly obey
the authorities in all taxes, customs and excises;
yea, we should be sorry, if we should withhold from
the authorities one stiver of what is their due.”
They then compared him to the Munsterites. Hans
said that his faith was as different from the Munsterite
sect, as heaven is from the earth. And after they
had finished tormenting tempting and otherwise maltreating
him according to their pleasure, and he the
prisoner, was in no wise to be moved, since he was
firmly built upon the corner-stone Christ Jesus, he
was burned at the stake, in the market place at Antwerp,
about the year 1572, confirming the faith of
the truth with his death and blood, for an instructive
and perpetual example to all true Christians;
for he has fought the fight, finished his course, obtained
the crown of eternal glory through the grace
of God, and now rests with all his fellow combatants
that have lawfully striven (2 Tim. 2:5), under
the altar of Christ Jesus.

This account we have chiefly taken from Hans
Knevel’s own letter, which he wrote at Antwerp,
from prison, to his dear brother Steven Janss Dilburgh!
and his wife Leentjen at Hamburg; in which
he communicates at length the firm foundation of
his faith and living hope in God’s grace and blessed
promises, which we, to avoid prolixity, have omitted,
even as we have also done with a large number
of similar writings.

Persecuted, but not forsaken. 2 Cor. 4:9.





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Page: http://history.truechristian.church/stories/mm-hans-knevel-a-d-1572/

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