# The Second Letter Of Jelis Strings.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: THE SECOND LETTER OF JELIS STRINGS.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

Grace, mercy and peace from God the heavenly
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the
Father, in truth and in love. May he stablish ,
strengthen and settle you who have to suffer for
a little while for Christ’s sake; and may he grant
you, according to the riches of his glory and power,
to be strengthened with might in the inner man,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith,
and you be rooted and grounded in love, so that
you may all be bound together with the bond of
love, and thus, through the uniting of the Holy
Spirit, and obedience to the Lord, according to the
Gospel, be built up together harmoniously a holy
temple and city of God; this I wish you all who
love the Lord, for a cordial greeting, dear brethren
and sisters in the Lord.

Further, after all greeting, I hope to write a little
again concerning the disputation we had with our
adversaries, though it is not very much; for when
we were apprehended, we resolved among ourselves,
not to dispute, unless we might all come together,
which was also observed, so that they should have
nothing to lie behind our back, and that if they
should hear a word more from one than from another
they might not confuse the simple. On account
of this they were much incensed, and said
that they all depended on me. They often came to
dispute; but we would not, unless we might all
come together, and in the market place. This
angered them much, and they said: “Where was
it ever seen that a disputation was held in the
market-place? you people want to introduce new
doctrines.” Finally, we consented that we would
dispute in prison, provided we might all come together;
but they would not have it otherwise than
each separately, and this we would not do. Thus
they came twice or three times, and we had some
conversation with them each time, in order that
they might not say that we refused to hear them.
Our conversation was about the three persons, and
the incarnation. The first question he put to me
was whether I did not believe that if men believed
in Christ Jesus, and henceforth forsook all evil they
would be saved. I said: “Yes; all who believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who died for us,
and through this faith show obedience to the Gospel,
shall be saved.” “Well then,” said they, “if they
believe that children may be baptized, they will be
saved, according to your own words.” I said: “My
lord, it seems to me, that you are like the scribes;
they sought to censure Christ by subtlety, and it
appears to me that you do the same.” Matt. 22:15.
“Yes,” said he; “Christ knew how to answer the
scribes, and so will you, if you have the Spirit of
Christ.” I said: “If they show obedience to the
Gospel, they will not baptize children, nor cause
them to be baptized; for it is not instituted or commanded
of God, to baptize children; but you people
have planted it, and whatever men have planted
shall be rooted up of God, and thus it will go with
your infant baptism.” Matt. 15:13. He forthwith
said that the Anabaptists believe that Christ brought
his flesh from heaven. I said that it was a lie; “are
you not ashamed (I said) to sit here and lie in this
manner in my presence?” He said: “What you
believe, I know not; but others believe thus.” I said
that it was a lie; “I have never heard,” I said, “of
any that held such a faith; yet I have had more
intercourse with them than you have; are you not
ashamed to sit here and lie thus in my presence?”
Then he became very boastful; three or four other
priests and the Bailiff were also sitting there, and
they said: “Jells, talk decently.” I said: “Then
634
do not lie so.” I spoke loudly, that my comrades
should hear it.

He then asked: “What is your faith, then?”
“I believe with all the apostles, that he is the Son
of God, as Peter confessed (Matt. 16:16; John
20; 6:69), visible and invisible; that the Word by
which all things were made became flesh in Mary,
through the power of the Most High.” He asked
whether the Word became flesh like Lot’s wife became
a pillar of salt, or the water, wine. I said:
“No.” He asked: “How then?” I said: “It became
man, and it continued to be the Word; that
is, the Word which was invisible became visible;
that which was impalpable became palpable; that
which was impassible became passible.” He said:
“Was the Word not God?” I replied: “It is God
and man.” “Did God die?” he said. I replied:
“He died according to his humanity, as Peter says:
‘put to death according to the flesh, but quickened
according to the spirit.’ ” 1 Pet. 3:18.

I then asked him, how he confessed the unity.
He confessed three persons and one God. I asked
whether the Holy Ghost were a person. He said:
“Yes.” I said: “When Mary was greeted by the
angel, that she should conceive, and she did not
know how this should come to pass, as she had
never known a man, the angel said: The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee. Luke 1:26. Now, if
the Holy Ghost is a person, then one person conceived
another. And in the Acts of the Apostles it is
written that when the apostles received the Holy
Ghost, he sat upon each of them. Acts 2:3. But a
person can sit only upon one man. And in the first
chapter (v. 7) of the Book of Wisdom it is written
that the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world. To
what person would you compare him?” He did
not know what to say. He then said: “I do not
consider them persons such as Pieter, Klaes and
Jan.” I said: “To whom then do you compare
them?” They then exchanged a few words in Latin,
and said: “We only call them persons: did you
think that we considered them three human beings?”
I said: “Yes.” He said: “If you have
taught men so, you must confess that you have
slandered us, and that you are a false teacher.”
I said: “I am no teacher; I have enough to do to
teach myself.” I added: “You call them persons;
are they not such? why then do you call them three
persons.” He said: “It amounts to the same
thing.” I said: “It does not; a person is a human
being, and you certainly cannot compare them to
human beings.” Then he said: “God the Father is
not the Son; the Son is not the Father; the Holy
Ghost is neither the Father nor the Son. And these
are three; the one is what the other is not, and
though they are three, yet are they but one God.”
I said: “This is also my faith, and in accordance
with it I know but one person, that is Jesus Christ,
who was visible and palpable; but the others I do
not know what to compare them to”. On this point
we agreed, and he let go his persons. He then
asked again whether God had died. I said: “You
have sat here and acknowledged to me that you do
not consider the Word to be the Father, nor the
Father to be the Word, though they, according to
the Godhead, are one God; but you regard them
as three witnesses; and two of these witnesses did
not become man, but the Word, by which all things
were made, became flesh, as John says in the first
chapter [of his gospel]. Although this Word became
man, it therefore does not cease to be one God with
the Father; else it could not be God and man.”

Then he said: “Jelis, you err.” And they adduced
Rom. 1:3; in their Testament where it read:
“Who became of the seed of David according to
the flesh, is declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the Spirit.” I said that in rendering
it became they had mistranslated the word;
that it ought to read: born of the seed of David.
“Go,” I said, “and examine the Testaments which
you had printed thirty or thirty-six years ago; see
whether in them it reads thus. I have read it therein:
born, as it ought to be; but you have now
caused it to be altered thus, to deceive the simple
hearts.” This made them very angry. I then said:
“Say it as it ought to be: born; for a woman can
certainly not make a child.” Then he said: “Became
or assumed is the same thing; as it is written:
‘He took not on him (the nature of) angels, but he
took on him the seed of Abraham.’ ” Heb. 2:16. I
said: “This also is changed; it ought to read: He
receiveth not angels; but he receiveth the seed of
Abraham as his children; and believers are counted
for the seed (Rom. 9:8); for Paul says (1 Cor. 11:8),
that the man is not of the woman, but the woman
of the man.” They said: “This is spoken of Adam
and Eve.” I said: “Here God has plainly shown
that the man is not of the woman, but the woman
of the man, which is in direct opposition to your
belief. Paul speaks still more fully on generation;
for he says: ‘As the woman is of the man, even so
is the man also by the woman; but all things of
God.’ v. 12. This certainly has reference to generation,
for Adam was not by Eve.” He said that it
had to be understood so. I said: “I do not understand
it so.” We had many more words yet concerning
the promises; but I have not the space to
write it.

All these words I had with the parish priest of St.
Martins, a very crafty customer, craftier than any
one I ever heard; all the others are as nothing compared
to him. Written in haste, in the dark, with
ink made of coals; bear patiently with it. The day
before we were delivered to the secular lords, we
were brought before the Dean of Ronse. He asked
us whether we had come to a determination. I said:
“I am always determined to eschew evil, and to do
that which is good, as far as I know.” There were
three or four Judges present, and the under-bailiff.
He said it was great arrogance that I pretended
to be wiser than all the world; there were Ambrose
and Augustine, and other holy men: and they understood
it so. I said: “I do not pretend to know
anything; but I know the faith to be the truth, and
herein I want to abide.” Farewell; I commend
you to God.

Your weak brother in the Lord.

Jelis Strings.

635





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