The
Martyrs Mirror or
The Bloody Theater, first published in 1660 in
DutchDutch is a West Germanic language spoken by over 22 million people as a native language, and over 5 million people as a second language.
"1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language...
by
Thieleman J. van BraghtThieleman J. van Braght was the Anabaptist author of the Martyrs Mirror or The Bloody Theater, first published in 1660 in Dutch. This work claimed to document the stories and testimonies of various early Protestants and opponents of the Roman Catholic Church who died as martyrs...
, documents the stories and testimonies of Christian
martyrA martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s, especially Anabaptists. The full title of the book is
The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
s who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of JesusJesus of Nazareth —also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity. Within most Christian denominations...
, their Saviour, from the time of Christ to the year A.D.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Martyrs Mirror' Start a new discussion about 'Martyrs Mirror' Answer questions from other users |
The
Martyrs Mirror or
The Bloody Theater, first published in 1660 in
DutchDutch is a West Germanic language spoken by over 22 million people as a native language, and over 5 million people as a second language.
"1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language...
by
Thieleman J. van BraghtThieleman J. van Braght was the Anabaptist author of the Martyrs Mirror or The Bloody Theater, first published in 1660 in Dutch. This work claimed to document the stories and testimonies of various early Protestants and opponents of the Roman Catholic Church who died as martyrs...
, documents the stories and testimonies of Christian
martyrA martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s, especially Anabaptists. The full title of the book is
The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
s who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of JesusJesus of Nazareth —also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity. Within most Christian denominations...
, their Saviour, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660. The use of the word
defenseless in this case refers to the Anabaptist belief in non-resistance. The book includes accounts of the martyrdom of the
apostlesIn Christianity, apostles were missionaries among the leaders in the Early Church and, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus Christ himself. The term was also used, especially by the Gospel of Luke, for "the Twelve," Jesus' inner circle of disciples...
and the stories of martyrs from previous centuries with beliefs similar to the Anabaptists.
Next to the Bible, the "Martyrs' Mirror" held the most significant and prominent place in
AmishThe various Amish or Amish Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious denominations that form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches. They are best known for their simple living, plain dress and resistance to the adoption of many modern conveniences...
and
MennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
homes.
In 1745, Jacob Gottschalk arranged with the
Ephrata CloisterThe Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...
to have them translate the "Martyrs' Mirror" from Dutch into German and to print it. The work took 15 men three years to finish and in 1749, at 1512 pages, was the largest book printed in America before the
Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
. One of the original volumes is now on display at the Ephrata Cloister.
The 1685 edition of the book is illustrated with 104 copper etchings by
Jan LuykenJan Luyken was a Dutch poet, illustrator and engraver.His name is also shown as Johannes Luiken.At his twenty-sixth, he had a religious experience that inspired him to write moralistic poetry....
. Thirty of these plates survive and are part of the
Mirror of the Martyrs exhibit.
External links