Protestant Reformation
Menno Simmons
Menno Simmons
Menno was born (1492—1559) He had married after leaving the Roman church and had three children.
He become a priest at the age of twenty—four, but accused himself, and the other clergy, of lax and self—indulgent living.
Menno was not satisfied with the inconsistent answers he found in Luther, Bucer, and Bullinger and determined to rely on Scripture alone for answers. From this time on, he became an evangelical, as opposed to a sacramental, preacher.
Quotes of Menno Simmons
Menno took his motto from I Corinthians 3:11 - For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (New International Version).
"The regenerated do not go to war, nor engage in strife. They are children of peace who have beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks, and know no war."
"We who were formerly no people at all, and who knew of no peace, are now called to be...a church...of peace. True Christians do not know vengeance. They are the children of peace. Their hearts overflow with peace. Their mouths speak peace, and they walk in the way of peace."
"The regenerated do not go to war, nor engage in strife. They are children of peace who have beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks, and know no war."
Menno's Writings
Menno's magnum opus was Foundation of Christian Doctrine (Dat Fundament des Christelycken leers, 1539-40). The title of the book is taken from I Corinthians 3:11: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." The Foundation Book was almost immediately accepted by Menno's followers as a guide book for the life of faith.
Map of the Netherlands (area where Minno had greatest influence)
Reformation Timeline
Around 1526 or 1527, questions surrounding the doctrine of transubstantiation caused Menno Simons to begin a serious and in-depth search of the Holy Scriptures, which he confessed he had not previously studied, even being a priest. At this time he arrived at what some have termed an "evangelical humanist" position.