Jan Jansz de Bakker van Woerden ( Latin name: ''Johannes Pistorius Woerdensis''; 1499 – 15 September 1525) was a Roman Catholic priest who was the first priest in the Northern Netherlands to be put to death as a direct result of his beliefs.

Biography

Jan de Bakker's father was a sexton in Woerden and also tenant of the brickworks, and his surname may have been derived from that profession. Bakker was a pupil of Johannes Rhodius (Hinne Rode), headmaster of St. Jerome School of the Brethren of the Common Life in Utrecht, who was a proponent of

Sacramentarian The Sacramentarians were Christians during the Protestant Reformation who denied not only the Roman Catholic transubstantiation but also the Lutheran sacramental union (as well as similar doctrines such as consubstantiation). During the turbule ...

ism. The Dutch Sacramentarians rejected the

sacraments of the Catholic Church There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which according to Catholic theology were instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church. Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the Grace in Christianity, gra ...

and denied that the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

consecrated at Mass was the real body and blood of Jesus Christ. They called indulgences and pilgrimages mere

idolatry Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...

and were critical of the low moral standards and conduct of the clergy. In 1520 De Bakker's father called him back to Woerden, concerned that some of his views were contrary to the Church's doctrine and could get him in trouble with the authorities. De Bakker transferred to the Catholic University in Leuven and in 1522 completed his education there. De Bakker returned to Woerden, was ordained in Utrecht as a priest, and assisted his father as sexton and deacon. De Bakker started to spread his views, some of which are considered heretical by the Church, and in May 1523 he and another priest were arrested by the steward of the castle. After a short while they were released, and it is thought that the two travelled to Wittenberg, but there is no evidence he met with Martin Luther. After he returned he continued his preaching and aggravated his conflict with the Roman Catholic Church by breaking his vow of

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the ...

and getting married. In the night of May 9, 1525, De Bakker was arrested and the next day transferred to The Hague, where was tried by the Inquisition. Refusing to recant, he was defrocked and sentenced to death, and on September 15, 1525 burned at the stake in The Hague. His last words were a quotation of 1 Corinthians 15:55: "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?"Last and Near-Last Words of the Famous, Infamous and Those In-Between
By Joseph W. Lewis Jr. M.D. His widow saved her life by recanting views similar to her husband's and lived out her life in an abbey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakker, Jan De 1499 births 1525 deaths 16th-century Dutch Roman Catholic priests Dutch expatriates in Spain Protestant Reformers People executed by Spain by burning People executed for heresy People from Woerden Executed Dutch people 16th-century Protestant martyrs Laicized Roman Catholic priests

Biography

See also

References