''Martyrs Mirror'' or ''The Bloody Theater'', first published in Holland in 1660 in Dutch by Thieleman J. van Braght, documents the stories and testimonies of Christian

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

s, especially

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

. The full title of the book is ''The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, 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 Nonresistance (or non-resistance) is "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy. It is considered as a form of pr ...

. The book includes accounts of the

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

of the apostles and the stories of martyrs from previous centuries with beliefs similar to the Anabaptists.

Reception and impact

Next to the Bible, the ''Martyrs Mirror'' has historically held the most significant and prominent place in

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

and

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

homes. The ''Martyrs Mirror'' is still a beloved book among

and

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

. While less common now than in the 20th century, in Mennonite homes ''Martyrs Mirror'' is a common wedding gift.

Surviving copper etchings used to illustrate the book

The 1685 edition of the book is illustrated with 104 copper etchings by

Jan Luyken Johannes or Jan Luyken (16 April 1649 – 5 April 1712) was a Dutch poet, illustrator, and engraving, engraver.

. Thirty-one of these plates survive and are part of the ''Mirror of the Martyrs'' exhibit at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. Two of the copper plates are located at the Muddy Creek Farm Library established by Amos B. Hoover in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

German translation in the 1740s

In 1745, Jacob Gottschalk arranged with the Ephrata Cloister 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 1,512 pages, it was the largest book printed in America before the Revolutionary War. An original volume is on display at the Ephrata Cloister.

English translations in 1837 and 1850

The first English edition, translated from German by I. Daniel Rupp, was published by David Miller near Lampeter Square,

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; ), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States ...

, in 1837. An edition entitled ''A Martyrology of the Churches of Christ'' was translated and printed in England in 1850 in 2 volumes by Edward Bean Underhill under the auspices of the Hanserd Knollys Society in England. The ''Martyrs Mirror'' differs from '' Foxe's Book of Martyrs'' in that it only includes those martyrs which were considered nonresistant, while Foxe's book does not include many Anabaptist martyrs.

References

External links