This is the seventh and concluding volume: Donatist · Paulician · Bogomil · Cathar · Waldensian · Lollard · Anabaptist. The Anabaptist movement is the terminal synthesis of the chain — the point at which ideas transmitted through six prior generations of suppressed Christianity crystallized into an identifiable ecclesiology: believer's baptism, voluntary church membership, separation of church and state, pacifism, and lay Scripture reading. Cardinal Hosius's admission that these people "were not so cruelly put down with the sword during the past twelve hundred years" points directly to this tradition as the inheritor of the whole stream. Unlike all prior volumes, this one is rich with primary sources that survived — the Anabaptists wrote, printed, and preserved their own documents.
Why This Library Is Different from All That Preceded It: Every prior volume in this series was defined primarily by absence — the documents do not survive, or survive only within hostile refutations. The Anabaptist library is the opposite. The Swiss Brethren, Hutterites, Dutch Mennonites, and their associates produced a substantial body of self-authored confessional, epistolary, martyrological, and exegetical literature, much of which has been continuously preserved within living communities to the present day. The Martyrs Mirror, the Schleitheim Confession, Menno Simons's complete writings, the Hutterite chronicles, and the Dordrecht Confession are all freely accessible online. The adversarial-source problem does not disappear — the hostile sources (Zwingli's Elenchus, Reformed trial records, imperial mandates) are essential for historical reconstruction — but they are no longer the primary archive.
The Founding Moment: The Anabaptist movement is conventionally dated from January 21, 1525, when Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock upon his confession of faith in the house of Felix Manz in Zürich. The documents below constitute the primary evidentiary record for the movement's founding theology: Grebel's letters to Müntzer (September 1524) reveal the ecclesiological convictions that preceded the baptism event; the Schleitheim Confession (February 1527) is the first systematic doctrinal statement. Between them, they bracket the founding generation's theology with unusual documentary clarity.
September 5, 1524
The single most important document for understanding the theological convictions that preceded the first baptism. Written by Grebel, Felix Manz, Andreas Castelberger, and others to the radical reformer Thomas Müntzer in Allstedt, the letter praises Müntzer's break with Luther but sharply rebukes him for using violence and retaining infant baptism. It articulates the core Anabaptist vision: a believers' church free of state coercion, gathered by voluntary baptism, practicing nonresistance. The original is held in the Vadian Archives, St. Gallen. The letter never reached Müntzer; he had already fled. First translated into English by Walter Rauschenbusch in 1905; revised by George H. Williams in 1957. Hosted by the German Historical Institute (GHDI) — a reliable academic source. Via German History in Documents and Images (GHDI)
February 24, 1527
The foundational confessional document of the Swiss Anabaptists. Seven articles drafted primarily by Michael Sattler at a Swiss Brethren conference in Schleitheim, canton Schaffhausen: (I) Baptism — believers only, on confession of faith; (II) The Ban — discipline for the unrepentant; (III) The Lord's Supper — memorial, not sacrifice; (IV) Separation from the world — withdrawal from the state church; (V) Shepherds — the congregational pastor; (VI) The Sword — pacifism and non-participation in civil force; (VII) The Oath — rejection of all swearing. The confession was significant enough to elicit separate written refutations from both Zwingli (Elenchus, 1527) and Calvin. Sattler was arrested and executed three months after drafting it. Hosted by GHDI — German Historical Institute, the most reliable academic source. Via German History in Documents and Images (GHDI)
February 24, 1527
The standard J.C. Wenger translation of the Schleitheim Confession, originally published in Mennonite Quarterly Review XIX, 4 (October 1945), 247–253. This is the most widely cited English translation. Hosted at the University of Washington. Use alongside the GHDI edition for textual comparison. Via University of Washington History Department
1957 / sources 1524–1560
The most important single-volume English-language anthology of Anabaptist primary sources, edited by George H. Williams and Angel M. Mergal for the Library of Christian Classics series. Contains: Reminiscences of George Blaurock on the first baptism (1525); Thomas Müntzer's Sermon Before the Princes (1524); Conrad Grebel's Letters to Müntzer (1524); Hans Denck on Free Will (1526); Balthasar Hubmaier on Free Will (1527); Trial and Martyrdom of Michael Sattler (1527); Sebastian Franck's Letter to John Campanus (1531); Melchior Hofmann's Ordinance of God (1530); Dietrich Philips' Confession (c. 1560); Menno Simons on the Ban (1550); Ulrich Stadler on Community of Goods (c. 1537). This is the scholarly starting point for the movement. Free download on Internet Archive. Via Internet Archive
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The Martyrological Genre in This Tradition: Unlike the prior volumes in this series — where martyrological literature was fragmentary, contested in dating, and often composed retrospectively under institutional pressure — the Anabaptist martyrological corpus is robust, well-documented, and includes accounts written within days or weeks of the events they describe. The Martyrs Mirror is the capstone of a tradition that began with eyewitness letters from prison and was maintained continuously within living communities. The genre served a different function here than in the Donatist or Bogomil cases: not primarily to establish doctrinal claims, but to sustain community identity under ongoing persecution. These texts were read aloud in households and meeting houses for generations.
1660 / English trans. 1837
The definitive Anabaptist martyrological compilation, assembled by Thieleman J. van Braght (1625–1664) and published in Dutch in 1660. Part I traces martyrdom from Christ through 1500, culminating in the Waldensian documents that connect this tradition to the series preceding it — van Braght explicitly includes the Waldensian Confession and martyrological accounts in Part I as evidence of historical continuity. Part II (840 pages) documents 803 named Anabaptist and Mennonite martyrs from the 16th–17th centuries, with confessions, trial records, letters from prison, and eyewitness accounts. The Dordrecht Confession (1632) and two other major Mennonite confessions are embedded in van Braght's introduction. This is the primary documentary archive for individual Anabaptist voices. Free full text on Internet Archive. Via Internet Archive
May 17–21, 1527
The trial record and martyrdom account of Michael Sattler — author of the Schleitheim Confession — before the imperial court at Rottenburg, May 17, 1527. Sattler responded to eight charges of heresy, defending each article of Schleitheim from Scripture and refusing counsel. He was convicted, had his tongue partially cut out, his flesh torn seven times with hot tongs, and was burned alive on May 20/21, 1527. His wife Margaretha was drowned days later. The account includes Sattler's prison letter to the congregation at Horb, written between his arrest and execution. This text, directly from the Martyrs Mirror, is one of the most complete surviving Anabaptist trial records. Via homecomers.org (Martyrs Mirror text)
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Menno Simons in the Tradition: Menno Simons (1496–1561) is the most significant theologian in the broader Anabaptist stream — the figure who stabilized the Dutch and North German movement after the Münster debacle (1534–35) had discredited its violent wing and gave the tradition the doctrinal coherence that allowed survival. The movement named after him (Mennonites) is the direct institutional descendent. His complete writings survive, were published in Dutch in 1646, and have been translated into English in full — a documentary richness unique in this series.
Menno Simons (1496–1561) · Translated from Dutch · John F. Funk, Elkhart, IN, 1871 · Wikisource · Free full text
The complete English translation of all known writings of Menno Simons, including: A Foundation and Plain Instruction of the Saving Doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1539 — his major theological work); The New Birth; Concerning the New Birth; Christian Baptism; The Ban: Questions and Answers; The Incarnation of our Lord; Reply to Gellius Faber; A Clear Account of Excommunication; Letters; and others. Wikisource provides the full text searchable and free, based on the 1871 Funk translation. Essential primary source for Dutch Anabaptist theology.
Menno Simons · Internet Archive · Free full text download
Digitized scan of the 1871 Funk edition. Use if the Wikisource text is preferred in scanned page format, or for citation of specific page numbers. The two-volume set in one binding; the Internet Archive copy is the most commonly cited digital version in academic footnotes.
mennosimons.net · Free access · Searchable index with full text
A searchable index of Menno's complete writings based on the Funk edition, with individual texts linked and keyword-searchable. The most convenient interface for locating specific passages or topics within Menno's corpus. Includes the full bibliography of modern critical studies on Menno, making this the best single gateway for both primary text access and secondary scholarship.
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April 21, 1632
The most widely used Anabaptist-Mennonite doctrinal statement; still the confessional standard of many Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities. Adopted at a Dutch Mennonite conference in Dordrecht, Netherlands, the 18 articles elaborate and expand on the Schleitheim framework: God and creation; Christ; Holy Spirit; redemption; the Church; baptism; the Lord's Supper; foot-washing; the ban; marriage within the faith; nonresistance; the oath; civil government (conscience over civil sword); and the resurrection. Its inclusion in van Braght's Martyrs Mirror (1660) embedded it within the martyrological tradition, ensuring its transmission alongside the narrative of persecution. Full text at GAMEO (Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online), the peer-reviewed scholarly reference for this tradition. Via GAMEO
1527 / GAMEO ongoing
The GAMEO article on the Schleitheim Confession provides the most rigorous scholarly apparatus available online: manuscript transmission, the printed Worms edition (1527–1529 by Peter Schöffer), the Dutch translation (1560), its contested reception among south German and Dutch Anabaptists who had Peasants' War backgrounds, and its limited influence outside the Swiss-Hutterite stream before 1560. Essential for understanding why the Schleitheim document, though famous, was not universally adopted within early Anabaptism. Via GAMEO (Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online)
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The Chronicle Tradition: The Hutterites — the communal Anabaptist branch founded by Jakob Hutter in Moravia — maintained an internal chronicle tradition that is the richest surviving documentary source for day-to-day Anabaptist community life. The Große Geschichtbuch (Great Chronicle, also called the Large Chronicle) compiled accounts of persecution, martyrdom, sermons, doctrinal debates, and epistles from the movement's founding through the 17th century. It is the closest thing in this series to an internal institutional archive — not a hostile document, not a retrospective compilation by outsiders, but a continuous community record kept by the persecuted themselves.
Hutterian Brethren · Trans. from German · Plough Publishing House, Rifton NY · Internet Archive (access-restricted borrow)
The English translation of the Große Geschichtbuch, the foundational internal chronicle of the Hutterite movement. Contains: the founding narrative under Jakob Hutter; accounts of the first martyrdoms; epistles of Hutter, Peter Riedemann, Peter Walpot, and others; records of interrogations and trials; doctrinal statements including the Five Articles of the Greatest Disagreement (1547); and a detailed description of Hutterite community organization (c. 1571). More than a fifth of the Chronicle consists of inserted epistles and doctrinal writings — making it one of the most substantial primary source collections for any movement in this series. The Chronicle was unknown to European scholars until the early 20th century; it existed only in Hutterite colonies in Russia, then America.
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A Dual Archive: Unlike all prior volumes, the Anabaptist hostile sources exist alongside a rich internal archive — they are supplements to primary Anabaptist voices rather than substitutes for them. Zwingli's refutations, the De Heretico Comburendo-equivalent imperial mandates, and the trial records of Reformed and Catholic courts remain essential for historical reconstruction, but they carry different evidentiary weight here because they can be checked against Anabaptist self-description. The pattern of Inquisitorial Deflection is still present — the charge of "anarchism" and revolutionary intent was the prosecutorial tool used against peaceful Swiss Brethren — but it can be identified as such because the Anabaptists left documents that directly contradict it.
1527 / GAMEO ongoing
The GAMEO entry on Michael Sattler provides the scholarly apparatus for the trial records: the Austrian court proceedings; the role of Count Joachim von Zollern as presiding judge; the charges formulated by Archduke Ferdinand; Bucer and Capito's letter expressing their horror at the severity of the punishment despite theological disagreement with Sattler; and the Anabaptist chronicle accounts of the martyrdom. The entry also addresses the contested date of death (May 20 vs. May 21, 1527) and the manuscript sources. The best single reference for the trial documentation. Via GAMEO
Ongoing
The Wikipedia article on Anabaptism provides the most accessible catalogue of the hostile legislative record: the Zürich mandate of March 7, 1526 (making rebaptism a capital offense — the first Reformation government to do so); the imperial edict of the Second Diet of Speyer (1529, declaring Anabaptism a capital offense throughout the empire); the specific drowning method used by Zürich (the "third baptism" — sardonic name for execution of rebaptizers by water); and the Reformed theological refutations by Zwingli, Bullinger, and Calvin. The footnotes index the primary legislative sources. Via Wikipedia
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Mennonite Church USA / Mennonite Church Canada · Free access · Peer-reviewed
The authoritative online encyclopedia for Anabaptist history, theology, and persons. The digital successor to the five-volume print Mennonite Encyclopedia (1955–1959, with supplement 1990). Contains peer-reviewed articles on every major figure, document, community, and event in Anabaptist history, with primary source citations and bibliography. The Dordrecht Confession, Schleitheim Confession, all major figures (Grebel, Manz, Blaurock, Sattler, Hubmaier, Simons, Hutter, Riedemann), and all major communities have full entries with MS transmission, dating, and scholarly apparatus. This is the Lollard Society bibliography equivalent for the Anabaptist tradition — the indispensable scholarly gateway.
George H. Williams & Angel M. Mergal, eds. · Westminster Press, 1957 · Internet Archive · Free download
The standard scholarly anthology for academic use. Contains original primary source translations with introductions to each figure and text, a detailed bibliography of primary and secondary sources through 1956, and Williams's influential framework for understanding the "Radical Reformation" as three streams: Anabaptists, Spiritualists, and Evangelical Rationalists. The introductions are dated in some scholarly particulars but remain the best accessible context for each text in the collection.
Hutterian Brethren · Plough Publishing · Internet Archive (borrow) · c. 900 pages
The most substantial internal primary source in the Anabaptist corpus. Complements the martyrological and confessional documents by providing the narrative and epistolary record of the movement's inner life. The embedded epistles of Jakob Hutter, Peter Riedemann, and Peter Walpot constitute some of the finest devotional writing in 16th-century German Christianity. Cross-reference with the Martyrs Mirror for the martyrological accounts covered in both sources.
Thieleman J. van Braght · 1660 / English trans. Joseph F. Sohm · Herald Press edition · Internet Archive · Free
Cross-reference: the Martyrs Mirror's Part I explicitly connects the Anabaptist martyrological tradition to the Waldensian documents catalogued in the Waldensian library of this series. Van Braght includes Waldensian confessions and martyrs as the 15th-century predecessors of the 16th-century Anabaptist stream, making the Martyrs Mirror the primary document that consciously stitches the chain together from an internal Anabaptist perspective. Hosius's admission that the dissenters "were not so cruelly put down with the sword during the past twelve hundred years" is, in effect, a hostile corroboration of the chain van Braght assembled from within.
