- Dirk Willems
-
Dirk Willems saves his pursuer in this etching from the 1685 edition of Martyrs Mirror.
Dirk Willems (died 16 May 1569) was a martyred Anabaptist who is most famous for turning around to rescue his pursuer, who had fallen through thin ice while chasing Willems after his escape from prison, to then be tortured and killed for his faith.
Contents
Life
Willems was born in Asperen, Gelderland, Netherlands, and was rebaptized as a young man, thus rejecting the infant baptism practiced at that time by both Catholics and established Protestants in the Netherlands. This action, plus his continued devotion to his new faith and the rebaptism of several other people in his home, led to his condemnation by the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands and subsequent arrest. Willems was held in a residential palace turned into a prison, from which he escaped using a rope made out of knotted rags. Using this, he was able to climb out of the prison onto the frozen moat. Willems crossed the ice, at which point a guard saw his escape and during his pursuit fell through the ice.[1] Willems turned back to save the life of his pursuer, thus being recaptured and held until he was burned at the stake near his hometown on 16 May 1569.
Today, he is one of the most celebrated martyrs among Anabaptists, which includes Mennonites and Amish,[2] as well as becoming a folk hero amongst modern residents of Asperen.[3] An historical drama based on his life—Dirk's Exodus—was written in 1990 by James C. Juhnke.
See also
References
- ^ "Compassion For The Enemy". http://www.goshen.edu/mqr/Dirk_Willems.html. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
- ^ Unruh, Mark (September 2002). "A Story of Faith and the Flag: A Study of Mennonite Fantasy Rhetoric". Mennonite Life. Bethel College. http://www.bethelks.edu/mennonitelife/2002sept/unruh.php. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ^ Oyer, John S.; Kreider, Robert (1995). "Compassion For The Enemy". Mennonite Quarterly Review, Goshen College. http://www.goshen.edu/mqr/Dirk_Willems.html. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
External links
- Martyrs Mirror entry
- Dirk Willemsz (d. 1569) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
Categories:- 1569 deaths
- People from Lingewaal
- 16th-century Protestant martyrs
- Dutch Anabaptists
- Dutch Christian pacifists
- Dutch escapees
- Executed Dutch people
- People executed by burning
- People executed by the Netherlands
- People executed for heresy
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
