Complete Theological Works (1681) - Page 9

A detailed copperplate engraving portrays the Anabaptist leader Menno Simons (1496 through 1561). He is depicted as an elderly man with a long white beard and a scholar's skullcap, seated in a study or library. He wears a heavy scholar's gown. His right hand gestures toward an open Bible on his desk, while his left hand points toward his own chest, suggesting a personal connection to the scripture. The desk holds a lit candle, a quill in an inkwell, and several closed books. Behind him, shelves are filled with scholarly volumes, and to the left, a window provides a view of a peaceful, pastoral landscape. On the floor at his feet lies another open book, emphasizing his commitment to constant study.

Text on the open Bible on the desk. This passage is from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, which contains the Sermon on the Mount, a foundational text for Menno's theology of non-resistance and the refusal to swear oaths. Left Page: The Gospel of Matthew but I say to you, swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is the throne of God: nor by the earth: for it is the footstool: nor by Jerusalem, it is the city of the great king. Nor by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Right Page:
Matthew
but I say to you, that you
resist not evil.
But whoever smites you on the right
cheek, turn to him the
other also. And whoever
will sue you at law...
the right...
and your...
take your coat,
let him
also have the cloak.

Text on the book lying on the floor: A Little Book of Songs of Jesus Christ, or Jesus.

MENNO SIMONS

He who never read God's law, would proclaim the way to Heaven,

And fed the simple folk with the husks of human inventions.

As soon as God's holy word enlightened his dark mind,

Upon the first-laid foundation, he built God's church.

Born in Witmarsum, in Friesland A province in the northern Netherlands., in the year 1496. And died at Wüstenfelde original: "Woestervelt." This was a small settlement near Bad Oldesloe in present-day Germany where Menno spent his final years. in the year 1561, on the 13th of January, in the 66th year of his age.

Menno Simons (The namesake of the Mennonite movement and a former Catholic priest). Witmarsum (His birthplace in Friesland). Friesland (A northern Dutch province). Wüstenfelde (The location of the printing press and refuge where Menno died). God's holy word (A reference to the Bible, the sole authority for Menno). God's church (The community of believers Menno sought to reform). Gospel of Matthew (The primary source for Anabaptist ethics of peace). Anabaptism (The radical reform movement that advocated for believer's baptism and separation of church and state).