24 Facts About Menno Simons

Menno Simons was born in 1496 in Witmarsum, Friesland, Holy Roman Empire.

Menno Simons had never read the Bible, either before or during his training for the priesthood, out of fear that he would be adversely influenced by it.

Menno Simons was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1515 or 1516 in Utrecht.

Menno Simons was then appointed chaplain in his father's village Pingjum.

Around 1526 or 1527, questions surrounding the doctrine of transubstantiation caused Menno Simons to begin a serious and in-depth search of the Holy Scriptures, which he confessed he had not previously studied, despite being a priest.

Menno Simons was not satisfied with the inconsistent answers which he got from Martin Luther, Martin Bucer and Heinrich Bullinger; he resolved to rely on Scripture alone, and from this time describes his preaching as "evangelical", not "sacramental".

Menno Simons discussed the issue with his pastor, searched the Church Fathers, and read the works of Martin Luther and Heinrich Bullinger.

Menno Simons supposed that he would be able to do so easily, but found himself compelled to conduct a regular siege.

Menno Simons rejected the violence advocated by the Munster movement, believing it was not Scriptural.

Menno Simons's theology was focused on separation from this world, and baptism by repentance symbolized this.

Menno Simons evidently rose quickly to become a man of influence.

Menno Simons was married to a woman named Gertrude, and they had at least three children, two daughters and a son.

Menno Simons is especially significant because of his coming to the Anabaptist movement in the north in its most troublesome days, and helping not only to sustain it, but to establish it as a viable Radical Reformation movement.

Menno Simons believed that Jesus had a "heavenly flesh" instead of taking on human flesh and blood from Mary.

Menno Simons said that Christ was "conceived not of her womb but in her womb".

Menno Simons appealed to scientific theory to bolster his arguments, although he lacked scientific training.

Menno Simons envisioned the application of reprimand as a process administered by the entire church body against any sin; Calvin reserved excommunication for especially severe transgressions as identified by the Company of Pastors and the Consistory.

Menno Simons drew heavily from Biblical images of the bride of Christ when envisioning a new church.

Menno Simons found in the Biblical Song of Solomon a description of the relationship between a purified church and Christ that not only applied to a reformed church but to the earthly marriage between man and woman.

Menno Simons did not alter the conventional view of relations between men and women but idealized the woman's subordinate and asexual status.

Menno Simons based his rejection of infant baptism on the concept of the church as a disciplined group of individuals who have voluntarily committed their lives to Christ.

Menno Simons viewed sanctification as a lifelong process that does not completely rid the presence of sin from one's life.

Menno Simons rejected asceticism in terms of its traditional practices of social withdrawal, mortification, and self-denial.

Menno Simons' theology is ascetic by Valantasis's definition since it used these methods to restructure Anabaptists' relationship with 'worldly' society.