Menno Simons


Simons, Menno:

see Menno SimonsMenno Simons
, 1496?–1561, Dutch religious reformer. The name of the Mennonites was derived from his name, although he was not the actual founder of the sect. In 1524 he became a Roman Catholic priest but in 1536 he left the church when he announced that he no longer
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.

Menno Simons

(mĕn`ō sē`mōns), 1496?–1561, Dutch religious reformer. The name of the MennonitesMennonites
, descendants of the Dutch and Swiss evangelical Anabaptists of the 16th cent. Beliefs and Membership

While each congregation is at liberty to decide independently on its form of worship and other matters, Mennonites generally agree on certain
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 was derived from his name, although he was not the actual founder of the sect. In 1524 he became a Roman Catholic priest but in 1536 he left the church when he announced that he no longer believed in infant baptism and other Catholic teachings. His test of the true Christian was regeneration. He was active in Holland and Germany as an organizer and leader of the less aggressive division of Anabaptists. His writings and sermons were published as Opera omnia theologica (1681).

Bibliography

See his Complete Writings ed. by J. C. Wenger (tr. 1956); C. J. Dyck, ed., A Legacy of Faith (1962); W. E. Keeney, The Development of Dutch Anabaptist Thought and Practice from 1539–1564 (1968).