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If you were to visit the Netherlands today and walk on one of their protective dikes, you would be enchanted with a tranquil setting. On your right would be water as far as the eye could see. To the left and lower than the water would be lush green pasture land which hosts small farms and grazing sheep. The serenity of the scene gives no hint of the once brutal religious persecution that swept over this land in the 16th century during the Reformation.

In 1531 the first Anabaptist or Doopsgezind was put to death in the Netherlands for his belief in the free church movement. By the end of the century, many hundreds of Anabaptists had been executed under various bloody decrees issued by government officials. The slaughter of innocent men and women, who asked nothing more than the right to worship God as their consciences directed, only subsided in 1578 when the Dutch provinces established a limited degree of religious toleration.

Thieleman van Braght (1625–1664) was a Dutch Mennonite minister who believed that even though the stories of the murders of Anabaptists from the previous century were horrible they needed to be remembered. What was the message in these descriptions of burnings and beatings, bold testimonies in prison to inquisitors, and letters of encouragement slipped out to brothers and sisters of the faith but still at large? As a successful pastor and author, van Braght worked diligently to keep Dutch Mennonites true to their historic faith. In his own day, the Dutch Mennonite church was divided into two main factions—one traditional in their Anabaptist theology and the other more progressive. These two groups were known as Coarse and Fine—the Coarse held more tenaciously to the old patterns of a vigorous use of church discipline, feetwashing, nonconformity and avoidance of the world in general, whereas the Fine were more liberal in church discipline and approach to the world.

The 17th century was a golden age in Dutch history. The Netherlands reigned as the Venice of the North. Because of a lack of natural resources the Dutch, early in their history, were compelled to prowl the seas as traders and carriers of Europe. The prosperity and opulence that emerged during the 1600’s from shipping and trading resulted in a wealthy merchant class intent on spending vast sums of money. Craftsmen in numerous mediums were commissioned by this wealthy mercantile class to build elaborate homes, compose music, and author books. Yet the true genius of the Dutch has always been mainly expressed in their painting and drawing. The history of European painting in the 17th century is virtually a catalogue of Dutch names—Rembrandt, Hats, Vermeer, de Hooch, and Cuyp.

Among Dutch Mennonites there was also a golden age during the 17th century. While there were still some restrictions, Mennonites were able to earn and invest money. With newfound toleration, Mennonites entered the marketplace with abandon. They became the owners of companies and ships that brought in vast amounts of money. Like their non-Mennonite counterparts they could commission portraits and engage in cultural pursuits. Mennonites were confronted with a new set of questions that the previous generation did not have. Questions as to whether a Mennonite ship owner could in good conscience mount cannons on his ships to protect their cargo. Or may a Mennonite marry a non-Mennonite and still remain a member of the church? Where in the past Mennonites were a people literally without a home, now in the 17th century some Mennonites in Amsterdam built such large and imposing homes high above roads and canals that their neighbors pointed up at the Mennonites’ homes and wagged their tongues about the “Mennonite heaven.”

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