Preservings $20 Issue No. 26, 2006 - Home at Plett Foundation

The Frisian-Flemish Division
Causes, Consequences, and Historical Clues
Allan Friesen, Laird, Saskatchawan
It is an unfortunate truth that both sixteenth
century Anabaptism and the denominations
that were born from the movement have
been known for their numerous controversies
and divisions. Of all the divisions that occurred
through the years, one of the most devastating
for the movement was the division between
Flemish and Frisian Anabaptists in 1566. It
was a split that divided the young Netherlandic
Mennonite Church into two antagonist camps,
followed the movement across Europe (including
even to Russia with the Mennonite migration),
spawned even further divisions, and had
its affects felt for over two hundred years. This
despite the fact that the division’s causes were
more personal and cultural than theological
in nature, and should have fizzled out as the
original antagonism between leaders passed to
the next generation.
Causes
The Flemish and Frisian Anabaptists first
came in contact with each other towards the
end of the first half of the sixteenth century.
The Anabaptist movement itself had spread
rapidly through western and northern Europe
in the early 1530’s without regard to national
boundaries. However, it was not uniformly
accepted within every nation and the response
of the political powers varied greatly as well.
Because of its proximity to Brussels, the seat of
Spanish power in the Low Countries, the region
of Flanders was strongly under the control of
the Spanish Catholic Hapsburg dynasty, and
Anabaptists suffered severe persecution.
By 1561, the Inquisition was so concerned
about the spread of Anabaptism that it instructed
the Council of Flanders “to repress the Reformation
more actively and in particular to
exterminate the Anabaptists.” 1 It is estimated
that during this time, the number of Belgium
martyrs was around 3000, the vast majority
of them being Anabaptists. 2 Only two options
were open for Flemish Anabaptists: suffer the
persecution or flee to some territory more open
to religious dissent. Although some made it as
far as England and Danzig in those early years,
many Flemish Anabaptists found the northern
province of Friesland to be a safer haven.
The newly arrived refugees were well taken
care of by their Frisian brothers and sisters, and
soon there were large numbers of Flemish emigrants
in the Frisian congregations. In spite of
the loving acceptance, however, the differences
between the two peoples of a common faith
were readily identifiable. Horst Penner states
that: “Die Flamen, zunächst liebreich angenommen
und unterstützt, wichen doch in Volksart,
Gewohnheiten und Kleidung…sehr von ihren
meist bäuerlichen friesischen Gastgeber ab.” 3
(The Flemish, initially lovingly accepted and
supported, differed considerably in their rituals,
customs, and dress from their Frisian hosts,
most of whom were farmers.)
Thus, one of the main causes of the disunity,
which began to form between the two groups of
Anabaptists, was their cultural difference. The
Flemish refugees had come from the region of
Europe which was a leader in weaving and dying
cloth (many were weavers), and thus their
normal dress seemed extravagant to their Frisian
brothers and sisters who were much more conservative
with regards to clothing. In contrast,
the Frisians were proud of their farms, houses,
and home furnishings. 4 The Flemish, who had
been forced to leave all of their possessions
behind, questioned their Frisian brothers’ and
sisters’ ties to their worldly possessions.
Dirk Philips, who tried to heal the Frisian-Flemish
split, but to no avail. (Visser and Sprunger, Menno
Simons, p. 99)
In addition to the cultural differences, at first
there also appeared to be at least one theological
difference, namely, a different view of church
authority, although with time this difference
faded into history. Because of persecution, the
Flemish had developed a loose church structure,
with authority being placed in the hands of the
local congregation. In contrast, the Frisians had
opted for a more centralized leadership structure
in the form of elders and bishops, which had
served them well for some time. Menno Simons
had been the most influential of these leaders
until his death in 1561.
In spite of these differences, by the 1560’s
most congregations in what is now the northern
Netherlands had both Frisian and Flemish Anabaptists
worshiping side by side, at least, until
a spiraling controversy developed, leading to
the split in 1566.
In 1560, the ministers and church councils
of four Anabaptist congregations in Friesland:
Harlingen, Franeker, Dobkum and Leeuwarden,
drew up a covenant known as the Ordinatie der
vier steden, an agreement of nineteen points
ranging from relief aid to the poor to the joint
jurisdiction over ministers in the four congregations.
5 Six years later, a Flemish refugee, Jerome
Tinnegieter, was elected minister in the Franeker
congregation. Through the structure of the covenant,
the leadership of the other congregations,
dominated by Frisians, openly questioned his
gifts for ministry and blocked his election.
Upset by the development, Tinnegieter
moved to have his congregation at Franeker
removed from the covenant. A hastily called
meeting drew only 30 of 300 members, who
decided to let their council decide the matter.
It moved to withdraw from the covenant. When
six members of the council protested, they
were suspended. The majority of the church
congregation then tried to reverse the decision,
broadening the divide until the two factions
began holding separate services, being given the
name ‘Frisian’ and ‘Flemish’, and effectively
banning each other.
An attempt at arbitration occurred several
months later when two ministers from Hoorn,
Jan Willems and Lubbert Gerrits were called
to intervene in the situation. In the subsequent
meetings they chaired, “Willems admonished
those present not to weigh every issue on a
golden scale of right or wrong, but to forgive
and ask forgiveness.” 6 The two demanded that
the parties accept binding arbitration and announced
their findings: “That the Frisians and
also the Flemish, should kneel, confess their
mistakes and guilt, ask each other for forgiveness,
and henceforth live and walk in peace and
brotherly love.” 7
After the Frisians were allowed to stand
from their kneeling position, the Flemish began
to rise as well, but Willems and Gerrits stopped
them, informing them that since they were the
guilty party, they would need to be helped up
by their Frisian brothers. In anger, the Flemish
rescinded their agreement to arbitration, and in
a short time the dispute was spreading all over
what is now the Netherlands.
In desperation, the elder Dirk Philips was
called from Danzig, Prussia to come and mediate
the dispute. Philips welcomed the chance
to intervene in a situation that was beginning
to have serious repercussions for the young
Church. He saw his role as a neutral one, in
spite of his being Frisian, writing that: “It (the
Prussian congregation) has also been moved to
send us out to listen to both parties, to investigate
and determine where the truth is and where
it may be found.” 8
Already, before arriving in Emden, he had in
fact been laying the groundwork for mediation
through letters to the two conflicting sides. In
them he appealed to the most important goals
the two sides shared, including their common
mistrust of the Calvinist (Reformed) Church,
which was making inroads into so-called
Anabaptist communities: “In addition, these
divisions will lead to the happiness and glory
of the enemies and adversaries of the truth
Preservings No. 26, 2006 - 11