Preservings $20 No. 25, December, 2005 - Plett Foundation

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maninghe, den volcke synen rugghe toekeerde, ende dat hy in plaetse van henlieden met den stemmelijcken ghebede (volgende syn ampt) voor te gaen, gheen gheluydt noch verstandich woort ter stichtinghe van hem en gaf. Het volck hoordemen wel zuchten, stenen ende karmen: … Ende tghene noch aldervreemst was, dat den Bisschop syn vesel [stil] ghebedt soo zaen [zodra] niet en hadde voleyndicht, oft ziet alle d’andere … moesten even-wel met hem wt ghebeden hebben, oft sy schoon maer ten halven waren, ende om gheen confusie [verwarring] aen terichten, wierden sy genootsaect haer ghebedt stommelinge af te breken, ende tselfde zonder hooft ende steert op een half woort met Amen te besluyten. (To tell you the truth, my partners and I witnessed how Bishop Jacob Jansz, who led prayer during the worship service before and after the sermon, turned his back to his flock. And instead of leading them in audible prayer (according his profession), he neither produced any sound, nor any audible word of admonition. Instead, one could only hear his people sigh, groan and moan … And, most peculiar of all, as soon as the Bishop had finished his silent prayer, all the others were supposed to have finished their prayers too, regardless if they were half-way finished, or not. And to prevent any confusion, without head or tail, nor even a half-word, they were forced to quit prayer immediately by a concluding Amen.) When Franciscus Lansbergius (François van Lansbergen), Dutch Reformed minister of Rotterdam, attended a church service on 3 March 1596 in the Admonition attic of the Rotterdam Mennonites, which was led by Jacob Jansz Schedemaker, a preacher from De Rijp, in the Northern part of the province of Holland, he was totally flabbergasted as he watching this practice of silent prayer. Not suppressing any contempt, he published a full eyewitness report on this event in an accusing tract called Van de vremde ende Onschriftmatighe Maniere der Weder-doopscher Leeraren Heymelijcke ghebeden (On the peculiar and non-scriptural Way of the Anabaptist Preachers’ Way of Praying in Secrecy), from which the previous quotation was taken. 5a This article started a vigorous dispute, as was the case on several other occasions when the intolerant Reformed clergy attacked Dutch Mennonites for almost a century after formal persecutions had ceased. The academically trained minister was eager to gain his scriptural victory over such a heretical practice. Although Jacob Jansz was reluctant to enter such a debate, he nevertheless delivered a defence against the 60 objections, which Lansbergius had included in his tract. Even Hans de Ries (1552 –1638), the influential leader of the liberal Waterlander Mennonites at Alkmaar, who was sympathetic to the Reformed practice of audible prayer (stemmelijk gebed) from the pulpit, came to the defence of his colleague from nearby De Rijp in different polemical writing, which dealt with the Mennonites’ views on public government. 6 In this tract he shows that the Rotterdam 22 - Preservings No. 25, December 2005 Dutch Mennonite prayer books from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: 1. Formulier Etlicher Christlichen Gebaethe, 1660; 2. Ernshaffte Christenpflicht, 1739; 3. Lust-Gaertlein, 1787; 4. Etliche Christliche Gebethe, 1702. (Mennonite Encyclopedia IV, photo section p. 6) church service had not been an event full of disorder and a neglect of sincerity, as suggested by Van Lansbergen. 6a He indicated what had actually been the liturgical setting of silent prayer in Rotterdam: Eerstelick soo is de name des Heeren door een Liedeken van drie Veerskens [coupletten] opentlick met blooten hoofde aengheroepen, van welcken het eerste [couplet] biddet om de beloofde Ghenade, ende by-wooninghe Christi, in het midden zijner vergaderinghe. Het tweede [couplet], dat hy onse herten door synen Gheest tot de ontfanckelickheyt ende ghehoorsaemheyt zijns Woorts wil bequaem maecken. Het derde [couplet], dat hy den Mont des Dienaers, alsoo tot verbreydinge zyner eere ende waerheyt wil ontopenen, dat de tegenwoordighe vergaderinge dat Woort vruchtbaerlick nae nootdruft mach voorghedraghen ende toeghedient werden. (First they called on the name of the Lord, bareheaded, by means of a hymn of three stanzas. The first is a prayer for the promised grace and the presence of Christ in the midst of his gathering. The second is a prayer in which he is asked to prepare our hearts to receive and to
obey his Word. The third is a prayer in which he is asked to open the mouth of his servant, both to his glory and truth, and in such a way that the present meeting may hear and receive the Word according to each and everybody’s need and benefit.) After this had been prayed and sung most properly and modestly, with bare heads, 6b then Jacob Jansz had subsequently invited the congregation to enter silent prayer, using the following words: Soo ist dat ick u even ten selven eynde, ghelyck nu al sang-wijs ghehoort is, vermane, u knieen ghelijck-moedichlijck met my, tot een teecken dat wy het oock alsoo meenen, voor Godt almachtich wilt buyghen, ende zynen Name, om de beroerde Ghenade, van herten aen-roepen. Therefore, I admonish you for the same purpose as we already have heard in this hymn, to join me in bending your knees before God and his name as a symbol of our eagerness to call on his mercy wholeheartedly. After having explained and introduced the reason for prayer in the congregation in this way, he continued: heeftmen de knieen eendrachtelick ende sedichlick, met den anderen gheboghen, ende inder stilte sonder eenige confusie, oft onbehoorlick gerucht van steenen oft suchten te maken (ghelijck Lansberghe dat verkeert) de name des Heeren aengeroepen. 6c (everyone, at the same time, modestly bent his knees, and called on the name of the Lord in silence, without any confusion, and without any improper groans and sighs, [as Lansbergen had falsely testified].) The preference for silent prayer is based on a long and old Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition. It was not explicitly demanded by Scripture, but was considered a free matter. The main objection against audible prayer, which in itself was not to be rejected, was the Mennonite view that a public prayer was seen as a memorized lesson (een gheleerde Lesse). Since, however, prayer was principally seen as a matter of a highly individual nature, the “sound of the cold, sonorous and non-emotional voice of the man who leads prayer” during a church service was considered to be an obstacle to the “true and heartfelt emotion or devotion of the audience.” Because of the silence of a common prayer, the worshipper could therefore: dick-wils met een vruchtbaerder ghemoedt, als sy aen den Predicant vernemen, tot den Troone der Ghenaden … opclimmen, ende Godt nae zynen woorde, inden Gheest ende inder Waerheydt aenroepen. Voor den welcken noch veel woorden, noch gheluyt der stemmen en ghelt, ghemerckt hy dat herte proeft, als oock niet de wel ghechierde of toe-ghemaeckte redene, waer in het Rijcke Godts niet en bestaet, maer de inwendighe hert-grondelicke begheerte inden Gheloove. (most of the time, with a more open and ready state of mind than expressed by the preacher, climb up to the throne of grace and call upon God in his own words, in spirit and in truth. Since for God neither many words, nor the sound of human voices are of any value, since he only tests and tastes the heart, he likewise does not appreciate well adorned or fancy speeches, since his kingdom completely abstains from that. On the contrary, he only cherishes the heart-rooted desire of belief. 6d ) However, by 1590 the liberal Waterlander Mennonites of Hans de Ries (1552-1638) abolished the practice of silent prayer, and introduced audible prayer by the minister. The Waterlanders were followed by other moderate Mennonite groups, like the High Germans, the Young Frisians and Young Flemish, who gradually adopted audible prayers shortly after 1640, although not without resistance from conservative members. In a meeting at Leiden of 22 Flemish congregations, chaired by Tieleman Jansz van Braght, where an effort was made to tackle the modernity of Galenus Abrahamsz and his kindred spirits, who mockingly labelled this meeting as the “Leiden Synod,” audible prayer was strongly attacked, describing it as “words without spirit and grace, objectionable and aggravating.” 6e With the abolition of silent prayer, the practice of kneeling for prayer was also gradually dropped. After about 1665 the two remaining mainstream denominations, the so-called Lamists of Galenus Abrahamsz, and towards the end of the 17 th century also the Zonists, adopted the practice of prayer during services quite similar to the Dutch Reformed liturgy. 7 A major contribution to this development was made by the Middelburg preacher Adriaan van Eeghem in his historical, biblical and pragmatic treatise, Verhandelinge van de stemmelijke Gebeden in de vergaderinge der geloovigen (Treatise of audible prayers in the gatherings of the believers) (1685). 7a One of his practical considerations was the following: De Schoolkinderen die’t gebed van haar meester van woord tot woord hem na zeggen, konnen niet gezeid worden door ’t luide bidden van haar meester verhindert te zijn, maar veel meer geleerd en geholpen; en zoo is ’t ook gelegen met de toehoorders, die haar luide biddende Dienaar met haar aandagt, of met zijn woorden stil na te zeggen, volgen, waar in de grootste eendragt bestaat, diemen zoude kunnen bedenken. Waar tegen dat het onder ’t stille bidden dikwils geschied dat de luiden voor haar zelven bidden in plaatze van voor de gemeene dingen te bidden: en dan nog wel voor zulke die daar niet passen, nog betamelijk zijn. 7b (School children who are taught to reproduce the prayer of their teacher word by word, are not hindered by the audible praying of their master, but, on the contrary, are the better instructed and encouraged. And likewise the worshippers who follow the audibly praying servant [minister] in devotion, or when silently repeating his words, will achieve the utmost unity possible. On the other hand, it frequently occurs during silent prayer that people only pray for themselves instead of for common concerns, and most of the time even for topics that are neither suitable nor appropriate.) A proper public prayer is marked by the appropriate attitude of the preacher, Van Eeghem continues, who, inwardly devoted to and in awe of God’s almighty nature, expresses his unworthiness as he stands between God and the congregation. When space in church allows, the church members must either kneel down, expressing humility and inability, or stand upright, which expresses expectation and willingness. The eyes must constantly be directed towards heaven, in which they “ad- David Joris from Delft, Netherlands. Photo of a painting in the Catherijneconvent, Utrecht. (S. Zijlstra, Om de ware gemeente en de oude gronden, p. 161). dress God;” or they must be directed to the floor, “when confessing sin and praying for forgiveness, while being in shame or fear.” Hands must be folded and raised, expressing “ones renunciation and inability.” The actual prayer should be “brief, plain, in clear and dignified words, simple and not fanciful, urging and begging, and fully appropriate to the cause of prayer.” 7c The worship service began with a votum and closed with a benediction. Besides these two prayers that were short, there were two long prayers, one before and one after the sermon - so-called “free-prayers” composed by the minister. 8 This arrangement, which is still in practice today, corresponded to the assimilation process of the Mennonites for which the religious tolerance and economic prosperity of the Golden Age offered optimal conditions. As a church group still holding a minority position, in contrast to the Dutch Reformed Church which was privileged by the state, the improvement of Mennonites’ social and economic positions led to more openness in many areas. Mennonites, who originally shunned the world, started to embrace worldly benefits. Their success in economic sectors like herring and whale fishing, Baltic sea trade, food and textile industries, banking and finance, was astonishing. Their strong ethic of hard labour and modest consummation patterns Preservings No. 25, December 2005 - 23
Page 1 and 2: ~ Being the Journal of the D. F. Pl
Page 3 and 4: Delbert F. Plett, Q.C. 1948-2004
Page 5 and 6: Delbert was born March 6, 1948 in S
Page 7 and 8: Perhaps it was a force built on her
Page 9 and 10: Tribute to Delbert Plett at the vie
Page 11 and 12: D.F. Plett Historical Research Foun
Page 13 and 14: in Latin America and police raids f
Page 15 and 16: and sisters in Christ. Perhaps in t
Page 17 and 18: Revivalist-Fundamentalist-Evangelic
Page 19 and 20: people against questionable theolog
Page 21: Feature Articles: Seventeenth-Centu
Page 25 and 26: 28 prayers for private use only, wa
Page 27 and 28: Francois de Knuyt, de Ries also art
Page 29 and 30: Dutch Mennonite historiography has
Page 31 and 32: In the same year the elders from Ha
Page 33 and 34: attitude of the Dordrecht elder. Wh
Page 35 and 36: trouw) was prohibited. Members were
Page 37 and 38: e found in The Bloody Theatre, or M
Page 39 and 40: the twelfth article of the Dordrech
Page 41 and 42: Pastor had accepted anti-trinitaria
Page 43 and 44: Connected by Seas, Windmills and Fa
Page 45 and 46: harmony. As city architect, he work
Page 47 and 48: sometimes action taken by authoriti
Page 49 and 50: mayors and magistrates. After the R
Page 51 and 52: sermon and news of the church. In r
Page 53 and 54: the ministers. Hansen was elected
Page 55 and 56: Maritime Trade and Shipbuilding in
Page 57 and 58: to engage in the profitable trade o
Page 59 and 60: The painting “The Castle Lake of
Page 61 and 62: Introduction Martin C. Friesen (188
Page 63 and 64: Grandson Andreas T. Friesen. When I
Page 65 and 66: man, I have set you as a watchman o
Page 67 and 68: Peter Neufeld (12.11.1697-17.8.1769
Page 69 and 70: this place. However, one other thin
Page 71 and 72: sured that Gerhard received a prope
Page 73 and 74:
Siberian Diary: Aron P. Toews (1897
Page 75 and 76:
transmit to them these inner streng
Page 77 and 78:
Aron and Maria Suderman Toews as a
Page 79 and 80:
The quiet Mennonite has become a co
Page 81 and 82:
Cornelius T. “Rawleigh” Toews (
Page 83 and 84:
Articles Borosenko - A Traditional
Page 85 and 86:
looked like a toy train. A horse pu
Page 87 and 88:
We reiterated how impressed we were
Page 89 and 90:
the new conference would limit cong
Page 91 and 92:
From June 14 to 16, 2002 our Hambur
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Introduction The Brommtopp was made
Page 95 and 96:
George K. Epp. Geschichte Der Menno
Page 97 and 98:
One could draw the reader’s atten
Page 99 and 100:
Adina Reger 5 May 1950 - 6 November
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Preservings $20 No. 25, December, 2005 - Plett Foundation

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