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

What is true of the Old-Flemish in general
is also true of their leaders. Until recent times
little has been written about the elders (Aeltesten),
preachers (Diener) and deacons of the
Old-Flemish. A few prominent leaders, like
Jacob Pietersz van der Meulen and Vincent de
Hont, have drawn the attention of historians,
but most elders remain unknown. 1 It therefore
seems appropriate to shed some light on the
background of the Old-Flemish elders. Due to
space limitations, the elders from Prussia are
excluded from this portrait.
Founders of the Old-Flemish branch
The first elders of the Old-Flemish branch
were Hans Busschaert, Jacob Pietersz van der
Meulen and Jan Roelants. All three played an
important part in the genesis of the Old-Flemish
branch. Hans Busschaert, also known as Hans de
Weaver, originated from the Flemish village of
Dadizele. He was born sometime between 1520
and 1530. Busschaert was ordained as elder
before 1555 by Leenaert Bouwens. He probably
lived at Antwerp, but as of 1565 Busschaert lived
at Cologne in Germany. He frequently visited
the congregations in Flanders. Among others
he was active as elder at Antwerp. When the
Frisian-Flemish conflict broke out, Busschaert
became very much involved and sided with the
Flemish. Because he agreed with the so-called
Compromis, he temporarily had to lay down
his service in the period 1567-70. 2 After this
interruption, he extensively traveled through
Flanders, Brabant and the Dutch provinces of
Holland and Gelderland. 3 When the Reformed
ministers of Emden challenged Mennonites to a
dispute in 1578, Busschaert was one of the representatives.
He was considered a weak opponent
by both his fellow Flemish respondents and the
Reformed. We have already seen that Busschaert
was banned by the “Bankroetiers” in 1598.
According to the Dutch historian Wagenaar, in
1591 Busschaert was in favour of the Concept
van Keulen. This confession was drafted at Cologne
in the year 1591 between High-German
and Dutch Mennonite leaders. 4
Jacob Pietersz van der Meulen came from
Flanders. There is still some dispute, whether
he came from Antwerp or from the important
textile centre of Menen. By profession he
was a merchant. His nickname was “the rich
bleacher.” The merchant activities of van der
Meulen reached as far as Riga in Latvia. As a
preacher he was involved in the Frisian-Flemish
conflict. Shortly after its outbreak van der Meulen
was probably ordained as elder. 5 He moved
from Flanders to Haarlem where he became
the leading elder of the Flemish congregation.
The author of the Successio Anabaptistica
chides him for his strict and zealous attitude,
and called him unforgiving, stubborn, obstinate
and haughty. 6 The author was probably biased
in his judgment, because he defended the Ro-
36 - Preservings No. 25, December 2005
Saved From Oblivion
A Portrait of the (Danzig) Old-Flemish Elders in the Netherlands
Willem Stuve, Hellevoetsluis, the Netherlands
man-Catholic Church that was at that time under
attack by van der Meulen.
As mentioned above, van der Meulen sided
with the Flemish. Besides his role in the “Huiskopertwist”
Jacob also played a part in banning
the congregations in the Dutch province of
Groningen. 7 Together with Hans Busschaert,
he banned Quiryn van der Meulen, elder of the
Danzig congregation and elder Paulus Bussemaker,
leader of the party called the “Heilsamen”
or the “Salutary.” Quiryn van der Meulen,
no relative of Jacob, had long kept the church
in Prussia united. After Quiryn was banned,
the church in Prussia fell apart into Frisian and
Flemish factions.
Around 1600, Jacob Pietersz van der Meulen
became involved in combating the Roman
Catholic Church. When the Dutch provinces
broke away from the reign of the Spanish king,
the Roman Catholic Church went underground.
Only the Reformed Church was allowed to meet
in public. The town of Haarlem had many Roman
Catholics and Mennonites. Van der Meulen
challenged the Catholic priests to debate, and
wrote several treatises against them. 8
Trapped in an isolated position, van der
Meulen sought to unite with the more liberal
Waterlander branch. During the years 1601-
1605, negotiations were conducted between
him and Hans de Ries, the famous Waterlander
elder from Alkmaar. A few Flemish leaders, like
Jacques Outerman, also took part in these peace
talks. Finally the negotiations broke off because
Jacob insisted on a stricter view of the Gemeinde
and its boundaries. 9
Between 1581 and 1631 Jacob Pietersz van
der Meulen wrote some sixteen books. Kühler
calls him a “well read and discerning self-taught
man.” His daughter Catharina was responsible
for the reprint of his Verclaringe wt de Godtlijcke
Schriftuere (1645).
About Jan Roelants we know very little. The
time of his election as preacher or as elder is
unknown. We do know that he took an active part
in the Huiskopertwist. He is usually mentioned
together with Jacob Pietersz van der Meulen.
Both were chided for being over-zealous and
strict in banning persons, and by this attitude
caused a split in the large Flemish congregation
of Haarlem. 10 In 1598, at the time of the conflict
on bankruptcy, Jan sided with his co-elder. After
him the congregation was also known as “Jan
Roelantsvolk.”
Elders at the end of the 16th and beginning
of the 17th century
Among the elders known at the start of the
17th century are Pieter van Beersel, Gerard van
Bylaert, Isbrand Feckes, Lucas Philips, Heyndrick
Jans, Cornelis van Male, Jacques or Jacob
Verbeeck, Jan Willems, Hendrick Ghuyten and
an unknown elder from Oldemarkt. All these
elders took part in the 1616/19 conference and
discussions about the Amsterdam congregation.
Of Feckes and Jans we know little other than that
they were elders of the churches of Vlieland
and Leeuwarden. About van Beersel, or van
Bersel, it is known that he signed the Dordrecht
Confession on behalf of his congregation at Emmerich,
thereby departing from the Old-Flemish
branch. Van Beersel died shortly thereafter, in
November 1635.
About elder Gerard van Bylaert we know
considerable more. He originated from the
Dutch village of Barneveld, a village with virtually
no Mennonites. The name van Bylaert can
Mennonite church in Pingjum, the town where Menno Simons began his ministry as Catholic priest. (MHC
492.632)