Menno Simons (1496-1561)

A character sketch of Menno Simons

Simons, Menno was born in Friesland and in 1524 he became a Catholic priest.

Simons began to have doubts about the truth of transubstantiation and other Catholic doctrines.

In 1531 he heard of a person who had been martyred for having been rebaptized and in 1535 one of his own brothers was slaughtered for supporting a non-pacifist Anabaptist group.

In 1536 Simons left the Catholic church.

Simons gained reputation as a leader in the Anabaptist movement and established many congregations in the Netherlands and along the coast of the Baltic.

He enjoyed a long and effective ministry because he was able to keep a low profile and moved from place to place.

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