John Smyth's request for Mennonite recognition and admission: four newly translated letters, 1610-1612: under the leadership of John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, the people who would become the first Baptists met Dutch Mennonites in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at the beginning of the Dutch Golden Age.(Essay)

Prompted by a theological disagreement with Smyth, Helwys returned to England in 1612 and planted the first General Baptist church. The disagreement centered on the validity of Smyth's se-baptism and differing views on joining the Waterlander Mennonite church in Amsterdam. (1)

Correspondence regarding the English affair, as the Mennonites referred to Smyth's request for recognition and admission, commenced with his application to the Waterlanders in February 1610. (2) Until recently, historians have translated only a selection of the known correspondence from the Dutch and Latin into the English language. (3) Today, English translations of four more letters concerning the English affair are available. (4) Although these communications provide helpful insight into the Mennonite view and practice of consensus, this article mainly focuses on details shedding light on the English affair. These new translations provide evidence that supports as well as challenges some of James Robert Coggins's views regarding the Smyth group's application to the Waterlanders and the ensuing events. (5) A discussion follows the translation of each letter. The translations retain some of the Dutch word order and punctuation to facilitate further research by non-Dutch historians.

 
   A Letter Dated May 15, 1610 
 
   A Letter of Yeme de Ringh at Harlingen to Lubbert Gerritsz, 
   Hans de Ries, and Reynier Wijbrandtsz, Dated May 15[?], 1610 
 
   To the Honorable Pious Man 
   Reinier Wybrants glassmaker 
   in Saint Luke on the 
   Singel in the Mennonite 
   Church. 
   At 
   Amsterdam 
 
   Pay the messenger (6) 
 
   Praise be to God XV[?] May 1610 in Harlingen 
 
   From the heart-beloved brothers and fellow servant in Christ 
   Lubbert Ger:[ritsz], Hans de Ries, Renier Wibrants. Your letter 
   with the request to come there to you to discuss the English 
   affair, has reached us; the others have been sent for immediately 
   at my word. Our teachers, except Jacob Tiewes, have gathered and 
   have sent their opinions regarding this to you, which you may want 
   to review. It seems that they prefer to have first the articles 
   which have been given to you by the English in order to review 
   these same with the brothers so that afterwards there would come no 
   trouble out of it since they are worried. So the friends can do 
   what their minds think "and I do not think that even if we came 
   there" that we perhaps would be united in the understanding and 
   that might cause some trouble I am afraid; but that you send to 
   here to the teachers the articles given to you and that I do not 
   see as evil. For I am concerned that they do not take it (so it 
   appears) on the aspect of baptism, [that is] why I hope so that 
   they can be satisfied with our belief and household, that it could 
   come indeed to a good end by letters as God wills. So you think 
   well, for I for my person had much preferred to see the case 
   somewhat in a different manner than this, namely that they had 
   undertaken themselves to hear and see all things, or since they 
   have not undertaken that they would have placed it in your hands 
   completely. Then this as it appears has not been able to go this 
   way, and this so I notice from the care of the churches here. 
   Therefore, I beg you to do so indeed and write after her desire the 
   articles as you have given them to her and even if it were that the 
   servant of the English co-signed, then this would not harm my 
   reservation, but do it as you think is good. I have co-signed this 
   although it is not all according to my opinion, so I cannot view it 
   as evil, for when we do something without our congregations, so we 
   get certainly trouble for we have many hard heads to which we have 
   to see a bit, and it is not possible to live always in strife for 
   our congregations grow now fairly, praise God, so that we now in 
   two times in one month or within five weeks, have received for 
   baptism 40 people, and it would not be good indeed to bring unrest 
   among them. Further with this goes a letter which I have just 
   received from Rippert and have opened without knowing it and have 
   not yet read since I was still in bed when the letter came, this 
   with all my best taking away it happened unknowingly. Nothing 
   further than be greeted from the heart along with all who are 
   beloved to you. 
 
      Your Servant, Yeme de Rijnck 

Yeme de Ringh wrote this letter some three months after the Smyth group applied for recognition as a true Mennonite congregation. (7) De Ringh's letter is a reply to Gerritsz's request to Mennonite congregations that were part of the Bevredigde Broederschap that they attend the May 23, 1610, conference regarding the English affair. (8) De Ringh noted to Gerritsz that he had called the teachers of the Harlingen church together and discussed the issue. Their conclusion was threefold: (1) they should not attend the conference because they most likely could not come to a mutual understanding; (2) they wanted to see A Short Confession of Faith, which de Ries and Gerritsz had drawn up and which the Smyth group had signed in agreement, so they could read Smyth's view on baptism; and (3) they did not want to cause any unrest in their church by recognizing the Smyth group. Five other ministers of congregations in Friesland replied similarly. (9) In short, the Friesland teachers refused to decide upon the English affair until they had had a chance to discuss the articles of faith with their congregations and reach consensus. The teacher of the congregation at Rijnsburg, South Holland, however, expressed no concern regarding doctrinal issues in his May 18, 1610, letter.

 
   A Letter Dated May 18, 1610 
 
   A Letter of Willem Janszoon, Teacher at Rijnsburg, to Reynier 
   Wybrantsz. at Amsterdam, Dated May 18, 1610 
 
   To the 
   Honorable and the pious reijner 
   Wybrant son living at Amsterdam (10) 
 
   Be greeted from the heart 
 
   After wishes of everything good from this side I let know my dear 
   and in-God-beloved brother and fellow worker in the gospel Reijner 
   Wybrant's son that I have received your writing and have understood 
   from it as that there have come some zealous hearts from England 
   who there are seeking to unite with you and that you have spoken 
   with them there multiple times about our household and outwardly 
   are one with each other in confession as I understand and [you] 
   write to us unworthy ones to come there on 23 May with some of our 
   fellow servants to discuss with each other in order to speak on the 
   most important [matter] with them and that I should bring some 
   along who can understand and speak Latin, so I let my dear brother 
   and fellow servant know that it is not convenient for me on that 
   day since my word stands to come that day to another place which I 
   cannot rearrange because of a reason, but ! have moved Master Jacob 
   and Cornelis van Beest to be there then with you all since they can 
   understand and speak Latin and that you will have more help from 
   them than from us since we do not understand that language; the 
   Lord may give you altogether wisdom and understanding that it may 
   take place to the honor of the gospel, to the edification of many 
   pious and to the praise and gratitude of God's holy name and to the 
   salvation of our dearly bought souls, for this God may loan us his 
   grace. Amen. 
 
      Willem Ian's son from Reynsburch on 18 May [1610] 

The main point of Janszoon's letter was the teacher's reply to Gerritsz's invitation. Janszoon's concern was to send two men who understood and spoke Latin. This concern supports the view that the English did not speak Dutch, nor did the Dutch speak English. The common language at the conference, therefore, was Latin. Not all Dutch and English, however, spoke Latin. Some men of either group, speaking both Latin and their native language, were to serve as interpreters at the conference. (11) Janszoon himself was unable to attend. He was not the only minister to decline the invitation.

 
   A Letter Dated May 21, 1610 
 
   A Letter from Dirk Pieters at Hoorn to Lubbert Gerritsz. at 
   Amsterdam, Dated May 21, 1610 
 
   To the honorable Clas 
   Iansen Bruijn 
   to be passed on 
   to Lubbert Gerretzen in 
   Amsterdam 
 
   Three SS [Stuivers = nickels] 
   The deliverer's pay (12) 
 
   God's grace for a friendly greeting. Amen. 
 
   Honorable Sir, from the heart loved and loved-in-God brother 
   (father) and fellow servant in the Lord Lubbert Gerretsen. Since we 
   have received the letter signed by you all of the 6th of this [May] 
   and have thought about the same with attention (and have reviewed 
   with worry) so we have discussed with our servants and with our 
   fellow servants, as well as have called for Aebell Hendericksen, 
   Gijsbert Dircksen and Jacob Ariensen with them holding council, we 
   find it for the best of our conscience (and for the Lord) not to 
   come according to your desire, beg therefore hold it to us for the 
   best, it does not happen because you all are not worthy to us, not 
   at all, even if it were ten more times as the Lord knows, but [it 
   happens] because of certain important causes which we think we have 
   tot that. As many as now deal with the case therefore we were 
   written, is our simple advice and request that you would indeed 
   deal carefully and thoroughly and not lightly agree to a 
   continuation because of some dangers that may arise over that, so 
   that we do not hammer on the one side and break much more on the 
   other side, for, dear brother, we see well when already a few 
   separated nations come together how heavily it falls to keep the 
   same in peace just as the present situation teaches us all too 
   well. However, we know that the fruits of righteousness are sown in 
   peace by those who keep the peace, therefore, dearly beloved 
   brother, let us keep that which the Lord has given us, so that we 
   do not lose what we have wrought but may receive full pay from the 
   Lord, with this may the Lord help and assist us now and in 
   eternity. Amen. Be with this [letter] commended to the Lord and 
   greeted from the heart with the peace of the Lord, dated Hoorn, 21 
   May anno 1610. 
 
      By me Dirrick Pieterzn, your fellow servant in the Lord