Many Christian denominations use the name “Mennonite”. Who are these people who build “Mennonite heaters”? How has their history shaped them?
A Summary of Mennonite History
This article is an overview; books have been written to cover each aspect of Mennonite history. Some readers may want more explanations of some of the terms or events mentioned here. The following are high points in Mennonite history:
- “Anabaptists Preceded Mennonites in History”, the next article in this series, sets the stage at the start of the Reformation period.
- The word "anabaptist" described this movement perfectly. The name ‘Mennonite’ was applied because of the importance of Menno Simons.
- Early Mennonites fled from Western Europe to escape persecution. In their first migrations, they split between Russia and the New World.
- Hutterites avoided becoming Mennonites: some Anabaptists followed the teachings and example of Jakob Hutter rather than Menno Simons.
- "How the Amish Split from the Mennonite Anabaptists" for being perhaps more loyal to the teachings of Menno Simons than the Swiss Mennonites.
- In Russia, the Mennonite Brethren split from the Mennonites. This split, between these two denominations, remains a sore point for some of the descendants.
- Modern Mennonites are found in several denominations which have survived to the present day.
The above topics may easily be found in the current "Mennonite Church" section, shown just above the article's title.
A Brief Mennonite History
Generally, Western Europe was (Roman) Catholic from about the fourth century until the sixteenth. The Protestant Reformation resulted in new denominations, but most churches tried to align with one or more nations. Examples include Catholic Spain and Italy; Lutheran Germany; and Anglican England.
Meanwhile in the early 1500s, the “Radical Reformation” movement emphasized a personal commitment to follow Christ. These believers rejected infant baptism and were “re-baptized”. This led to the name “Anabaptist”.
On religious grounds, Catholic and Protestant denominations supported infant baptism and automatic church membership. Politically, each nation found it useful to have all citizens as members of their “state” church. Therefore most states also opposed the Anabaptists, who endured persecution almost everywhere.
The book, “Martyrs’ Mirror”, celebrates martyred heroes of the Christian faith from the first century through the time of its first publication in 1660. It reinforced Anabaptist beliefs and encouraged people to be faithful despite persecution.
Not surprisingly, those people who are willing to cling to their faith despite torture and death were also willing to break ranks with others who had similar, but not quite identical, beliefs and practices. This led to groups named for their leaders, such as Mennonites and, later, Hutterites. Menno Simons was a Dutch priest who joined the Anabaptists and then shaped much of their theology through his prolific writings. One might speculate that, had he become a martyr as so many of his peers, his name may never have been applied to this religious movement.
Some Mennonites went from the Netherlands, through Prussia, and settled in Russia after Catherine II (Catherine the Great) invited Germans to settle the Ukraine. Here, the Mennonite Brethren later split from other Mennonites. The majority of Mennonite Brethren and Mennonites left Russia in several waves, as political conditions changed. Many of them went either to Mexico, central Canada or the mid-west United States.
As some Mennonites had gone to Russia, others begun by fleeing from Europe to settle in the New World. The first wave went to Pennsylvania. Some of their members later went to Ohio or Ontario, Canada.
Throughout their history, some Mennonites had gone to Asia, Africa and South America as missionaries. As a result, the majority of people in the Mennonite World Conference are not descendants of European Anabaptists. The Mennonite Brethren denomination also has strong membership outside North America.
Other Articles about Mennonites
You may want to return to the general article " Introducing Mennonite History, Beliefs, Practices and Products " which begins this section. The "Read On" articles continue the history, begin explaining the beliefs, or introduce the products related to people of this historically significant faith.
References:
Encyclopaedia Britanica, "Mennonites", published 1977, referenced Nov. 2010.
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Mike DeHaan - Copyright (c) Mike DeHaan, B. Math., of DeHaan Services. Well written and well researched freelance articles; ghost writing for clients.
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