BIO:Menno Simons

1492-1559
Dutch Anabaptist. Menno Simons was born in Friesland, Hol-
land. Little is known of his early life and education. In 
1524 he was ordained to the priesthood of the Roman Church. 
However, his study of the New Testament soon began to produce 
doubts about many of the doctrines. Luther's writings also 
influenced him to leave the Roman Church. His preaching 
thereafter is described as evangelical rather than 
sacramental.
        Simons went farther than either Luther or Calvin in 
rejecting the teachings of Romanism, and soon allied himself 
with the Dutch Anabaptists. He was immersed in 1537 by Obbe 
Philip. His fame as a writer and as a preacher grew, and soon 
the Anabaptists of that area acknowledged him as their 
leader.
        In his church discipline, which was drawn from the 
Swiss Baptists, silent prayer was common and sermons were 
without texts. He taught that neither baptism nor communion 
conferred grace upon an individual, but that grace was ob-
tained only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although 
he was not the founder, his preaching and influence were such 
that many of the Dutch Anabaptists adopted his name, and 
thereafter were known as Mennonites.

