Stranger In This Land

Historical Spotlight “Dirk Willems”

Feb 22, 2009 reflecting

Historical Spotlight is a special column, where we take some time and anaylze the forebearers of our anabaptist faith, that helped shape and form our foundations. We hope to explore the trials, tests, failures and examples from those who went before us and both be encouraged by them and grow from them. Perhaps one of the biggest issues in the church is the lack of understanding of who we are, and where we came from, this is in response to provide such an education.

This is probably a common picture and name to a lot of us, and then to others it may be completly a new face and a unknown image in dark etching. Dirk Willems was one of the earliest Anabaptist leaders. Dirk lived out his faith to such extremes that he volunteerly gave his life to Christ’s calling for his life to help a enemy, which ended in martyrdom in 1569.

As a young man, Dirk revoked the belief of the state and found a personal faith through the Holy Spirit’s work in his life and search for meaning. He was baptized as a Child in the Catholic Church but upon finding new meaning to his beliefs, followed through to the biblical understanding that baptism should be a out loud reflection of a inner movement in your faith, and was rebaptized by fellow Anabaptists. At this time, in the Netherlands, both the Protestants and Catholics were practicing and requiring Child Baptisim.

After becoming rebaptized, Dirk lived with a deep passion for his faith and had over individuals rebaptized in his home, which signed his death warrant with the Roman Catholic church, the Protestants and the State. Dirk was tracked down and caught in the hometown of the Netherlands, and was tried and convicted as a rebellious Anabaptist. At the time, it was in the later years of Spanish Rule under the Duke of Alva, and the Duke as did most state leaders in places Anabaptist’s lived, considered these peaceful people a threat to the state and church because of their “heretical” believe of Separation of Church and State as well as Baptism. They also found the speed of growth of these people, and the deep community dangerous. These charges and threats were worthy of death in horrible matters.

Dirk managed to get out of the prision he was being held in, by a window, and made a rope from knotted rags he had stored up. He lowered himself out of the prision and landed on the iced over moat, that surronded the castle to prevent escapes. As Dirk made his escape across the pond’s thin ice (which was called the “Hondegat”) he was spotted by a Guard and a pursuit began.

Dirk’s weight, downsized from his prison rations, and pursued by a guard in heavy garb, made it quickly across the very thin ice, but the guard, under his weight, fell through the ice. The guard began to cry for help, as the cold water and treachery conditions began to subdue him. Dirk, out of love, turned around and offered a hand to the Guard. After pulling the guard to safety, the guard continued to arrest Dirk and lead him back to prision were he was burned at the stake.

Dirk’s willingness to help his enemy, even though it would cost him his life, has remained as a testimony to both the people of that town (who are not anabaptist) as a folk hero to this day and to the Anabaptist faith as a example fiqure of the faith.

Dirk Williams willingly lived his life as Christ required, to the very sacrifice that cost him his life. Lets remember and be energized by what he did for his enemy out of his Christ like Love and be challenged to follow in the same footsteps.

This Historical Spotlight was created using Information from Wikipedia, Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online and Other books and sources readily available.

Tags: Anabaptist History, Catholics, Dirk Willems, Duke of Alva, Faith Foundations, Fathers of the Faith, Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia, Historical Spotlight, Hondegat, Mennonite History, Netherlands, Protestants, Spanish Rule