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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.

Article Excerpt
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...

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