Answer to the Question, Whether All the People Mentioned in This Work

Concerning this we say that a distinction must be made between the first and the last martyrs; not that they differed in the faith, for this we have not found, but because they were not all examined about the same articles of faith, and so did not answer in one and the same way. This came from the fact that some suffered among pagans, some among the Jews and the Mohammedans, and some among the false Christians, that is, the Romanists.

Those who suffered among the pagans were, for the most part, examined about the first article of the Christian faith, in which we confess: "I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth," and so on; and if the arrested Christians confessed only this, namely, that they believed in one God, they were condemned to death, for the pagans recognized many gods.

Those who suffered among the Jews or the Mohammedans were examined about the second article, in which we confess: I believe "in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost," and so on. When they had confessed this, they had also forfeited their lives; for the Jews and the Mohammedans do not acknowledge Christ as the Son of God, much less as His only begotten (or own) Son, nor that He was conceived of the Holy Ghost.

Because of this article many believers were killed among the Arians.

Those who suffered among the false Christians, especially among the Romanists, were examined about nearly all the articles of faith on which there was a difference of opinion between us and them, namely, the incarnation of Christ, the office of the secular authorities, the swearing of oaths, and so on; but above all others, the article of holy baptism, namely, whether they denied infant baptism, or whether they had been rebaptized. This last chiefly caused their death, for sentence of death was passed upon them at once, and their life taken.

Besides these articles (on account of which they also had to suffer among the followers of Zwingli and Calvin) the Papists laid before them as well, either to deny or to confess, the many papal institutions which at different times had arisen above and contrary to the most holy faith and life, and had been forced upon the innocent, plain, and orthodox people as articles necessary for salvation, that they should believe them and live according to them: such as the invocation of dead saints; sacrifices for the dead; pilgrimages to the tombs of the saints; the worshiping and greeting of images made with hands; masses; vigils; ceremonial night watches; choral prayers, whether paternosters, Ave Marias, rosaries, or others; the making of the sign of the cross; sprinkling with holy water; the tonsure; the wearing of white, gray, black, or other clothes; the chasuble; and countless other things which it is almost impossible to name.

When the orthodox martyrs were examined by the Papists about these and similar matters, they had to state their opinion about them, and so unfold the articles of their own faith, which stood opposed to them; so that on such occasions the whole foundation and all the particulars of the saving faith which they held in common with us were frequently discussed.

This, then, is the reason that only those martyrs who suffered among the false Christians, especially among the Papists, made confession of nearly all the articles of faith; while all the others, though faithful and sincere confessors of the evangelical truth, who gave up their lives among the pagans, Jews, or Mohammedans, confessed very little of them, because they were not examined about them.

Moreover, at first there were not so many articles of faith about which different opinions prevailed as there were in later times; and there was a reason for this. Since in the beginning there were not so many apostates and different sects as in later times, the points that had to be asserted against those who disputed them were at first fewer than afterward, when many churches began to spring up and each defended its own; from which the true believers had to distinguish themselves by their confession of the disputed articles of faith.

No true Christian of the Anabaptists of this day will stumble at the fact that the first martyrs did not confess so many articles of faith as the last ones did, or as are confessed now; which, as has been said, rests on a satisfactory reason.

However, we have found, and are fully satisfied with it, that although, for the reason already mentioned, some have confessed more and others less of the articles of faith, they nevertheless did not differ from one another in their purpose and meaning; we speak of those things which are of considerable importance, and may be considered as necessary for salvation.

But should it nevertheless be true that one or another (of whom we have not heard), because of the earliness, the degeneracy, or the darkness of former times, was not truly enlightened, either in the faith or in the knowledge of it, or had some serious weakness or deficiency; yet, keeping the true foundation of salvation, that is, Christ,* though weak and frail, died, giving up his life through a violent death, with a good purpose, to the honor of God, the edification of his fellow brothers, and above all to the preserving of his own soul: such a one should, according to the nature of love, be excused and counted a true martyr,** because of his entirely good intention, and his total renunciation, even to death, of his possessions as well as of his own self; for which the Lord has promised everlasting life, indeed, the crown of life, Matthew 19, verse 29, compared with Revelation 2, verse 10: [n20-1] "Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life."

This is what we have thought proper to call attention to in regard to the title and the contents of these two books; but before we leave the subject, we ought to make a brief statement in regard to the preceding, or old, work.