The Above Edict, According to the Annals of Cardinal Caesar Baronius

In that year, he writes, the Emperor Theodosius issued an edict against the Anabaptists, commanding that they should be put to death.

This was afterwards also quoted by the inquisitor of Leeuwaerden, in his controversy with Jacques d'Auchy, in the year 1558. See the register of the second book, under the name Jacques. Also, Introduction, folio 47, column 2. [n298-1]

These several versions of the edict of Honorius and Theodosius unanimously indicate three things: 1. That at that time, in the year 413, there were people who were called Anabaptists. 2. That because of this matter of rebaptizing, these people were exceedingly hated by the world, especially by the great. 3. It is shown how they were hated, namely, to death, so that the command was given that they should be punished with death. However, intelligent people know well that Christ, our Savior, predicted long before that such things would come upon His disciples and followers. Matthew 10, verse 22; Matthew 24, verse 9; Mark 13, verse 9; Luke 21, verse 12; John 15, verse 19; John 16, verse 2.

Moreover, that the aforementioned people, against whom this edict was issued, were not strange, unknown, erring spirits, but such people as are in our day also called Anabaptists — this not only the inquisitor of Leeuwaerden readily admitted in the year 1558, as has been shown in the proper place, but all the particulars of the last mentioned authors make it almost as clear as the sun at midday that this is the general opinion of the Romanists. Indeed, it appears that the edict of Honorius and Theodosius was carried into execution not only in the year 413, and in some of the years that followed, but that it was no small cause of the last great persecution of the Anabaptists, which began about the year 1524, through the strong urging of the Papists, especially of their clergy, who, to all appearance, used it to induce the Emperor Charles the Fifth to renew that edict against the Anabaptists of the time, as being an identical people, and of the same faith, with those who lived in the time of Honorius and Theodosius. At least, that many papistic magistrates put innumerable pious Anabaptist Christians to death by virtue of that ancient edict of the year 413, appears with such certainty from various authors that it cannot, in truth, be denied. Compare Seb. Franck, folio 136, column 3, with Martinus Bellius, page 53. [n298-2]

Now the couplet of Prosperus was verified: namely, that baptism did indeed sanctify the true candidate in some measure, but that all this was perfected by the crown of martyrdom. This was afterwards rendered in German by Jacob Mehrning, thus:

"Was heylligs bring die Tauffe schon [n298-3]

Solchs gants erfuellet der Martrer chron."*

Bapt. Hist., second part, page 413, ex Prosp. in Epigramm.

He means to say that those who were then baptized had to expect martyrdom. We shall therefore show what persons suffered at this time for the testimony of Jesus Christ, either by virtue of the above mentioned edict, or otherwise.

In English this may be rendered thus: [n298-4]

"Sanctify, baptism will indeed

But the martyr's crown does all complete."