Pieter Pieters Beckjen, Burnt Alive at Amsterdam, in the Year 1569

The dreadful murdering, burning and killing of the innocent and upright followers of Jesus Christ were not enough at this time to turn a certain pious brother and faithful witness of the Lord away from the true confession and practice of the Christian faith. His name was Pieter Pieters Beckjen, a boatman on the Amstel by trade, and so zealous that at various times he gathered the little flock of the oppressed pious who lived around Amsterdam into his boat, in order to build one another up with the Word of God, and to strengthen one another in the faith they had accepted.

And when his dear wife bore him a child, he, out of Christian care, took that infant with him to a place where it would be safe from the superstition of the papists, and from being baptized.

In short, he showed his zeal in every respect, in spite of the cruelty of the rulers of darkness, and he did this with a sincere and good intention, until at last he was, on that account, reported to the magistrates of the city of Amsterdam, arrested, dreadfully tortured, and finally, when he would not apostatize, was sentenced to death and burned alive, as appears from the sentence, which, to confirm this matter, was faithfully and correctly sent to us from the hands of the secretary there. In it can be seen, on the one hand, the steadfast confession of this martyr, and on the other hand, how dreadfully the rulers of darkness misinterpreted it, and construed it to an evil, shameful and terrible end.