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Jan de Bakker

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For other people named Johannes Pistorius, see Johannes Pistorius (disambiguation).
Jan de Bakker
Gevangenpoort in The Hague where Jan de Bakker was incarcerated prior to his execution in 1525[1]
Statue of Johan de Witt at De Plaats in The Hague. His two fingers point at the place where he was lynched in 1672. This is also the place where Jan de Bakker was executed in 1525.

Jan Jansz de Bakker van Woerden (Latin name: Johannes Pistorius Woerdensis; 1499 – 15 September 1525) was a Roman Catholic priest who was the first preacher in the Northern Netherlands to be put to death as a direct result of his Protestant beliefs.[2]

Biography

Jan de Bakker's father was a sexton in Woerden and also tenant of the brickworks, and his surname may have been derived from that profession.[3] Bakker was a pupil of Johannes Rhodius (Hinne Rode), headmaster of St. Jerome School of the Brethren of the Common Life in Utrecht, who was a proponent of Sacramentarianism.[4] The Dutch Sacramentarians did not believe in the efficacy of the sacraments of the Catholic Church and denied that the host in the Mass was the real body and blood of Jesus Christ.[5] They called indulgences and pilgrimages mere idolatry, and were critical of the low moral standards and conduct of the clergy. In 1520 Bakker's father called him back to Woerden, because of concerns that those views would be considered contrary to the Church's doctrine and could get him in trouble with the authorities. Bakker transferred to the Catholic University in Leuven, and in 1522 completed his education there.

Bakker returned to Woerden, was ordained in Utrecht as a priest, and assisted his father as sexton and deacon. Bakker started to spread his views, which were considered heretical by the Church at that time, and in May 1523 he and another priest were arrested by the steward of the castle. After a short while they were released, and it is thought that the two travelled to Wittenberg, but there is no evidence he met with Martin Luther. After he returned he continued his preachings, and the conflict with the Roman Catholic Church was further aggravated by the fact that he broke his celibacy, and got married.

In the night of May 9, 1525, Bakker was arrested and the next day transferred to The Hague, where he appeared before the Inquisition. He was defrocked and sentenced to death, and on September 15, 1525 burned at the stake in The Hague. His widow saved her life by recanting views similar to her husband's, and lived out her life in an abbey.

See also

References

  1. ^ Template:Nl Famous prisoners - Museum de Gevangenpoort (archive)
  2. ^ Merle d'Aubigné, Jean-Henri (1999). "The History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin". 4. Book XIII, chapter 10 Toothing-stones. Hartland Publications. ISBN 0-923309-67-5. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); External link in |volume= (help)
  3. ^ Plomp, Nico (1972). Woerden 600 jaar stad. Woerden: Stichting Stichts-Hollandse Bijdragen. pp. 100–103. ISSN 0929-9718. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Fontaine, Piet F.M. (2006). "The Light and the Dark A cultural history of dualism". XXIII. Postlutheran Reformation Chapter I - part 1 Radical Reformation - Dutch Sacramentists. Utrecht: Gopher Publishers. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); External link in |volume= (help)
  5. ^ van der Zijpp, Nanne (1959). "Sacramentists". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2007-04-08.

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