Martyrs Mirror David Weaverzercher by David Weaver-zercher 9781421418827, 1421418827 instant download after payment.

Approximately 2,500 Anabaptists were martyred in sixteenth- and
early seventeenth-century Europe. Their surviving brethren compiled
stories of those who suffered and died for the faith into martyr books.
The most historically and culturally significant of these,The Bloody Theater―more commonly known asMartyrs Mirror―was
assembled by the Dutch Mennonite minister Thieleman van Braght and
published in 1660. Today, next to the Bible, it is the single most
important text to Anabaptists―Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites. In some
Anabaptist communities, it is passed to new generations as a wedding or
graduation gift.

David L. Weaver-Zercher combines the fascinating history ofMartyrs Mirror
with a detailed analysis of Anabaptist life, religion, and martyrdom.
He traces the publication, use, and dissemination of this key
martyrology across nearly four centuries and explains why it holds
sacred status in contemporary Amish and Mennonite households. Even
today, the words and deeds of these martyred Christians are referenced
in sermons, Sunday school lessons, and history books.

Weaver-Zercher argues thatMartyrs Mirror
was designed to teach believers how to live a proper Christian life. In
van Braght’s view, accounts of the martyrs helped to remind readers of
the things that mattered, thus inspiring them to greater faithfulness.
Martyrs Mirror remains a tool of revival, offering new life to the
communities and people who read it by revitalizing Anabaptist ideals and
values. Meticulously researched and illustrated with sketches from
early publications ofMartyrs Mirror,
Weaver-Zercher’s ambitious history weaves together the existing
scholarship on this iconic text in an accessible and engaging way.