Dordrecht Confession of Faith

1632 statement of Mennonite beliefs

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Anabaptism

A 1685 illustration by Jan Luyken, published in Martyrs Mirror, of Dirk Willems saving his pursuer, an act of mercy that led to his recapture, after which he was burned at the stake near Asperen in the present-day Netherlands

Background

* Christianity
* Radical Reformation
* Sermon on the Mount

Doctrines and practices

* Theology of Anabaptism
* Believer's baptism
* Lovefeast
* Nonconformity to the world
* Nonresistance
* Free will
* Freedom of religion
* Priesthood of all believers
* Separation of church and state
* Foot washing
* Holy kiss
* Plain dress
* Shunning
* Simple living
* Singings

Documents

* Schleitheim Confession
* Dordrecht Confession
* Ausbund
* Martyrs Mirror

Key people

* George Blaurock
* Hans Denck
* Conrad Grebel
* Melchior Hoffman
* Balthasar Hubmaier
* Hans Hut
* Jakob Hutter
* Alexander Mack
* Felix Manz
* Pilgram Marpeck
* Melchior Rink
* Michael Sattler
* Menno Simons

Largest groups

* Amish
* Apostolic Christians
* Brethren in Christ
* Bruderhof
* Conservative Mennonites
* Hutterites
* Mennonite World Conference
* Mennonites
* Mennonite Brethren
* Old Colony Mennonites
* Old Order Mennonites
* River Brethren
* Russian Mennonites
* Schwarzenau Brethren

Related movements

* Schwenkfelders
* Baptists
* Pietism
* Radical Pietism
* Moravians
* Inspirationalists
* Quakers
* Neo-Anabaptism

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Herman op den Graeff, delegate of Krefeld, in front of the 1632 Dortrecht Mennonite Church Delegation and as a signer of the Dordrecht Confession of Faith

The Dordrecht Confession of Faith is a statement of religious beliefs adopted by Dutch Mennonite leaders at a meeting in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, on 21 April 1632. Its 18 articles emphasize belief in salvation through Jesus Christ, baptism, nonviolence (non-resistance), withdrawing from, or shunning those who are excommunicated from the Church,[1] feet washing ("a washing of the saints' feet"),[2] and avoidance of taking oaths.

It was an influential part of the Radical Reformation and remains an important religious document to many modern Anabaptist groups, such as the Amish. In 1725, Jacob Gottschalk, a Mennonite bishop, met with sixteen other ministers from southeastern Pennsylvania and adopted the Confession. They also wrote the following endorsement, which Gottschalk was the first to sign:[3]

> We the hereunder written Servants of the Word of God, and Elders in the Congregation of the People, called Mennonists, in the Province of Pennsylvania, do acknowledge, and herewith make known, that we do own the foregoing Confession, Appendix, and Menno's Excusation, to be according to our Opinion; and also, have took the same to be wholly ours. In Testimony whereof, and that we believe that same to be good, we have here unto Subscribed our Names.

The Confession's articles are as follows:[4]

* I. Of God and the Creation of all Things
* II. Of the Fall of Man
* III. Of the Restoration of Man Through the Promise of the Coming Christ
* IV. The Advent of Christ into This World, and the Reason of His Coming
* V. The Law of Christ, i.e., the Holy Gospel or the New Testament
* VI. Of Repentance and Reformation of Life
* VII. OF Holy Baptism
* VIII. Of the Church of Christ
* IX. Of the Election, and Offices of Teachers, Deacons, and Deaconesses, in the Church
* X. Of the Holy Supper
* XI. Of the Washing of the Saints' Feet
* XII. Of the State of Matrimony
* XIII. Of the Office of the Secular Authority
* XIV. Of Revenge
* XV. Of the Swearing of Oaths
* XVI. Of the Ecclesiastical Ban, or Separation from the Church
* XVII. Of Shunning the Separated
* XVIII. Of the Resurrection of the Dead, and the Last Judgment

## See also

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* Conservative Mennonites
* Old Colony Mennonites
* Old Order Mennonites

## References

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1. ^ Dordrecht Confession of Faith, Article XVII
2. ^ Dordrecht Confession of Faith, Article XI
3. ^ Dyck, Cornelius J. (1993), Mennonite History 3rd Ed., Herald Press, p. 217
4. ^ "Dordrecht Confession of Faith (Mennonite, 1632)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1632. Web. 2 Aug 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Dordrecht_Confession_of_Faith_(Mennonite,_1632)&oldid=177087.

## External links

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Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Dordrecht Confession of Faith

* Mennolink article on confessions of faith
* Dordrecht Confession of Faith translation and context in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online

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Anabaptism

Background|

* Protestant Reformation
* Radical Reformation
* Waldensians
* Petr Chelčický
* Moravian Church
* German mysticism
* Zwickau prophets
* Congregationalism

Groups|

* Swiss Brethren
* Hutterites
* Batenburgers
* Mennonites
* Old Order Mennonites
* Conservative Mennonites
* Russian Mennonites
* Amish
* New Order Amish
* Beachy Amish
* Amish Mennonites
* Abecedarians
* Schwenkfelders
* Schwarzenau (German Baptist) Brethren
* River Brethren
* Old Order River Brethren
* Brethren in Christ Church
* Bruderhof
* Apostolic Christian Church
* Peace churches

History|

* German Peasants' War
* Münster rebellion
* Martyrs Mirror
* Schleitheim Confession
* Dordrecht Confession of Faith
* Ausbund
* Old Order Movement
* Anabaptist–Jewish relations

Theology|

* Theology of Anabaptism
* Church discipline
* Christian communism
* Freedom of religion
* Great Apostasy
* Memorialism
* Nonconformity to the world
* Nonresistance
* Pacifism
* Priesthood of all believers
* Separation of church and state – free church
* Sola scriptura

Practices|

* Agape feast
* Believer's baptism
* Closed communion
* Foot washing
* Ordnung
* Plain dress
* Shunning
* Simple living
* Singings

Notable
Anabaptists|

* Felix Manz
* Conrad Grebel
* Pilgram Marpeck
* Michael Sattler
* Hans Denck
* Jakob Hutter
* Balthasar Hubmaier
* Bernhard Rothmann
* Dirk Philips
* Menno Simons
* Jakob Ammann
* Alexander Mack
* Samuel Heinrich Fröhlich

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