Thieleman J. van Braght

Who was Thieleman J. van Braght?

Thieleman J. van Braght was the Anabaptist author of the Martyrs Mirror or The Bloody Theater, first published in 1660 in Dutch.

Van Braght was born in Dordrecht. His major work claimed to document the stories and testimonies of various early Protestants and opponents of the Roman Catholic Church who died as martyrs. The full title of the book is The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their Saviour, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660. The use of the word "defenseless" in this case refers to the Anabaptist belief in non-resistance.