Thomas von Imbroich

Thomas von Imbroich (* around 1533 in Imgenbroich ; † March 5, 1558 in Cologne ) was a leading figure among the Rhineland Mennonites in the 16th century.

Live and act

Thomas von Imbroich was probably born in Imgenbroich near Aachen in 1533 . Imbroich came to Cologne in 1554 as a printer , where he joined the Mennonites and soon became a leader in the Rhineland Anabaptist movement . He was arrested on December 23, 1557 and beheaded after torture on March 5, 1558 at the age of only 25 in Cologne.

While still in prison, Thomas von Imbroich wrote a comprehensive creed that was conceived as a defense document , which could be smuggled out of custody and was subsequently widely distributed. In 1579 it was also translated into Dutch . In his confession the young Imbroich deals theologically with infant baptism and defends his baptism of faith . In addition to the creed, Thomas von Imbroich also wrote seven comprehensive letters. The first edition of his creed appeared under the title A beautiful acquaintance of a pious and God-loving Christian with a number of letters and Christian remarks written from the holy scriptures of his housewives and brothers from the prison . His creed as well as his seven letters were printed in the book Güldene apples in silver bowls in 1702 . An excerpt from his creed can also be found in the Martyrs' Mirror, first published in 1660 . A summary of the creed can also be found in the formation . An edict by Duke Wilhelm of Jülich against Anabaptist writings from 1560 seems to be based directly on the widespread use of his creed.

literature

• Hans H. Th. Stiansy: The criminal prosecution of the Anabaptists in the Free Imperial City of Cologne 1529-1618 , Münster 1962
• Ludwig Keller:  Thomas von Imbroich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 38, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1894, pp. 73 f.

Web links

• Christian Neff : Imbroich, Thomas von (1533-1558) . In: Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online