About the Book

What does it cost to follow Jesus? For these men and women, the answer was clear. They were ready to give witness to Christ in the face of intense persecution, even if it cost them their lives. From the stoning of Stephen to Nigerian Christians persecuted by Boko Haram today, these stories from around the world and through the ages will inspire greater faithfulness to the way of Jesus, reminding us what costly discipleship looks like in any age.

Since the birth of Christianity, the church has commemorated those who suffered for their faith in Christ. In the Anabaptist tradition especially, stories of the boldness and steadfastness of early Christian and Reformation-era martyrs have been handed down from one generation to the next through books such as Thieleman van Braght’s Martyrs Mirror (1660). Yet the stories of more recent Christian witnesses are often unknown.

This book is part of the Bearing Witness Stories Project, a collaborative story-gathering project involving Anabaptist believers from many different traditions and locations.

Book Trailer

Praise

In a world where people of faith are tempted to take up violence to protect their convictions and cultures, these martyrs show how genuine power is made perfect in weakness. This book is a gift to the entire church.

Gerald J. Mast, Bluffton University

Christian martyrdom and costly discipleship are not confined to some legendary past. With vivid storytelling and reliable sources, this book teaches us about nonviolent love in the face of opposition and challenges us to take risks for the gospel today.

J. Nelson Kraybill, President, Mennonite World Conference

Bearing Witness shouldn’t be classified as a good book or an important book – it’s a necessary book. Through thirty-six accounts gleaned from two millennia of Christianity, the book provides much-needed reminders of what religious oppression can really be like for followers of the Prince of Peace and how they should respond.

Mennonite World Review

Tablet of Contents

Part I: Early Christians

  • Stephen
    Jerusalem (Israel)
  • Polycarp
    Smyrna (Turkey)
  • Justin Martyr
    Rome (Italy)
  • Agathonica, Papylus, and Carpus
    Pergamum (Turkey)
  • Perpetua
    Carthage (Tunisia)
  • Tharacus, Probus, and Andronicus
    Cilicia (Turkey)
  • Marcellus
    Tangiers (Morocco)

Part II: Radical Reformers

  • Jan Hus
    Constance (Germany)
  • Michael and Margaretha Sattler
    Rottenburg (Germany)
  • Weynken Claes
    The Hague (Netherlands)
  • William Tyndale
    Vilvoorde (Belgium)
  • Jakob and Katharina Hutter
    Innsbruck (Austria)
  • Anna Janz
    Rotterdam (Netherlands)
  • Dirk Willems
    Asperen (Netherlands)

Part III: Early Modern Witnesses

  • Veronika Löhans
    St. Thomas (Virgin Islands)
  • Jacob Hochstetler
    Pennsylvania (United States)
  • Gnadenhütten
    Ohio (United States)
  • Joseph and Michael Hofer
    United States
  • Emanuel Swartzendruber
    United States
  • Regina Rosenberg
    Russia
  • Eberhard and Emmy Arnold
    Germany
  • Johann Kornelius Martens
    USSR (Ukraine)
  • Ahn Ei Sook
    Korea
  • Jakob Rempel
    USSR (Russia)

Part IV: Recent Witnesses

Tags:
Witness
Anabaptists
Conscientious Objection