Heinrich Voes and Johannes Esch. [2019-03-22 link updated]
"They seem like roses to me."
(Voes on the pyre.)
From: Martyrs of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Third Booklet
by C.J. Hermann Fick
(C.F. W. Walther essay – see Annotations at bottom)
Translated by Erika Bullmann Flores
(St. Louis, MO: M. Neidner, 1853).
The Lutheran Church (as the old, apostolic church was called from the time it had risen out of the debris of men's statutes through the efforts of Luther), this church too has a large number of members who have sealed their church's pure evangelical doctrine with their blood and giving of their lives; she too has her holy martyrs.
Though we Lutherans are far from calling upon these martyrs, bestowing upon them a sort of idol-like veneration as is the practice in the papist church, we nevertheless recognize through God's word " A precious thing in the Lord's sight is the death of those who die faithful to him" (Psalm 116:15), giving us men all the more reason to honor the death of our evangelical blood-witnesses. In this the Christian communities during the first centuries were ahead of us. At the anniversary of their martyrs' death they assembled at their graves and celebrated these martyrs' birthdays, naming the days after them on which these witnesses of the Gospel died physically and were born anew for their lives in heaven. The stories of their martyrs were read aloud publicly, they were remembered in the congregational prayers and the celebration of Holy Communion, all in the living certainty that the troubled church on earth and the triumphant one in heaven are one and the same. These first congregations who were in apostolic purity, did not, however, combine their yearly celebrations with idolatry. For instance, among others the congregation at Smyrna wrote about the days of commemoration of martyrs (under M. Aurel in the year ca. 170) that they were to serve in memory of those who were trailblazers as well as inspire emulation and strengthening among posterity. It further states: In that we venerate Christ as the Son of God, we, the Lord's disciples and followers [p. 98] are manifesting our love for the martyrs in an honorable manner, in order to become their comrades and fellow disciples. (Euseb. K. G. IV. 15)
Following the example of these first, devout congregations, we too preserve the blessed memory of those who gave their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Acts 15:26] In this our new fatherland the Christian needs not expect to die a violent death because of his faith; there is no need for this sort of preparation. However, there is an enemy fighting Christ, worse than the one who seeks to destroy the body; it is laziness, tepidity, the seeking after riches and good times, equalization of the world, vanity, weakness and frailty. These are now creeping up on the Christians, so that if their faith elicits merely a sour face from the worldly unbelievers, they already deem themselves to be great martyrs, causing them to hide their hearts' belief and thus shamefully deny Christ! The spirit of the old witnesses has dimmed among us. How poorly we would do if, with our weak and frail Christendom, we would have to suffer similar proofs of our faithfulness as did those holy martyrs! May the following encourage the spirit of witness in the hearts of our readers.
In the year 1521, when Luther protested in Worms—in front of emperor and the government—against all errors of the Roman church and declared that he would not recant except "he could be convinced with Holy Scripture, that his conscience was held by God's word," an imperial decree was proclaimed, the Edict of Worms. It declared that from now on every Lutheran was outlawed, stripped of his personal safety and all lawful protection, and was subject to being delivered up to penal judgment. In several places this Edict was followed and martyr-blood of evangelical witnesses was shed. The Duke George of Saxony started this persecution in the very same year with a bookseller by the name of Johann Herrgett [or Hans Hergot, Johannes Herrgott], who was beheaded [p. 99] at the open market in Leipzig because he had brought Luther's writings into town and sold them. During the following years, especially in Holland, followers of the true doctrine were persecuted. Here only one example:
Because Luther was an Augustinian monk, his writings were at first accepted by the members of his order. A remarkable example is an Augustinian order in the city of Antwerp, now in the kingdom of Belgium, where already by 1522 all the monks publicly confessed the evangelical truth, based on their reading Luther's writings. However, as soon as the Bishop of Cammerich (Cambray) became wind of this he had the monks arrested and incarcerated them in Vilvorden near Brussels. Here then a few professors from the University of Loewen [Leuven] got together, headed by the grand inquisitor Hoogstraten. "If you don't recant, you'll burn" was the statement with which the examination was opened. And regretfully! Most of them had not yet been rooted in God's truth, so that the majority of them recanted publicly and with their mouths denied what they believed in their hearts. It seems that there was not much trust put into this, their forced recantation. They were not allowed to return to their monastery, it was declared to be a desecrated and damned place and totally destroyed. Three of the monks remained faithful to the truth, they were: Heinrich Voes, Johann Esch and Lampertus Thorn. Nothing, not even the threat of death, could force them to recant. They were presented three questions. They were asked: "What is your belief?" They answered: "We believe the 12 articles of the Christian faith, the Biblical books and Apostolic writings, and the holy church, but not the church which you (the inquisitor) believe in."
The next question was: "Don't you believe the statutes [p. 100] and councils of the old fathers?" They answered: "As long as they are not contrary to Holy Scripture we believe them." Finally the third question was: "Don't you believe that it is a deadly, unforgivable sin to break the Pope's and the fathers' commandments?" They answered: "We believe that God's commandments and not human statutes save or condemn." All efforts to convince these witnesses to recant, were in vain. When they were told that they would burn unless they recanted, they answered with unafraid hearts: "We are glad that God will allow us the mercy to die for the Christian faith." Especially Heinrich Voes distinguished himself here. He was a handsome young man, well educated and eloquent in speech. When he was told that it was evident that they had been led astray by Luther, he replied: "Yes, we were led astray by him, as were the Apostles led astray by Christ." When the Bishop's commissioner tried to sweet talk him with false friendliness, he replied: "I see you are trying to deceive me with oily words." He was told that it was forbidden to read Luther's books. He answered: "All those who forbid the reading of Luther's books and writings are seizing more power and forbid more than God's Spirit demands, also they publicly dispute Holy Scripture which says 1 Thess. 5:19 – “but put all to the test and keep what is good," and again 1 John 4:1 – "test the spirits whether they are from God." He was told that these sections of scripture were not relevant because the church herself forbade Luther's books and banned them. He replied: "Even though there are several of Luther's articles which have been banned by bull issued by Pope Leo X, nevertheless these articles are right and true, and have therefore been banned without cause. The church has not banned and forbidden Luther's books." When renewed threats of death were made against him, he said: "I can very well see that there is not one word of God among and with the members of the commission. I do not care for my life, my soul command to God. But the time will come when the Lord Jesus will probe your threats."
Because it was clear that neither promises nor threats were of any help, it was decided that these incorrigible heretics, or rather [p. 101] steadfast followers of Jesus Christ, had to be exterminated from this world. For this purpose then they were bound over to the civic court, just as Christ had been bound over from the Jewish to the pagan court and thus to crucifixion. Consequently, they were quickly transferred to what is now the capital of Belgium Brussels, where they were incarcerated in a gruesome prison.
In order to prevent an influx of people from afar, the date of the execution was kept secret. When the day finally came—it was the day before the Festival of Maria's Affliction—a large stage, situated in front of City Hall, surrounded with seats and a table in the middle which was decorated like an altar, was quickly erected in the early morning hours. And now the public appeared in large groups, standing around this horrible erection. When it was finally completed, members of the three orders of mendicant friars—carrying cross banners—appeared in a procession. They were followed with great pomp by a long line of professors and doctors of the University of Loewe—led by the Chief Inquisitor—among them Egmond, Gottschalk, Lathomus, Ruardus, Pasche, — a Carmelit, abbeys wearing their miters and carrying their diamond-studded staffs. They placed themselves on the seats around the stage. The first prisoner to be brought out was Heinrich Voes. Attired in his full priestly garments—it was 11 a.m.—he approached his judges with steady gait and knelt at the make-shift altar, facing the crowd. All eyes were now on Voes. The expectation was to see a frightened miscreant, but to everyone's astonishment not the slightest sign of fear and trepidation were reflected in his face. Behind him stood the Superior of the Minorite Monks, delivering a sermon to the crowd, while in front of him the Bishop performed the ceremonies required by the papist church for defrocking a priest. At the conclusion of the latter, Voes called out in a loud voice: "I thank you Lord that you have liberated me from this false and hideous priesthood of which I was a member heretofore, that you are making me a priest of your holy order, receiving me as an acceptable sacrifice."
An eyewitness wrote in a letter from Brussels, dated July 15, 1523: "The [p. 102] entire hour during which the Bishop performed the ceremonies and the monk preached, the young man retained his body posture and there were no changes of expression in his face. Because I could not hear the preacher in front of such a large crowd—neither could numerous others—I kept my gaze on the accused. Why should we remain silent about that which was obvious and clear? His dignified, quiet and gentle demeanor not only expressed his disregard of death but also an extraordinary humility. He looked like a man who was inwardly praying and meditating. It is impossible to describe how willingly he obeyed when he was ordered to do this or that during the course of events. It is said that once in a while he said that he would remain obedient unto death. After the defrocking process had been completed and Voes was clad with a yellow tunic—to mock him—he was led back into City Hall.
Now the two other prisoners appeared on the stage, Johannes Esch and Lampertus Thorn. Their appearance was not as pleasant as Voes's, their straggly, beards grown during their imprisonment, intensified the pitiful look of their haggard faces. Yet, their eyes too shone with courage and readiness to die. Lampertus Thorn asked for four days during which to reconsider before God whether he could recant, while Johannes Esch declared that he could not recant. Like Voes he was then ceremoniously defrocked, dressed in a long, black "sinner's gown" and returned to City Hall.
Everyone expected that prior to the execution the reasons for the conviction would be read, as up to then had been customary in Brussels. However, this was not done, undoubtedly because the judges feared that even the ignorant crowd would consider their judgment to be unjust.
The accusations for which Voes and Esch were burned and for which they gladly died—as we shall learn—were primarily these:
[p. 103]
1. They had stated that no one should be deterred either by the Pope's or the Emperor's order from reading Dr. M. Luther's writings.
2. Because they confessed, especially Voes, that Luther's books gave them greater insight and understanding into the Godly, Holy Scriptures and brought them much closer to the gospel of Christ than any other teacher, including Augustinus and Hieronymus.
3. Because they confessed that it could not be proven with Scripture that the Pope or any other prelate had more power than the service based on the words of Christ.
4. That neither the Pope nor any other prelate had the power to order or forbid anything which was not based on Holy Scripture or ordered by God Himself or forbidden by Him, in order to keep the conscience clear and undamaged.
5. That worldly authorities only had power over physical matters, and not over things of conscience.
6. That all Christians are priests before God just as those who have been consecrated by bishops.
7. That every one who employs brotherly discipline towards his neighbor also has the power to absolve him and any other fellow Christian from his sin, and that women too have the power to absolve. This is based on the evangelical absolution which is described in Matthew 18 which says "If your brother has sinned against you. . ." The evangelical authority which is instituted here with the words "whose sins you will forgive" is an authority to be used by all Christians.
8. During the celebration of mass the body of Christ is not sacrificed by men, rather it is received and utilized for remembrance. The sacrifice occurred once, on the cross.
9. One should not accept and thereby endanger one's conscience by anything which was not revealed by the Word of God or can be based on it. Therefore, even if an entire council makes a decision and decree which is not based on Holy Scripture, one should be distrustful of it.
10. It is not contained in God's law, neither has it been ordered by God that one must confess to men all deadly sins.
[p. 104]
11. Baptism, Holy communion, and Confession are based on the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ by which faith and God's mercy are bestowed, the other four sacraments: confirmation, consecration of priests, marriage and last rites do not bestow mercy and together with other church practices, may be omitted.
12. Priesthood (the office of preaching) is necessary, though it is not a sacrament.
13. Neither Pope, Bishop, nor any other prelate has the authority to enforce things which are not contained in God's law, such as: 40-day fast, annual confession; excepting any offence which might be caused to a brother.
14. The Lord Jesus Christ works all good deeds in and through men, and men himself does not contribute anything except allowing the Lord Christ to use him as a tool.
15. The Roman Bishop, a successor of Peter, was never appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ in the person of the holy apostle Peter to be governor over all the churches in the world.
16. All eternal vows made outside the realm of Christ's command, such as the vows of the so-called clericals, were rendered carelessly and in ignorance of Christian freedom, and are therefore not binding on anyone.
17. The right, catholic faith can nevermore be separated from love, for love is the fruit of faith; therefore Christian faith without love is dead.
18. During mass (or Holy Communion) the sacrament is beneficial only to the one who receives it.
19. When God forgives the sinner for his sins, he thereby releases him also from all punishment of sin through the death of Christ Jesus.
20. After the sinner has confessed and been absolved, he cannot be burdened with any sort of punishment or chastisement; however he must not offend his brother or the church with public and inimical wickedness.
21. If the sinner believes that he has been truly absolved, all his sins are forgiven.
22. It is preferable to give to the laity that which was commanded by Christ, that is both [p. 105] components of the sacrament; anyone who forbids this sins against the command and intent of Christ.
23. The words of the institution are not to be said quietly but with a loud voice.
24. It is against God's law that the priesthood is not subject to the Emperor and worldly authority.
25. The Pope has no other authority than to preach God's Word and to use it in tending the sheep.
Up to the very last moments of imprisonment of these precious witnesses, Hoogstraten made every attempt to get them to recant these evangelical truths. He explained to them that if they recanted, he had the authority to free them. Voes answered him, as did our Lord to a similar question: "You have no authority but that given you from above." Though the holy martyrs were aware that many monks and clerics had sent monies to the Pope as well as paid bribes to worldly courts to persuade the Pope to issue a mandate by which alleged heretics were to be burned (a sentence which had to be carried out by these worldly courts), yet they were convinced that without God's will they would not come to harm.
Thus, the two of them, Voes and Esch, were handed over to the executioner, who quickly led them—tied with ropes—to the marketplace where a pyre had meanwhile been erected. They were accompanied by four father-confessors: the Chief Inquisitor from Cologne (a monk of the Dominican Order), a Dominican friar from Brussels, and two other monks. Far from being fearful, with each step closer to the pyre they showed themselves to be confident and of good cheer, much to the amazement of the crowd. The eyewitness who reported the entire event, writes: "Their utterings while they undressed were such that they could convince the hearer that they were devout and pious souls who desired to be released and be with Christ, had he not already been persuaded that they were indeed heretics." [p. 106] Joyfully they declared that this was the day for which they had been waiting. And when one of the accompanying father-confessors remarked that they should not indulge in self-praise and boasting, Voes answered: "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of Christ." Another called out that they should direct their gaze on God, Voes replied: "I am certain that He is in my heart."
Having reached the place of execution, they were required to undress down to their undershirts. As they stood there, a pitiable sight, even the hearts of the father-confessors were about to break, and in tears they beseeched them to consider their lives and to recant. Solemnly they replied: "Do not cry for us, rather cry for yourselves and the great sin you are committing by persecuting divine justification."
The often-referred to eyewitness continued his report: "They stood there in their undershirts for a long while, and were not tied to the stake, but rather they clasped it with great longing (as a long awaited treasure). The fire was started very slowly. I dare not decide whether this happened on purpose in order to prolong the agony. Did such a long protraction finally break their spirits? No! They were not even disheartened when the smoke began to rise, the flame soon to follow. If one can judge by their mien, their eyes, in a word, their entire facial expressions (which seem to speak and often depict the emotions better than the tongue), one can only conclude that their confidence, steadfastness, and good spirits increased. In these moments they radiated such joy that it seemed to many as if they were laughing." In another letter from Brussels, dated July 14, 1523, one reads: "The two Augustinian monks suffered the terrible death of burning in unbelievable steadfastness and equanimity. The chancellor himself stated that he had never seen the like among the many who were condemned and executed during his tenure."
Before the flames were set to the pile of wood, the father-confessors asked them once more whether they [p. 107] wanted to return to the Christian faith. They called out: "We believe in God, also a Catholic church, but we do not believe in your church."
At that point the clerics shouted at them: "Convert, or else you will go to the devil and you will die in the devil's name as well."
And they answered, joyfully: "We are willing to die for the evangelical truth and as pious Christians." Thus the fire was slowly started. The precious confessors said: "_Die schynen my als Roosen to zyn_" ("they seem like roses to me") (see: Brandt, Historie der Reformatie, vol.1, pg. 79 [6 lines from bottom]) and surrounded by flames, they alternately prayed the "_Apostolic Symbolum_" and the hymn "Lord We Praise Your Name" in a fervent manner which pierced the crowd to their innermost bones. As the fire became increasingly hot they repeatedly called out: "Oh Jesus, son of David, have mercy upon us." But the Lord had decided to make these, His saints, extra special, to have them melted down into the purest of gold, and to exalt Himself via these horrible sufferings. Thus it occurred that the fire was so intense, burning the ropes with which they had been tied, ere they suffocated. As one of them noticed that he had been loosed in this manner from the post, he went on his knees atop the raging fire, sighed once more with his eyes looking heavenward: "Oh Jesus, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" and within a few more minutes both bodies were reduced to ashes.
All of Brussels was effected deeply by this terrible spectacle, but not in the manner hoped for by the murderous clerics. The well-known saying by Tertulian "We (Christians) will multiply all the more though being destroyed the more, Christian blood is like seed" (Apol. c. 49). [? - see here, 4th line, for “sanguinem christianum seminaverunt”] So too the blood of the holy martyrs Heinrich Voes and Johannes Esch was such powerful seed from which grew many professors of the truth. Their murder opened the eyes of many to the fact that the true church is always the persecuted one, and the false one is the blood thirsty persecutor. Even Erasmus, who was not a friend of the Lutherans, testified that such was the case. [p. 108] In the following year he wrote, among other things, in a letter to Duke Georg: "It is not right to punish a mere error with fire. Because of the Pope's omnipotence and power the theologians in Paris view certain items differently than do the theologians in Italy, some of them are therefore wrong; however neither party desires that the other be burned. I am afraid that the methods used to force people to recant and renounce, such as throwing them into jail or burning them, only enhance this evil. In Brussels two Augustinians were burned following which the entire city became fond of Luther." Elsewhere he writes: "Alexander the bull-carrier, presented a dreadful papal bull with which he tried to terrify everyone with threats. Hoogstraten too has taken up this sword and has begun the killing. Finally, in Brussels three Augustinians were publicly executed. And what was the result? The city which heretofore had adhered to the pure (papal) doctrine brought forth followers of Luther, and not only a few.
Therefore, dear Lutheran Christian, thank God that you belong to a church which has not sullied herself with the blood of alleged or actual heretics, but has gloriously adorned herself with the martyr-blood of many of her best witnesses. Thank God that he has rescued you from a church against which testifies the innocent blood of countless executed witnesses to the truth. Their blood continues to cry out to the Lord of Revenge.
Below I am recounting the ballad with which the late Luther described the sacred death of these martyrs.
A Song About Two Martyrs of Christ in Brussels
Burned by the Sophists of Loewe, July 1, 1523.
(Translator's note: This is a literal translation causing loss of rhyme and meter.)
A new song we're raising
God grant it
Singing what God has done
To His glory and honor
In Brussels in the Netherlands
By means of two young men
Upon whom he had richly
Bestowed his gifts,
He made known His miracles.
[p. 109] [Note: the following 2nd stanza missing in this translation, translated by BTL]
The first quite rightly Johannes is called —
So rich in God’s grace —
His brother Heinrich after the Spirit,
A true Christian without debt,
Are separated from the world;
They have the crown acquired,
Surely as the devout child of God,
For His Word have died,
His martyrs they have become.
The old enemy had captured them
Terrified them with threats.
They were told to deny God's Word
Trying to trick and deceive them.
For this purpose he gathered many
of the Sophists of Loewe
They were impotent with all their tricks
The Spirit showed them up as fools
They were unsuccessful.
They sang sweetly, they sang surly
And tried many a trick
The men remained as a wall
Despising the Sophists;
The old enemy was chagrined
That he should be defeated
By such young men, and he so mighty.
He filled with rage
Intending to have them burned.
They stole from them their order's robes
They also took their consecration.
The young men stood at the ready
Cheerfully they said: Amen!
They thanked God their Father
That they should be delivered
From Satan's games and mockery
And false countenance
With which he deceives the world.
And God, by His mercy
Made them into proper priests;
They must sacrifice themselves to Him
And enter Christ's order;
Die completely to the world
And lay down all hypocrisy,
Must come to heaven, free and pure
Thus cleansing monkdom
And leave behind men's doings.
[p. 110]
They were told to write a little letter
And read it out loud.
There they wrote
What their beliefs are.
The worst error they described:
"One must only believe God
For men always lies and cheats
He cannot be trusted."
For this they had to burn.
Two large fires were lit
And the men were brought hither.
Everyone was astonished
How they disregarded such torture.
Cheerfully they gave themselves
Praising God and singing.
The Sophists's courage soon dwindled
In view of these new occurrences
By which God made Himself known in such manner.
Now they regret this shameful event
Would like to make it seem more pleasant;
They cannot not boast about this deed
They almost seem to hide the facts.
The infamy is gnawing at their hearts
And accuses the lot.
Yet, the Spirit cannot remain silent here,
Abel's blood was spilled
It must accuse Cain.
The ashes do not come to rest
They're strewed throughout the land;
There is no help from brook, hole, ditch nor grave
They put the foe to shame.
Through murder he
Has silenced them;
Though dead, he must hear them everywhere
With loud voices and strong tongues
Their cheerful song is ringing.
Still, they do not stop their lies
With which they try to justify the murder;
They are spreading false stories;
Their consciences are bothering them.
Yet they profane God's saints even in death;
They're saying at the very end
While the men were still alive
They should then have recanted.
Let them tell lies
[p. 111]
They have no saints.
We must thank God
For His Word has returned to us.
Summer is now ahead of us
Winter has passed
As you can see by the greening of the trees;
He who has begun this
Will also bring it to a good end.
Amen.
(From _The Lutheran_, by Professor Walther, edited by him based on available sources).
__________________________________________________________________
This text was translated by Erikas Bullmann Flores for
Project Wittenberg and is in the public domain. You may
freely distribute, copy or print this text. Please direct any
comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther
Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.
email: bob_smith@ctsfw.edu
Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
Phone: (219) 452-2148 Fax: (219) 452-2126
__________________________________________________________________
(tr. by BackToLuther)
12. Heinrich Voes and John Esch. Sources: 1. Luther's Werke, Halle. Ed., Part 21, p. 40 ff. [?], where can be found, besides Luther's narrative of martyrdom of H. Voes and J. Esch, also a letter sent to the Christians in Holland and Brabant in relation to this event. – 2. Rabus Historien der Gottes Zeugen. Th 2, p. 119,[or p. 114 here] where the report of the eyewitness is received. – 3. Sammlung zum Bau des Reiches Gottes. Stück 1, p 79, [? see here for possible reference] where there are supplements from Fox's Book of Martyrs. – 4. V.L. v. Seckendorf’s Historia Lutheranismi, Lib. I, fol. 279, refers to these martyrs as "the first sacrifice, or rather burnt offering, which have been offered and slaughtered for the evangelical truth", as then also Abr. Scultetus in his Annals Decad. I. p. 178 concedes them "the honor to be the first martyrs for the light of the pure Gospel to again be received in Germany".