Jay D Weaver's Thought for the Week

Concerning a Religious Martyr from an Ancestral Family

Site of Execution
of Hans Landis

The Sixteenth and early Seventeenth centuries in Switzerland were fraught with danger for the Anabaptist movement. The Anabaptists rejected infant baptism and re-baptized the adults who made a confession of faith in the new movement. The name Anabaptist means one who is re-baptized. This was in violation of the state church, namely the Reformed church. Canton Zurich was where Ulrich Zwingli held forth in the Grossmunster, which was his congregation. Many Anabaptists were martyred along the Limmat River, including Hans Landis, who was the son of one of my ancestors. Most were executed by drowning, but Hans was beheaded for not recanting his baptism.

Hans Landis was an Anabaptist minister who was executed on September 30, 1614 at about the age of 60. He was married first to Barbara Hochstrasser and later to her sister Margaretha. He had 11 children, 2 with Barbara and 9 with Margaretha. His story is told on pp. 1103-1105 of a book entitled "Martyrs Mirror" written by Thieleman J. Van Bracht in Holland in 1660. This book is highly prized by both the Amish and the Mennonites who descended spiritually from the Anabaptists. The English version has been translated directly from the original Dutch version. What follows is a direct quote from that book, where the author cites a letter written by a witness to the execution, who was also an Anabaptist minister.

Hans Landis was a tall, stately person, with a long black and grey beard, and a manful voice.

When he, cheerful and of good courage, was led out, by a rope, to the Wolfsstadt (being the place made ready for his execution), the executioner, Mr. Paul Volmar dropped the rope, and lifting up both of his hands to heaven, spoke these words:

"O that God, to whom I make my complaint, might have compassion; that you, Hans, have come into my hands in this manner; forgive me, for God's sake, that which I must do to you."

Hans Landis comforted the executioner, saying that he had already forgiven him: God would forgive him, too; he well knew that he had to execute the order of the authorities; he should not be afraid, and see that there was no hindrance in his way.

Thereupon he was beheaded. After his head had been struck off, the executioner asked: "Lord bailiff of the empire, have I executed this man rightly according to imperial law and sentence?" Otherwise it was customary to say: "This poor fellow," etc. As though he believed he died saved and rich.

The people were of the opinion, that the executioner by dropping the rope meant to indicate to Hans that he should run away, it was also generally said: that if he had run away, no one would have followed him to stop him. This ends the quote from the letter.

Further credible testimony is as follows: When Hans Landis was standing in the place of execution, to be put to death, his dear wife and children came to him with mournful crying and lamentation, to take a last and final adieu and leave from him. But when he saw them, he requested them to go away from him, in order that his good resolution and tranquillity of heart for the death awaiting him might not be disturbed or taken away by their weeping and grief; which having been done, and he having commended his soul into the hands of God, the quickly descending stroke of the sword put an end to his life.

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