Sonnius, Franciscus (1506-1576)
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| Franciscus Sonnius (1506-1576) Source: Wikipedia Commons |
Franciscus Sonnius (Frans van der Velde), professor of theology at the University of Leuven, Belgium, thereupon (1560) Roman Catholic bishop, first of 's Hertogenbosch, then of Antwerp, is known in Mennonite history as an inquisitor. He was born 12 August 1506 at Zon in Brabant. In 1545 he was appointed to oversee the extirpation of heresy in the Dutch provinces of Holland and Zeeland, and in 1553 also in Friesland. He also dealt with Anabaptists. The martyrs gave him a good testimony, saying that he was willing to hear them and that he was moderate. The insolence and brutality of many other inquisitors were foreign to Sonnius. He wrote to his instructor that he preferred a certain lenience toward the heretics, trying to save souls and rejecting all kinds of cruelty. Sonnius died 30 June 1576 in Antwerp.
Bibliography
Halkin, L. E. La Reforme en Belgique. Brussels, 1957: 58.
Hoog, I. M. J. De Martelaren der Hervorming. Schiedam, 1885: 47 f.
Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam, 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: v. I, 379 f.
Molhuysen, P. C. and P. J. Blok. Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek, 10 vols. Leiden, 1911-1937: v. II, 1346 f.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 581. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
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MLA style: van der Zijpp, Nanne. "Sonnius, Franciscus (1506-1576)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2008. Web. 22 May 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/sonnius_franciscus.
APA style: van der Zijpp, Nanne. (September 2008). Sonnius, Franciscus (1506-1576). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 May 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/sonnius_franciscus.
