Anabaptist Martyrology Featured in Exhibit at Elizabethtown College

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (02/03/2010)(readMedia)-- In celebration of the 350th anniversary of the book's first publication, Elizabethtown College's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies presents "Reflections of the Martyrs Mirror," an exhibit showcasing the development of Thieleman J. van Braght's "Martyrs Mirror" through various collections of Anabaptist martyr stories published from 1562 to 1660. The event, open to the public, takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, through June 30, in the lobby of the Young Center. Attendees are encouraged to call ahead.

The Young Center exhibit traces the development of Dutch collections of Anabaptist martyr stories leading up to van Braght's "Martyrs Mirror" in 1660, with a second edition in 1685. The dates of the exhibit's books span from 1578 to 1631, including two editions of van Braght's book. The second Dutch edition (1685) includes 104 illustrations by Dutch artist Jan Luyken.

Featured is Peter Miller's full translation, "Der Blutige Schau-Platz oder Martyrer Spiegel" completed at the Ephrata Cloister Community in 1748. The full translation was the largest book produced in the American colonies. Also in the exhibit is a rare copy of an early attempt by Alexander Mack Jr. at Ephrata to translate selected stories in 1745, "Das Andencken einiger heiligen Martyrer" ("The Memory of some holy Martyrs").

The exhibit also includes a copy of the German edition in America that followed the Ephrata edition, published in 1814 in Lancaster.

The Muddy Creek Farm Library loaned an extremely rare copy with a second frontispiece for the second half of the book. From the Schwenkfelder Library comes a copy that has a highly decorated name plate for Brother Amos of the Ephrata community. Illustrations of the crucifixion of Christ and the martyrdom of some apostles decorate this book plate. Contact: Stephen Scott, 717-361-1470

Elizabethtown College, in southeastern Pennsylvania, is a private coed college with degrees in liberal arts, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, business, communications and education. The hallmarks of an Elizabethtown education are academic rigor, high expectations and intellectual curiosity. Our faculty members are teacher-scholars, pursuing their academic areas of expertise while sharing that expertise with students.

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