Research
Focusing on the relationship between words and bonds, Chris Heubner will examine the dependence of the community on the work of communication in three strands of the 17th-century Dutch Mennonite (Doopsgezinde) tradition, each of which is in some way linked to the symbol of the martyr book. The first source is the martyr book itself produced by Mennonites, from the last edition of Hans de Ries in 1631 to the second edition of Thieleman Janszoon van Braght’s Bloedig Toneel in 1685. The second focus is on the philosophically engaged Mennonites who were close to Spinoza, participated in the Collegiant movement, and gathered in Jan Rieuwertsz’s bookstore called In ‘t Martelaarsboek (In the book of Martyrs). The third focus is the literary martyr dramas and poems produced by Joost van den Vondel, Reyer Anslo, Joachim Oudaen, and Karel Verlove. Using the approach of ordinary language philosophy, the research aims to detect how these texts address concerns such as the nature of the self, freedom and tolerance, and the desire for reconciliation.
Fellow
Chris K. Huebner is associate professor of theology and philosophy at the Canadian Mennonite University. His scholarship explores the intersection of epistemology and ethics, with particular attention to the ways in which these fields converge in the figure of the martyr. He is the author of two books: A Precarious Peace (2006) and Suffering the Truth (2019). His forthcoming book, Wisdom and Her Daughters, explores common themes in the 10th-century martyr drama Sapientia by Hrotsvit of Gandersheim and the late plays of William Shakespeare.