View source for Bierens, Abraham Dirks (1591?-1646?)

[[File:Bierens.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Source: [http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/cgi/i/image/image-idx Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van &lt;br/&gt; Amsterdam: Doopsgezinde Prenten] Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van 

Amsterdam: Doopsgezinde Prenten 

'']]     Abraham Dirks Bierens was for 28 years one of the preachers of the United Flemish [[Lamist Mennonite Church (Amsterdam, Netherlands)|Lamist congregation]] in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]]. The dates of his birth and death are not known, but were probably 1591 and possibly August 1644 respectively. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in the pulpit in [[Dordrecht (Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)|Dordrecht]] at the age of 55 years. In 1646, if still living, he became the father-in-law of the famous [[Galenus Abrahamsz de Haan (1622-1706)|Galenus Abrahamsz de Haan]]. He became a preacher in 1617. In 1626 he signed the confession which [[Outerman, Jacques (ca. 1547-ca. 1639)|J. Outerman]] presented to the government. He was also one of the preachers who signed an agreement for the union of the [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] and [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisians]] in 1627, to put an end to the divisions among the Mennonites. To this end the confession of faith called the Olifftacxken ([[Olive Branch Confession of Faith (1627)|Olive Branch]]) was compiled. A second attempt at union was made in 1630. There is a picture of Bierens and a formulary for the ordination of preachers and elders written by him in [[Maatschoen, Gerardus (d. 1751)|G. Maatschoen's]] <em>Aanhangsel op de Geschiedenis der Mennoniten</em> (Amsterdam, 1745). He is the progenitor of the Bierens de Haan family.
= Bibliography =
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. <em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>, 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 219.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. <em>Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam</em>, 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: v. I, Nos. 566, 570, 574, 599.
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