View source for Mussen, Beene Gerrits (d. 1783)

Beene Gerrits Mussen (d. in 1783 at an advanced age) was in 1727-1783 an elder of the congregation of [[Giethoorn (Overijssel, Netherlands)|Giethoorn]]-Noord, Dutch province of [[Overijssel (Netherlands)|Overijssel]]. This was a [[Danzig Old Flemish Mennonites|Danzig Old Flemish]] congregation, and during Mussen's eldership still had contacts with the [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] congregation at [[Danzig (Poland)|Danzig]], [[West Prussia|West Prussia]]. Mussen guided his congregation according to conservative, strict principles. In 1768 he banned Berend Thijssen Rijkmans, who, being more progressive than his elder, had attended the meetings of the Giethoorn-Zuid congregation. A number of members sided with the banned brother. By the intervention of the provincial government of Overijssel and mediation of the Mennonite congregations of Haarlem and [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]] the quarrel was reconciled, but some years later the majority of the members of Giethoorn-Noord left the congregation to found a new, less conservative congregation at [[Zuidveen (Overijssel, Netherlands)|Zuidveen]] in 1774.

Mussen (according to tradition) did not write his own sermons, but read sermons written by the Amsterdam Danzig Old Flemish Elder Peter van Dijk, which sermons had been given to Mussen by van Dijk's heirs. Mussen taught from the catechism by [[Boudewijns, Pieter (18th century)|Pieter Boudewijns]].
= Bibliography =
<em>Doopsgezinde Bijdragen</em> (1878): 14-26.

<em>Naamlijst der tegenwoordig in dienst zijnde predikanten der Mennoniten in de vereenigde Nederlanden</em>. Amsterdam: passim.
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