John Smyth's Request for Mennonite Recognition and Admission: Four Newly Translated Letters, 1610-1612: Under the Leadership of John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, The People Who Would Become the First Baptists Met Dutch Mennonites in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, At the Beginning of the Dutch Golden Age (Essay‪)‬

Prompted by a theological disagreement with Smyth, Helwys returned to England in 1612 and planted the first General Baptist church. The disagreement centered on the validity of Smyth's se-baptism and differing views on joining the Waterlander Mennonite church in Amsterdam. (1) Correspondence regarding the English affair, as the Mennonites referred to Smyth's request for recognition and admission, commenced with his application to the Waterlanders in February 1610. (2) Until recently, historians have translated only a selection of the known correspondence from the Dutch and Latin into the English language. (3) Today, English translations of four more letters concerning the English affair are available. (4) Although these communications provide helpful insight into the Mennonite view and practice of consensus, this article mainly focuses on details shedding light on the English affair. These new translations provide evidence that supports as well as challenges some of James Robert Coggins's views regarding the Smyth group's application to the Waterlanders and the ensuing events. (5) A discussion follows the translation of each letter. The translations retain some of the Dutch word order and punctuation to facilitate further research by non-Dutch historians.