Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos

Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos or Voes, were the first two Lutherans executed by the Council of Brabant for their adherence to Reformation doctrine.

When in 1522 all the friars there publicly professed Lutheran doctrine, the Bishop of Cambrai had them all arrested and imprisoned in Vilvoorde, where they were interrogated by the Flemish inquisitor Jacob van Hoogstraten, who ordinarily resided in Cologne, and some dependably Catholic professors.

[2] Van Essen, Vos, and Thorn, still held in custody, were questioned again by the ecclesiastical inquisition court, but they refused to recant.

Thorn asked for an additional four-day period to study the scriptures with respect to his views, and thus he was not executed then with van Essen and Vos.

[4] On learning of the execution of van Essen and Vos, Martin Luther wrote what is thought to be his first hymn, "Ein neues Lied wir heben an"[5] ("A new song we raise") which was printed in the Erfurt Enchiridion of 1524.