Religious MinoritiesThe European World

‘Almighty God, you are the way and the truth; because I have not been shown to be in error….’

Reject infant baptism

Refused to swear oaths to the government

BOTH THE BASIS OF SOCIETY

Michael Satler (d.1527):

‘Heresy’ against Catholic faith:-Reject transubstantiation-Extreme unction (last rites)-Despising Virgin Mary & the saints-Clerical marriage.

But, also, ‘sedition’.

Two types of ‘Anabaptists’: 1) Sola scriptura rampant – ‘because I

have not been shown to be in error….’ Usually pacifist

2) Direct inspiration of the spirit (i.e. scripture is not the sole authority…….) Usually not.

Lecture Structure Why ‘Radical’? Baptism The Swiss Brethren Splintering Towards Sedition Beyond Munster

Why ‘Radical’?

In one sense, an issue of pace: Wanted to go further faster.

Fall into other categories: Mystical prophets Apocalyptic prophets

Thomas Muntzer – tried to usher in the Last Days and slaughter all signs of iniquity to pave the way for Christ’s return.

Ecstatic anarchists Led by their visions

(Munster). 1520s and 1530s – many

small groups: Little in common except

infant baptism. Not really part of mainstream

dialogue

Key: Things are not ‘settled’ yet.

Why ‘Radical’?• Legacy of ‘confessional’ history –

national identity, world religions, states.

• Smaller confessions written out:• Written off in time as ‘cranks’:

• Endanger states • Distance from.

• Legacy in Baptist churches, Quakers etc:

• Significant contributions to many things think of :

• Freedom of choice in religion, pluralism of sects.

• Toleration.

Baptism Sola scriptura manifest?

• Where does that leave the Church? Baptism your initiation.

• No ‘State’ Church – the birth of voluntary religions.

• Separated from the world – perfect communities of the Godly.

Zurich again: ‘Disputations’ of 1523

Medieval Catholicism: Elaborate ceremony

involving water, oil, salt, clay, spittle, candles, baptismal robes, sign of the cross and exorcism.

Efficacious in bringing spiritual regeneration – and therefore salvation – to the person baptised.

The first step to baptism through the Church.

Zwingli: Baptism should be

understood as an outward sign of God’s grace – not efficacious in itself.

A reminder of His promise to mankind, not a mechanism to spiritual renewal.

A ‘covenant’ between God & his ‘Chosen People’

‘Radicals’: Adult BaptismShould be sign for something which has already happened inwardly – an inward maturing of faith as a soldier of Christ.

All baptism in the New Testament involved a profession of Faith by ADULT believers.

Only way to ensure a pure congregation.

God had declared – un-equivocably – what Christians must do in scripture.

Unless do it, Zwingli a ‘false prophet’.

Swearing of oaths, paying of tithes, ownership of private property and exercise of Church discipline all questionable.

Zwingli, Those who Give Cause For Tumult (1524) – radicals has misread the bible, acted without the love of their neighbours.

Pushed to the side of this Reformation.

Key leaders – Conrad Grebel and Felix Mantz. October 1523 – second disputation in Zurich – spoke out against Zwingli as a vacillator who stood half-way between purity and corruption.

The ‘Wild Growth’: Parents in the villages of Wytikon and Zollikon

refused to bring their new-born infants to the church for baptism.

Zollikon – font was smashed. Third public disputation – Zwingli trounced

Mantz/Grebel in debate and announced anyone who failed to bring infants to church to baptise in 8 days would be expelled.

Radicals – declared that they, like Paul, would not depart from the Word of God even if an angel came down from heaven and commanded them to desist.

21/1/1525 – 4 days after the third disputation – secret gathering.

Grebel baptised Jorg Blaurock, who then baptised 15 others.

Anabaptist community founded in Zollikon and spread quickly.

Baptised converts in local rivers – emotional and comforting sign of togetherness, election.

Attempts to reconcile with Zwingli failed – denounced him as an ‘old dragon’, Satan himself.

Ritual break.

A Stunted Beginning: Grebel fled – died of the plague.

Mantz captured and drowned in the river as punishment for heresy.

Blaurock whipped through the city and expelled – eventually burned by the Austrian authorities in 1529.

Execution of Felix Mantz:

The Swiss Brethren

Begins to nail things down

‘Schleitheim Confession’. Produced during a

clandestine gathering of Anabaptist preachers in February 1527 at Schleitheim, on the German-Swiss border.

Foundation document: Separatism from the

world and the Church – a Church of ‘saints’ only.

Pacifism.

Pure Christian community

Michael SatlerFormer monk (Benedictine) from Black Forest of Germany.

Had joined Anabaptists in Zurich during 1525 – expelled from the city.

Back to Germany – preaching tours with Wilhelm Reublin.

Converting little pockets of people to become Anabaptist cells.

The end of Satler: Captured as returned home:

Copy of Schleitheim Confession found on his person.

Execution had a considerable impact in confirming the Anabaptists sense of self – followers of Christ who would be rejected by and suffer in the world like Him.

Even those who opposed his theological principles pitied him – especially at Strasbourg (Bucer and Wolfgang Capito).

Persecution & Memory:

Balthasar Hubmaier: Leading theologian

Shows us how fluid religious affiliation was in the 1520s: Had been a popular

Catholic preacher in Southern Germany.

A protégée of Johann Eck – the man who had publically debated Luther and gathered the evidence for his condemnation.

Waldshut Appointed in 1522 Began to study Paul’s epistles in

light of Luther’s works. Toured through Switzerland to

SEE the different aspects of Reformation at first sight.

Made him view his Catholic ministry in a negative light – had been ‘blinded by the doctrine of men’ and had ‘not known the way to eternal life’.

Scripture – not custom – was pivotal.

Hoped to imitate Zwingli – issued 18 Theses in 1524.

• Imperial authorities not impressed

• Refused to attend trial before Bishop of Konstanz.

On Heretics and those who Burn them (1524) Unbelievers were to be

WON, not BURNT. Gospel teaching, not

coercion. New ideas:

Conscience will of mankind intellectual aspects of

Faith.

‘Confessions’ still in the process of being formed:

• Debate Zwingli: An Open Appeal to All Christian Believers –

challenge anyone to defend infant baptism from Scripture.

Zwingli fired back: Baptism, Rebaptism and Infant Baptism.

Key – Anabaptists now had a spokesman/advocate who could actually compete with the Reformation’s ‘big hitters’.

Moravia The Habsburgs recognize Hubmaier’s

‘danger’ & attack Waldshut in 1525. Hubmaier flees (with thousands of

followers) to Moravia. Baron Leonhard von Lichenstein

granted Hubmair protection and was even baptised by him.

6000 converts in one year.

Plea for mercy to Habsburgs:

with a statement of doctrine which distanced himself from the Reformers.

March 1528 – drowned in Vienna.

Wife drowned 3 days later.

Another one bite the dust……Moravia was acquired by theHabsburg dynasty after KingLouis II of Bohemia killed byTurkish forces at the Battle ofMohacs.

Lichenstein barons no longerable to resist imperialdecrees.

Unwillingly handed overHubmaeir in 1527.

Splintering

Splintering:Broadly speaking, split developed along two lines re: self-defence:

Stabler – ‘people of the staff’, pacifists.

Schwertler – ‘people of the sword’, violence legitimate in some situations.

Stabler expelled from Nikolsburg territories in 1529.

The ‘Hutterites’: Communalism, or ‘the community of goods’:

Combination of economic necessity and theological principal. No option but to pool their resources New Testament precedent – early Christians in the Book of Acts (2:44 & 4:320 had

‘held everything in common’). Settled in Austerlitz in communal settlements known as ‘Bruderhose’ (place of

brothers). Lived and worked together, separate from the world (almost like a monastery). Corporate responsibility for EVERYTHING.

Wilhelm Reublin arrived in 1530 fleeing persecution from Strassbourg. Had been a sparring partner of Zwingli. Brief leadership of commune – had money hidden under his mattress.

Likened to Ananias in the Book of Acts, who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5).

Jakob Hutter – community reorganised and reformed after 1533. Took their name from him – the ‘Hutterites’.

Book of martyrs taken from same name Captured on a preaching tour in Austria. Body lacerated, brandy poured into the wounds, torched. Kept alive and burnt at Innsbruck in 1536.

Towards sedition

Melchoir Hoffman: First major reformer to impact upon the Netherlands

– which would become a bulwark of Protestantism – not Luther or Calvin, but that of Melchior Hoffman. Ecstatic, apocalyptic preacher. Believed that the end of the world nigh. Not an unusual belief in C16th – Reformation seemed

to be proof that the final battle between Christ and Antichrist was underway.

What WAS distinct about Melchior’s apocalypticism, however, was the belief that man had a ROLE to play in setting the ball rolling for Christ’s return.

Visions – ‘Second coming’ occur 6 months after Hoffman arrested: Deliberately got himself arrested in Strasbourg. Backfired – never released. Died a decade later!

Jan Matthijs Another loveable

nutter

A baker from Haarlem.

Largely continued to preacher Melchior’s theology.

Munster Lutheran Reformation in

1533 Bernard Rothmann began

Anabaptist preaching – supported by significant exile community.

City councillors try to expel.

Followers seize the council, and then control of the city.

• Anabaptist flooded the city – deemed ‘New Jerusalem’ – i.e. the site of the Second Coming.

City split between Anabaptists, Lutherans and Catholics.

Rumours that Lutherans would invite Catholic Bishop to invade and destroy Anabaptist body.

Anabaptists led an armed uprising and seized the city.

Catholic Prince-Bishop besieges the city.

The Siege of Munster:

Munster: Jan Matthijis & his ‘visions’

Next round of elections for city council – all appointments were Anabaptists.

Matthjis essentially ruled according to his own visions rather than the rule of law.

One burgher suggested possessed by devil – executed without trial.

Another vision told him to attack the Bishop, so he charged out of the city and was cut to pieces.

Munster: Jan van Leiden Abolished city council

(1534) Proclaims himself King

over all rulers on Earth. Ruled Munster according

to Old Testament theocratic law.

• Apocalyptic crusade, preparing for the return of Christ by exterminating the godless.

Tried to introduce polygamy – provoked a revolt.

Melchiorite leaders captured – but the rebels themselves overthrown when threatened to surrender the city to the Prince-Bishop.

Polygammy introduced – women who refused executed.

Jan himself performed 6 or 7 decapitations as an exercise of his kingship.

This was godlessness being expunged – even gossiping was punishable by death.

Not actual polygamists:

Actual Polygamists:

Munster June 1535, Bishop finally

made move on a demoralised and weakened Munster. Melchiorites dragged from

their homes and executed. King Jan had his body ripped

apart with red-hot iron tongs – at point of unbearable pain, throats slit and dagger thrust deep into hearts.

Instruments of torture hung up in City Hall as a deterent.

Corpses hung over tower – cages there perpetually even after the bodies had rotted.

Beyond Munster

Melchiorite movement in Westphalia and Netherlands took a new turn.

Reacted AGAINST the violence – turned to pacifism.

Mennonites – became one of the most influential Anabaptist groups in the LC16th and C17th.

Menno SimmonsFormer Catholic Monk

Man who was – fundamentally – unsure.

Read all the main Reformers, but it takes him 15 years to convert.

Niggling issue of infant baptism troubled him.

Menno Simmons: Impressed by Munster‘The blood of these people, although misled, fell so hot on my heart that I could not stand it, not find rest in my soul. I reflected upon my unclean, carnal life, also the hypocritical doctrine and idolatry which I still practised daily in appearance of godliness, but without relish. I saw that these zealous children, although in error, willingly gave their lives and their estates for their doctrine and faith’.

Menno Simmons: Realised that he had spent his entire life

avoiding the cross of Christ:• ‘If I should gain the whole world and live a thousand

years, and at last have to endure the wrath of God, what would I have gained?’

• January 1536, renounced career as a Catholic Priest and joined Melchiorites.

• By 1540 his abilities in organization and preaching meant that he had assumed charge.

• Spent life in a peripatetic manner, travelling through Netherlands and Northern Germany as a preacher.

A Change in tone: Crucial: stressed pacifism in the face of the

intensive persecution which they endured. Persecution – ironically – key to their sense of self

and their survival, almost a ‘proof’ of being true followers of Christ.

‘When the clergy repose on easy beds and soft pillows, we generally have to hide in out-of-way corners. When they at weddings and baptismal banquets revel with pipe, trumpet, and lute, we have to be on our guard when a dog barks for fear the arresting officer has arrived’.

Concluding Thoughts: