Anabaptists And Spiritualists Sources Notes

Anabaptism Class ! ! 'From monogensis to polygensis' ! ! ! ! *> 3 main locations History is often written by Mennonites -- confessional Bender in the 1950s -- The Anabaptist Vision *> Pacifist and spiritual truth -- monogenesis from this pacifist group 1970s -- polygenesis *> Issue of origins and theology Looking for their heritage ! ! Focus on theology -- yet less emphasis on oral transmission ! Baptism in fields and rivers *> Issue of sacred spaces -- devalues the church *> Could have different people baptising *> Might be a test of faith for baptism ! Hubmmaier threw his font down the river *> Rejects altars, images etc. ! ! Hans Hut -- On the Mystery of Baptism *> Manuscript form *> Undated c. 1526 *> Theology was of interest => in different geographical locations -- Bern and Budapest *> Book pedlar => spread ideas *> Looking back to a rhetoric from the Peasants' War? - Did he use brotherhood in the same way? Hans Denck -- Whether God is the Cause of Evil ! *> Published in Augsburg in 1526 *> Where was it written? *> Why was it printed? - Economic or theological motivation of the publisher? *> Popular works -- publication required demand - Engaged with by the magisterial reformers ! Printers, in theory, are responsible for what they print *> Augsburg is a city -- more difficult to control - Works have to go to the council - Anabaptists are part of printed works -- not isolated ! Hubmaier -- On Free Will *> Printed in Nicolsburg in 1527 *> Immediate local market => had lived there for some time *> More wiling to work with secular authorities *> Has come from the Swiss territories *> Has a printer who comes with him - Like Carlstadt and his friend at Jena ! ! Luther tries to distance himself from the Anabaptists ! Denck -- cannot have any normative basis for cooperation with the authorities => rejects the Bible *> Unsure whether he is an Anabaptist or a Spiritualist ! ! Hut -- rebirth, suffering, Christ, symbol v. essence ! Denck -- talks in opposites *> Light v. dark *> Gelassenheit -- different meaning ! ! All of them are interested in the soul, sin and suffering ! How are these ideas put into practice? *> Implications of rebaptism - Could cause death - Choice for children - How much responsibility do children have? ! What do Anabaptists think of the devil? *> If they don't believe in infant baptism, do they have less fear of the devil? ! ! Hubmaier -- Reformation preaches forgiveness but no reform of behaviour ! Redemptive, fraternal community -- use idea of brotherhood ! Saw no value in current society ! ! ! ! ! ! Ritual of baptism is very important to Luther Scripture is ambiguous -- makes sense to continue with infant baptism Congregation reaffirm their promises at the baptism Should not trust in your own faith -- should trust in baptism *> Luther has spiritual despair / anfechtung Martyrdom ! Refusal to acknowledge authorities *> Very high number of martyrs ! Gave them identity -- persecution confirmed that they were an elect ! Charismatic leaders *> Hut -- suffering is part of faith Call for Mennonites to model themselves on previous martyrs ! ! Hymns were particularly popular -- more than Protestants *> Generally less educated following ! Mennonites -- rhyming verses ! Reinforced their separation from society ! Baptism of blood -- suffering of Christ *> Scriptural rhetoric of persecution ! Different ideas -- some questioned martyrdom *> No external ceremony should lead to death -- should not martyr yourself for infant baptism German Mennonites still sing these hymns ! ! Narrative -- strong martyr character with comparisons and other characters that emphasise the martyr's virtue ! Anabaptist memory can distort the narrative Why was Luther so worried about Anabaptist views on infant baptism? ! Anabaptist theology ! The Anabaptists criticised infant baptism for a number of reasons *> Lack of sense of sin *> Inability to respond to the divine Word *> Incapacity to suffer obediently ! Used the principle of sola scriptura -- found no scriptural evidence for infant baptism ! The Anabaptists were so called in order to emphasise their re--baptism with 'ana' meaning 'again' in Greek *> At this point they were 're--baptising' in order to show the beginning of their new life but their theology merely implied one baptism of the believer *> Rebaptism carried the death penalty throughout the empire -- yet the Anabaptists did not consider it to be a rebaptism as they thought that the initial baptism had been invalid ! They saw baptism as the beginning of a new life in imitation of Jesus Christ *> Hans Denck argued that 'whoever wishes to be a new man without wanting to abandon his old life is just like a pig which is washed clean and then goes and wallows again in the mud' *> Hubmaier saw this baptism as a symbol of commitment to improving one's life and in many cases this led to a physical separation from society ! Hubmaier -- faith has to come before the water baptism *> Spiritualist approach in arguing that one must accept Jesus as the son of God -- this 'purifies the heart of its evil conscience' *> Then comes 'outward baptism, which without the inner, is nothing but a sham' ! Luther's view of infant baptism ! Concerning Rebaptism (1528) *> Anabaptists seek to work against the pope but just work against the Church of God and Christendom *> Baptism is commanded by God -- yet the issue is that the Bible does not specify infant baptism ! Luther's view of baptism -- incoherent reconciliation of the debates over belief and baptism *> Faith of priests on behalf of the child *> Child will have the ritual testified to by witnesses *> Can the child have faith? *> Others will be reminded of their faith by the ritual ! ! How can they be sure that children do not believe? ~ Imagine this because children do not speak or have understanding ! 'For faith doesn't exist for the sake of baptism, but baptism for the sake of faith. When faith comes, baptism is complete. A second baptism is not necessary' ! Baptism can be witnessed to by the congregation and admits you into the Church => can take sacraments and have Christian privileges ! ! 'He who believes and is baptised will be saved' (Mark 16:16) -- 'I must say that they are guilty of a great presumption. For if they follow this principle they cannot venture to baptise before they are certain that the one to be baptised believes'  ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ~ Cannot be sure of belief ~ All men are liars Could have multiple baptisms to try to create faith Anabaptists must prove children are without faith to justify rebaptism -- even then, you still need a reason for rebaptism *> Luther is ignoring the issue of believers' baptism -- only one baptism *> Anabelievers -- 'what is needed is another faith and not another Word' Should follow Christian custom unless they are disproved by the Word of God Anabaptists -- 'Not only are they not sure of themselves but also they act contrary to accepted tradition and out of their own imaginings create differences between persons which God has not made' Rebaptism is a blasphemy against God Some desert their wife and child in favour of starting a new life -- Luther argues that they will recognise no authority be it religious or secular Why was Luther so worried? ! The consequences of Anabaptist teaching on baptism could be extremely subversive ! Baptism was the means by which one became part of the community and a member of the Church -- waiting until adulthood to do this meant that people could choose different religious sects, thereby dividing the community *> This would lead to a lack of uniformity in society -- not everyone would feel bound by magisterial teachings - This has consequences for wider society ! The idea of credobaptism as the beginning of a new life implies the rejection of the current state of society and the interconnection between politics and religion, the Corpus Christianum ! 1520s -- increasing numbers of people, peasants in particular, were being rebaptised in Switzerland and Germany *> Undermined government who had forbidden rebaptism => Imperial Edict against the Anabaptists in 1528 Claus--Peter Clasen has calculated that between 1525 and 1618 there were 715 definite ! executions of Anabaptists in Europe and 130 probable ones ! Hans Jurgen--Goertz has therefore argued that the Anabaptist conception of baptism was only 'one aspect of an anti clerically motivated endeavour to restore a fallen Christianity' ! Their rejection of infant baptism was part of a wider reappraisal of scripture -- diverse views *> Pacifism -- not paying taxes and refusing to fight wars - Hans Denck argued that 'force is not an attribute of God' *> Munster 1534 -- eschatological approach with a community of the elect ensconced in the city => practised polygamy and communism *> Some radical groups such as the Mennonites totally refused to submit to 'satanic' government -- maintained a separation from the outside world or 'Kingdom of Darkness' *> Hans Hut wrote that rulers had forfeited their right to wield the sword due to their opposition to the word of God and that, at the point of the Last Judgement, Anabaptists should take up the sword against them - Yet Hubmaier disagreed with this view ! In addition to Luther's condemnation of their blasphemy, other reformers also criticised the Anabaptists *> Zwingli -- 'the issue is not baptism, but revolt, faction and heresy' *> Zwingli's successor, Bullinger -- saw their rejection of infant baptism as a 'symbol of division' ! The Anabaptist conception of credobaptism, therefore, implied an elect group of people who separated themselves from society and its mores through their rejection of traditional interpretations of scripture 

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