Four basic divisions of church history
The Patristic Period (c. 100-451)
• Age of construction, development, and persecution
• Irenaeus, Origen, Athanasius, and Augustine
- The Middle Ages (c. 500-1500)
- Age of literary, artistic, and scientific development
- Aquinas, Anselm, Wycliffe, Hus
- The Reformation (c. 1500-1750)
- Age of Revival and development
- Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Hubmaier
The Modern Period (1750-Present)
What year was The Lutheran Reform?
1517
What year was The Calvinistic Reform?
1541
What year was The Anglican Reform?
1526
What year was The Zwinglian Reform?
1523
What year was The Radical Reformation?
1525
What three groups were often considered “Anabaptists”?
Spiritualists: The Spirit takes priority over the Bible.
Rationalists: Human reason is greater than divine
revelation.
Evangelical Anabaptists: The more orthodox.
Major areas affected by Evangelical Anabaptism
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
The Role of Ulrich Zwingli
1 January 1484-11 October 1531
• Trained as a humanist (ad fontes)
• Admirer of Erasmus (1466-1536)
• Pastor of Grossmunster in Zurich, Switzerland
• Begun study group of cultural commentary and philosophy
• Begun adding disputations and teaching to preaching, which caught the attention of many young scholars
• Began to discuss the New Testament
The Theology of Zwingli
- Rejected Transubstantiation in favor of a memorial view.
- Repudiated the sale of indulgences.
- Rejected Papal authority.
- Attacked the moral corruption of the Catholic Church.
- Rejected veneration of saints.
- Taught that children not baptized were not necessarily damned.
- Questioned the Catholic Church’s power in excommunication.
The Zürich Disputation (1525)
• Suffered division with his students in 1523 over baptism.
• November 6, 1523- Public discussion occurred over baptism with a decree being issued forbidding Anabaptism: “Whosoever shall act contrary to the order, shall, as often as he disobeys, be punished by the fine of a silver mark; and if any shall prove disobedient, we shall
deal with him farther and punish him according to his desserts without further forgiveness.”
• The dissenters began to call themselves “Brethren in Christ” and stated that if they would be corrected, it must be from Scripture.
Conflict in Zürich (1525)
- The “First Baptismal Disputation” occurred on Jan 10 and 17, 1525. It involved Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger contra Grebel, Mantz, William Reublin, and Blauerock.
- Following the second session, Zwingli remarked “It would not only be inadvisable but also dangerous to have further debate with them.”
- Council concluded the following day in favor of Zwingli. Issued a warning that all who did not have their infants baptized within eight days would be exiled.
- The “schools” hosted by the Anabaptists were forced to close.
- On March 7, 1526 passed edict no one can rebaptize under penalty of death.
The Birth of Anabaptism
The “defeat” of the Brethren by the city council left them
determined.
• On 21 January 1525, the Brethren hosted an illegal “school” in the home of Felix Manz.
• After a time of discussion and prayer, Blauerock asked Grebel to baptize him. Others followed suit.
• The following week there were thirty-five
Conrad Grebel (1498-1526)
Born in 1498 to a wealthy Swiss family.
• Introduced to humanism at Basel, where he attended school.
• Transferred to Vienna under advice of Zwingli
• Married the sister of Vadian, one of his university professors for whom he had great admiration.
• Experienced conversion sometime before 1522, when he joined Zwingli’s efforts at reform.
• Following the night of 21 January 1525, he became a door to door evangelist
• Participated in a baptismal service on April 9, 1525 were 500 converts were baptized.
• Was arrested and imprisoned on 18 Nov 1525
• Wrote numerous pamphlets and tracts distributed across Switzerland explaining the beliefs of the Swiss Brethren.
• Was retried and sentenced to life in prison on 6 Mar 1526,
• Escaped two weeks later.
• Died of the plague in the August 1526.
George Blauerock (1491-1529)
Born into a peasant family.
• Attended the University of Leipzig
• Was a priest for a short time
• Left priesthood to study the Reformation
• Had an adventurous spirit, leading to his contact with the Zwinglian disciples culminating in his demand to be baptized by Grebel.
• Interrupted the preaching service on 29 January 1525
• “The new Paul.”
• Not a citizen of Zürich, he was marched through the town and whipped on the same day Manz was executed.
Went on to form numerous congregations outside of Zurich at Tyrol, Austria.
• Arrested on 14 August 1529 and tortured seeking information about Anabaptist movement.
• Burned at the stake on 6 September 1529.
Impact of Anabaptism
- Baptism as the constitution of a church
- Church discipline as necessary to the life of the church
- The New Testament as the final authority in matters of ecclesiology
- Religious freedom without persecution
- “The decision of Conrad Grebel to refuse to accept the jurisdiction of the Zürich council over the Zürich church [in December 1523] is one of the high moments of history, for however obscure it was, it marked the beginning of the free church movement.” Bender quoted in Estep, The Anabaptist Story, 18.
Why study the Anabaptists?
Most of them held a high view of Scripture rather than either tradition or philosophy.
• Their view of a regenerate and disciplined church reflects the New Testament model.
• They exhibited undaunted courage as they were persecuted by Catholics and Magisterial Reformers.
• They held a high view of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
• They rejected both the State and the Sword as agents of enforcing doctrinal matters.
