USA > Pennsylvania > Historic background and annals of the Swiss and German pioneer settlers of southeastern Pennsylvania, and of their remote ancestors, from the middle of the Dark Ages, down to the time of the Revolutionary War > Part 3
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1523-Jacob and Klaus Hollinger, (Taufers).
In 1523 we find two more now fam- iliar Lancaster county names in Switzerland. Egli tells us (p. 11) that the delay in the Zurich Government to recognize and encourage the re- formed spirit made the Evangelicals all the more insistent, especially the zealous Jacob and Klaus Hollinger, who preached the Mennonite faith and aroused the county of Zollikon in Switzerland. In June, 1523 they demanded the communion in both forms, and insulted the priests. In September, Klaus Hollinger taught in Statehoffen that the pictures of the virgin should all be taken down and later became a thorough Baptist among a company of them in St. Gallen, and was very bitter against the "pictures". Soon after Jacob be- gan making most dreadful expres- sions about the mass. They created a great public explosion in religion by 1524. And says Egli, (p. 13) Stumpf, of whom we have spoken above continued his "awkward preach- ing and other matters" so much that he was entirely banished from the city and country.
1523-William Reublin Becomes ·Mennonite at Wittikon.
a
This Reublin says Brons (p. 23) had become pastor at Wittikon in Zurich. He left papacy and was pub- licly married. And at Wittikon at the Corpus Christi he proceeded the
procession, with a beautifully bound Bible, with the proclamation, "This is your Venerable-this is your Sanc- tuary-all else is dust and ashes." The "venerable" is the bread and wine after the prayer.
1523-Zwingli Converts the Govern- ment Officials.
Brons tells us (p. 17) that Zwingli was now exercising such power that the council orderd that he might give a public disputation of his religion. Therefore, the Zurich authorities is- sued a proclamation that such dispu- tation would be allowed January 3, 1523. Upon this permission Zwingli worked out 67, theses in which he clearly set forth his doctrine in an emphatic way. The opponents did not reply and so the council ordered it made public that "since no one rose against Magister Huddrich Zwingli to prove his error, or with divine Holy Scripture to overcome him, the burg- omasters, council and great council of the City of Zurich have resolved after mature consideration and it is their will that Zwingli continue as he has done hitherto to proclaim and preach the Evangelical Gospel and scriptures according to the Spirit of God. And the other ministers of the word also in City and country shall teach and preach nothing else than what they are able with the Evangel- ical doctrine and authority of the Holy Scripture to prove. And all in- sult to this religion is forbidden under penalty."
This surely was no mean triumph in the cause of the old Evangelical faith, first given to the world by the Waldenses and handed down by them to the Mennonites and to Lutherans and Reformed.
The doctrine had also spread by 1523 into Holland, Brabant and Flanders and also a year or two later into the Netherlands, where Menno Simon was its great advocate, (Brons, p. 60).
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15
EARLY MENNONITE CONFESSIONS AND WRITINGS
1523-The Beginnings of a Mennonite [ 1523-Early Martyr Manuserpits in Confession of Faith.
While the first confession of faith set forth in the Martyrs' Mirror is dated 1625, there are to be found some of the rudiments of a confession one hundred years earlier.
In 1523 as Brons tells us (p. 53) a catechism of the Bohemian brethren appeared in German and Bohemian language, in which it was taught that it was not lawful to worship the sac- rament of the Altar. This was about the same time that Michael Sattler (M. Mirror) was accused of the new custom of eating and drinking the bread and wine.
This catechism caused Luther to issue a "broadside" with the title "A Little Scripture Concerning the Wor- ship of the Sacrament of the Holy Body of Jesus Christ to the Brethren of Bohemia and of Moravia, known as Wald." In this broadside we read at the beginning, "There is a little book issued by your people in Ger- man and Bohemian to instruct the young children in a Christian way, in which among other things it is said that Christ is not independent and natural and the altar is not to be worshipped, which almost moves us Germans, for you must know how I through your delegates requested you that you should make this article clear also in a little book for our people."
Brons tells us also (p. 420) that the Moravians had entered into relations with Luther who issued a broadside to the Moravians, know nas Waldens- es. Many Catholics went over to these Mennonites of Moravia and per- mitted themselves to be baptized again and thus brought upon them great persecution."
In all this we see that the founders of the Mennonite faith were as early and as active as those of the Re- formed and Lutherans, etc.
the Mennonite Congregation Li- brary at Amsterdam.
The following information is taken from two anonymous German old Baptist Manuscripts of the Mennonite Congregational Library in Amster- dam.
The first is quarto in size and is en- titled, "History Book of the Martyrs of Christ, who in this our time in all places of German Lands for the sake of the faith and Godly truth have been executed with fire, water and the sword. What was transacted and en- deavored in many ways with them. How they steadfast and comforted were. Also what German persecu- tions and trouble the congregation has suffered in this last time." This writing extends from 1523 to 1618.
The second is Octavo and has the following title, "Description of the History Briefly Comprehended, How God Has Acted with his Faithful to His own Fame and Praise, from the Beginning of the World and has proved Himself Mighty till the Pre- sent Time." This extends to 1594. (See Brons, p. 419).
These are the earliest manuscript accounts preserved of the sufferings of the ancient Waldenses, Old Evan- gelicals, Old Baptists, Anabaptists, etc., out of whom grew the Menno- nites, the Reformed, Lutherans and Moravians, etc. They have no doubt all since been printed.
1523-Anabaptists Separatists in Zur- ich Compelled to Pay Papal Tithes.
We have shown before that what distinguished those of the general Reformation from those called the Brethren (in doctrine Mennonites) who also joined the reform movement was that, the latter refused to pay tithes to the papal church for use of the church buildings. The Govern- ment thought that these tithes should be paid and the great Council of
16
LUTHERANS AND MENNONITES DIFFER ON BAPTISM
Zurich passed a resolution, January 22, 1523, that the right of the church to demand tithes must be enforced. All who use the churches must pay the tithes. So these Anabaptists or Mennonites had to do so, (Müller, p. 8).
1523-An Old Anabaptist Belief That Children Should Not and Need Not Be "Taken Into Church".
A different conception toward the church was entertained by these Anabaptists from that of the Re- formed. The church of the Reformed was viewed like the Roman church by its believers as a lawful commun- ion, to which the children and minors belonged. The congregation of the Mennonites (or Brethren) was ac- cording to old tradition, customs and practices, a voluntary union of the faithful. These must have the right to receive and also expel members. The church of the Reformed was held by them as an institution for learn- ing and Christian and intellectual growth for all, and they therefore held they did not dare refuse the children or anyone else the means of grace. The Reformed believed in children coming in as children to be taught and the church as a school; but early Anabaptists believed' only in adults being admitted, (Müller, p. 9.) So their ways naturally parted more and more. Also when in Octo- ber, 1523, the question was raised as to abolishing the mass, Zwingli wanted to place the decision in the hands of the Council while Pastor Si- mon Stumpf (Mennonite) protested against this, saying "You have not the power to do this, to give the de- cision into the hands of the lords of this or any other place." The Zwingli party was successful, and in this way the form of a state church was pre- ordained, whose forms and procedure the State Council commanded. Hence- forth union between Reformed and
Mennonites was impossible. The for- mer became the state church and the latter the refugee body, (Müller, p. 9).
1524-Early Difference Between Luth-
eran and Mennonite Forms, Etc.
Ernst Müller says (p. 11), that Luther in his book concerning bap- tism published in Wittenberg, in 1523-25, retained all the Roman
as
church ceremonies. They were follows :- the child to be baptized was first exorcised through breath- ing upon him-salt was then put into his mouth-the cross was made upon him-his nose and ears were touched with spittle-the head was anointed with oil and in doing all this a burn- ing candle was held in the hand. Even in the book of Concord the for- mula is found. "I conjure thee, thou unclean spirit in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost that thou come out from this servant of Christ."
In this report concerning the con- secration of the Minister of Basil un- to the Anabaptists there, whom he re- cently joined, Kalonford, a former Lutheran Reformer,. says, "It was thrown up to me that we performed ceremonies in the baptism of chil- dren-that we conjured the Devil- that we gave the children salt-burn a candle-that we used spittle, etc. I did not want to defend this or excuse it for I, myself, don't approve of it at all."
Now from the beginning the Ana- baptists or Mennonites refused to make use of these ceremonies of bap- tism or believe in them. Their bap- tism was as simple as possible. Just- us Menius Pratorius and other Luth- eran theologians however, expressly attributed great importance to the ex- orcism.
But Hans Denck broke off from this belief and he and his followers came to the Anabaptism belief saying that
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17
ANABAPTIST (MENNONITE) POEMS AND LEADERS
the new born child is pure and not possessed of the Devil. And this is often expressed in Baptist writings, (Müller, p. 11).
1524-Early Anabaptists or Mennonite Poems.
Among the Bernese Productions appear these two lyric Anabaptist poems, which show how in early days the Mennonite views of baptism then existed in Switzerland. By a free
translation and reversification, I render them as set forth below. The first is directed against exorcism in baptism of children, and is as follows:
So that our God might be despoiled, of his great name;
As if could be in his pure offspring Found a blame;
A little child, without a sin;
Which God into this world has sent; And new created pure within;
"Its soul is lost", their cry is spent. They take it quickly in their power
And say, "Expelled and out of it we clean
Sin and Devil from this hour."
Though they themselves are steeped in sin.
And this also is found on the sub- ject of Christian Companionship:
In the inner light from our God we can see
Into every one there now cometh a ray;
And the soul that is bright with these beams shall be
The chamber of Christ and his spir- itual way.
All they who receive this light from the giver,
Shall have joy and day in their souls forever.
1524-Revolt Against Infant Baptism in Zurich.
parents began to be opposed to it be- cause of these sermons, and quit bringing their children. Finally about August, the Town council sum- moned two fathers and demanded of them why they do not have their chil- dren baptized. One had a boy about a year and a half old. These parents appealed to Ruplin's sermons and said they believed what he preached. One of the parents said that Ruplin de- clared that if he had a child he would not have it baptized, until it came to years of understanding, and could choose its own sponsors. This father also appealed to his neighbors who followed his course. Ruplin was put in jail, and a commission was ap- pointed to examine his doctrine. It consisted of preachers, the Abbot of Kappel, the Clerk of Küusnoch (Ec- clesiastical clerk), the provost of Em- brach and four delegates of Council. In addition to investigation they were to have all unbaptized infants imme- diately baptized.
1524-Münzer, Greybel & Manz, and Mennonitism.
The last named author says (p. 19) that the time and place when and where their doctrine came from are not definitely known; but it is be- lieved that the widely circulated writ- ings of the German head of the Ana- baptists, Thomas Münzer were much read in Zurich, for when in Septem- ber, 1524, Münzer travelled in Wals- hut and remained eight weeks in Grie- ssen, the restless spirits of Zurich, es- pecially Conrad Greybell and Felix Manz visited him and frequently they took in the Anabaptism preached by Münzer. Münzer, however, became a war anabaptist and believed that they who believed in the new faith ought to fight for it.
1524-Materials for the Martyr Book Collected.
Egli tells us (p. 18) that from the spring of 1524, Ruplin had begun to About this time, too (says Brons, p. preach against infant baptism, and [237), there was a great deal of ma-
18
MUENZER AND GRAYBILL'S LABORS
terial collected about the sufferings of the early martyrs, as a means to increase the faith and the courage of those who were suffering now. Hands and hearts were in it and many old matters and rhymes were found and made new. Some preachers of the "fatherland" at whose head was Hans de Ries, undertook to make a new edition with increased contents. These collections were made into a book, at Hoarlam, a large quarto with ten pictures, bound in leather with copper hooks and corners. The title was, "History of the Martyrs or the True Witnesses of Jesus Christ Who Witnessed the Evangelical Truth Under Many Tortures, and Establish- ed Them With Their Blood, since the year 1524." Their confessions of faith were also added and their dis- putations which express their living hope and mighty faith and love to God and his Holy Truth.
1524-Mennonite Growth in the Neth- erlands, (Holland).
By the last quoted author we are told also, (p. 244) that the number of those who had left the Roman church in the Netherlands, as early as 1524 through the influence of the writings of these fathers of the faith (consid- able of it being because of Luther's writings) according to the report of Peter of Thabor, (in Mönch, in the Cloister of Thabor, or Thires, near Sneek a contemporary of Menno Simon) had become so great thạt the Pope the same year called a secret council in regard to the matter. It was resolved and proclaimed by the Council that in Holland the Pope would grant all backsliders for God's sake, absolution of all their sins, without money if they would come back and come to confession, keep the feasts, pray according to prescription of their church and not neglect the sacrament of the altar.
This item is highly interesting to us in Lancaster county because it gives us light on the condition in Holland at the beginning of the Mennonite faith, the country where it started. It tells us of the vigorous hold it had on the people; and how anxious the Catholic Church was to stop it. That not simply a bishop or other high church officer was moved to bring back the Anabaptists, but the power- ful pope himself, shows that it was regarded very seriously by the Church. And that such a wonderful concession was made to forgive all those people their sins without them being required to pay for it, when by the ordinary course of things the for- giveness of the sins of such a multi- tude would have meant thousands of thalers (dollars) out of their pockets and into the pockets of the priests, shows how it was viewed. But the an- cient fathers bravely withstood this munificient offer from the head of their former Church, having since learned that salvation is free to all "whosoever will."
1524-Münzer's Anabaptists Attacked.
About this same time says Brons (p. 31) Zwingli published a broadside against the turbulent Münzer and in it alluded to Greybell and Manz. Thereby Greybell was induced to send out of jail a defense to the Council of Zurich in 1524. He did not want to be considered as a person who incited to riot in his religious teachings, or spoke anything that would lead to it. Münzer as we have seen as an Ana- baptist was of so determined a nature that he taught the people should defy opposition to God's truth as he saw it and Greybell did not want to be considered any other than, the mild and defenseless Mennonite. Inter- est is found in this item from the fact that it contains the well known promi- nent and honorable Lancaster county name, Greybill.
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19
SATTLER'S EXECUTION: THE GRAYBILL MENNONITES
1525-Michael Sattler's Efforts in An- | which renders me friendly to the ef- abaptism. forts there, etc."
Michael Sattler of Stauffen was a monk of St. Peters in the Black For- est and had gone over to Anabaptism in 1525 in the region of Zurich. He was expelled from that place but con- tinued his work in his home and was the founder of several congregations at Horb and Rotenburg. He is de- scribed by Swiss and Strasburg
preachers . as a highly honorable. quiet and learned man. "Golden Apples in Silver Pitchers" an Ana- baptist book of 1742 contains his fare- well letter to the congregation in Horb, the events of his trial and his parting song. In 1527 he was cruelly executed and his wife was drowned. Unshelm, the Berne writer of the chronicles described the cruel execu- tion in a tone very pathetic and pays a noble tribute to Anabaptism. Un- shelm was a fellow sufferer as he was also a prisoner, but whether an Anabaptism or Lutheran is not clear, (Müller, p. 38). Sattler's death is al- so described in Martyrs' Mirror, p. 401.
1525-Early Anabaptists of Berne.
Müller tells us (p. 23) that in Berne there were Baptists in 1525 of whom the ministers of the Council tell. Mention is made of them in a letter of H. Bullinger which he wrote 1525-The Graybill Anabaptists or Mennonites of 1525. from Kappel, Switzerland to Hein- rich Simler in Berne. John Jacob Simler dates the letter about 1525; The congregation of Anabaptists had by 1525 had so far now become established that they caused the Council of Zurich to admit they were beyond control. There were by this time thirteen different religious Re- formed bodies that had broken off the Catholic Church and nearly all em- and he says according to the manu- script or letter Bullinger writes, "In order that you may not get into the community of the society of Baptists, etc.," which is conclusive that the Baptists existed about Berne at this early date. The letter also sets out, "It has come to us through the com- | braced some part of the Anabaptist mon report of many people, how with those also at Berne the doctrine of Anabaptists has been introduced and
This item is of interest to the people of Lancaster county because Berne is the place from which the first settlers of this county came two hundred years ago-Swiss Mennonites who were the descendants of those Anabaptists spoken of in 1525 and de- scendants of similar believers in and about Zurich.
1525-More Zurich Anabaptists Ex- amined.
A very zealous stranger who had come to Zurich was a man of peculiar habits called Blaurock. He was to be taken by ship with his wife to his home in Chur and there he was to be kept and if he came again about Zur- ich he was to be tortured into silence, His doctrine was to be passed on by three secular preachers and six mem- bers of Council at Zurich, among whom were Hans Hager and Ulrich Funk; and the two schoolmasters were also to take part in examining him. Bullinger reports that the Bap- tists in the disputation proved no more than before. Zwingli appealed to Graybill who behaved himself as if the Savior was present. And others tell of the testimony the Baptists gave of the joy and relief they felt after they were baptized over again, (Zur., p. 30).
faith. One branch was called the free or rude brethren who condemned in- fant baptism and baptized their ad-
20
GREAT SPREAD OF MENNONITISM
herents anew. Aside from these was Nuremburg, Augsburg and along the the party of Graybill Anabaptists known as the quiet Baptists who kept themselves aloof from the other Men- nonites or Anabaptists. But Zwingli said he much feared in the end they would combine. This was away back in 1525, (Brons, p. 25).
1525-Anabaptism Gaining from Luth- eranism.
About 1525 when Anabaptism be- gan to spread whole town and coun- ties which did not adhere to Luther began to flock to Anabaptism and thousands who had been Lutherans went over into their camps. They showed an enthusiasm and a courage to the death that had for its example only that of the times of early Chris- tianity and its martyrs. This was the condition throughout Germany, (Mül- ler, p. 14).
1525-Eastward Spread of Anabap- tism er Mennonitism
Müller tells us (p.93) that in Zurich the . powers greatly reduced Anabap- tism by force which had in 1525 and 6 spread over Schauffhausen, Basil, Wald and other parts of Switzerland, from the neighboring Cantons. But it found entrance into Swabia and in the Tyrol in early times. Especially when Zurich began to drown the Ana- baptists and when the fall of Wald
brought new threats to the itinerant messengers of the Baptists who looked for a new theatre. Blaurach especially from Zurich turned to
Graubünden when he had established a congregation of Anabaptists at Manz; and from there to Tyrol to gather a flock for the Lord. Ruplin and Sattler went to Alsace and on to Swabia where they found the soil ready by the Augsburgers (Luther- ans) labors-and in a short time stood at the head of seven congrega- tions of Anabaptists or Mennonites. Hatzler promulgated Anabaptism in
Rhine; Jacob Gross of Wald in Stras- burg, etc. . In Passau, Regensburg and München congregations of Ana- baptists arose who kept themselves in communion with the brethren in Swabia and Upper Rhine and press- ing forward to the Danube, estab- lished the same in Austria, Slazburg, Spener, Lenz and Stein. Even Vi- enna had congregations of Anabap- tists.
1526-Jacob Gross's Mennonite Labors in Strasburg.
For a time in Strasburg there was a disposition not to incline either to- ward Wittenburg and Lutheranism or to Zurich toward Reform Religion; and this gave Mennonitism a chance. And thus it was that Jacob Gross was able to lead an Anabaptism movement in that region. Gross' main doctrine was that the Gospels teach there should not be infant baptism but that baptism should be given only to grown persons as a seal of their faith. He also taught that one must not take an oath. Thus he was a leader of the faith there. (Brons 408).
1526-Graybill and Manz Give the Reasons for Their Faith.
These Anabaptist leaders were sev- eral times examined for their faith. At one of the examinations in 1526 Graybill said that a careful study of the scriptures had brought him to Anabaptism. He held that no Chris- tian could defend by the sword. The warlike Anabaptist, Blauroch from his prison wrote that Graybill and Manz and himself were acknowledged Anabaptists as early as 1526 and that they were all ready to die for their principles. He went so far as to write that the Pope, the Lu- therans and Zwinglians and Judas were all the same class, that is mur- derers of Christ. He said baptism of children comes from the Evil One. This same Blauroch time and again
21
VARIOUS ANABAPTIST REFORMERS
declared he wanted to debate with Zwingli, and such a debate was ar- ranged but Egli says he departed a confused man. (Zur. 54).
1526-Zurich Tries to Get the Ana- baptists Back to the Former Faith.
Brons tells us (p. 47) that the Coun- cil of 200 tried in 1526 to bring the deluded Anabaptists or Mennonites back to the former faith because their movement hurt the government, and tended to the destruction of order, and to bring this about they put sev- eral men and women to prison. Also there was a proclamation issued that nowhere in the land henceforth shall any one presume to baptize again a person who has once been baptized; and any one who should violate this decree was to be tried and drowned
1526-Advance and Growth of Ana- baptism in Netherlands.
Brons tells us (p. 60) that in 1526 about Zurich an announcement or public proclamation was made in sub- stance that as many of the subjects have been reading the writings of the new Reformers in religion that now no one shall secretly or publicly as- sent to the opinions in the books of Luther, Romerani, Karlstadt, Melan- thon, Lamberti or others. and that all these books are to be gathered up within three days and be burnt. (Brons 60).
1526-Menno Simon Not Disturbed by the Above Order.
Says Brons at the same page Menno Simon did not suffer himself to be disturbed in the least by this order; and his fellow preachers also paid no attention to it-but they all kept on reading these interdicted writings and especially in regard to baptism. And it is laid down that Menno Simon said "these men taught me that by means of Baptism children were made clean of hereditary and original sin. I test-
ed it and found by the scripture that such doctrine is contrary to the teach- ing of Christ. Afterwards he says I went to Luther, and he said children are to be baptized on their own faith. This was wrong. Then I went to oth- ers and they said the child should be baptized to make parents more care- ful. This Bucerrus told me. Then I went to Bullingerus and he called my attention to the old covenant of cir- cumcisin and said infant baptism was to be used istead of that; but I found this would not stand with the scrip- tures." Then Menno Simon took a view different from all these and what he felt accorded with the scriptures. (Do.)
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