Download Anabaptists, name applied to certain religious sects that arose in

Anabaptists, name applied to certain religious sects that arose in Europe,
particularly in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, during the
Reformation. The name means “one who baptizes again”; it refers to the
Anabaptists’ practice of adult baptism, even of persons who had been
baptized in infancy. Orthodox reformers, such as Huldreich Zwingli of
Zürich and Martin Luther, and their followers often used the name
Anabaptist as an opprobrious designation for any radical or unorthodox
Protestant sect.
II
DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES
Like Lutherans and Calvinists, the Anabaptists believed in the paramount
importance of personal faith in God, as opposed to ritualism, and to the
right of independent personal judgment. The Anabaptists differed from
Lutherans and Calvinists, however, in that they advocated, among other
practices, nonviolence and opposition to state churches. They based their
movement on voluntary congregations of converts (those who had
undergone believer’s baptism). The state church was organized
hierarchically, based on the geographic parish, in which the members are
all those born and resident in the parish. Some Anabaptists wished to
establish communal and egalitarian Christian communities and opposed
participation in civil government and the taking of oaths. The ultimate form
of church discipline, the ban, was excommunication and ostracism of
unrepentant sinners.
III
HISTORY
In the early 1520s, several religious leaders began to preach against church
and social practices in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Among them
were the Zürich-born Konrad Grebel, the Bavarian Hans Denck, and the
German Balthasar Hubmaier. Somewhat younger than Zwingli and Luther,
they were caught up in the wars of the peasants and of the empire under
the Habsburgs (see Habsburg). Known as the Brethren or the Swiss
Brethren, they believed the Bible negated the practice of infant baptism and
the celebration of the Mass. Instead, Anabaptists insisted on believer’s
baptism and a memorial Lord’s Supper (see Baptism; Baptists; Eucharist).
Because they rejected the hierarchy of the church and the authority of civil
bodies in religious matters, they were accused of sedition and heresy,
persecuted, and often martyred.
Also characterized as Anabaptists were more radical Protestants, such as
Jakob Hutter, a communalist and founder of the Hutterian Brethren, and
Thomas Münzer. Another, Jan Beuckelzoon, or John of Leiden, established
himself as king of the so-called New Zion in Münster, Westphalia, in 1534.
His rule, under which polygamy was sanctioned and goods were held in
common, ended after a year’s siege. Beuckelzoon was executed in 1536.
Anabaptist groups continued to arise in Europe under different names. One
of the most important was the group known as the Mennonites, led by the
Dutch reformer Menno Simons.
Anabaptism appealed most strongly to the poor and to uneducated
peasants and artisans. Anabaptists in Europe were widely persecuted
largely because two influential segments of society—the aristocracy and the
Orthodox Reformation leaders—were united against their egalitarianism and
their opposition to state churches. See also Reformation.
Reassessment of the Anabaptist movement has characterized much recent
historical study. The movement is now seen as an important stream in the
Reformation, especially its sacramental view of life, and incidents such as
that in Münster are recognized as departures from Anabaptist spirituality.1
1"Anabaptists."Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.