North Germany and the Dutch spread of Anabaptism

Much of the spread of Anabaptism in North Germany and Holland is attributed to Melchior Hoffman. Hoffman, was born around 1495-1500 in Swabisch Hall. He was a furrier, was literate and was quite an effective rhetorician. In 1523, he had joined the ranks of the growing Lutheran majority as a lay missionary. He had a rocky relationship with the Lutherans due to his theological bent towards the work of the Holy Spirit and the end times. He finally, broke with the the Lutherans in 1529 where he openly refuted the "real presence". He would make a sojourn to the City of Toleration, Strassbourg.

In Strassbourg he came across several of the radicals: Marpeck, Denck, with some over zealous followers of Hut. He was arrested in 1533 and would die some 10 years later in prison. But one of his most intriguing theologies was one that he borrowed from the spiritualist Casper Schwingfeld. Hoffman believed in the celestial flesh of Christ. A monophysite theology which describes the birth of Jesus and that his biology was from God, and the Mary was simply an empty vessel. The ancient way of believing how the child was conceived was through the man's genitalia implanting a seed in the woman's furrow, her genitalia. In the birth narrative of Christ, the Holy Spirit takes on the role of the man. There was no issue or understanding of modern DNA, that genes are inherited from both. Some theologies, including those of the Gnostic's posit, that Jesus was not God at all, but only man. This is what was so important about the council of Nicea. Hoffman believed that Jesus was fully God but not fully man.

Hoffman did not believe in taking up the sword, but his follower Muntzer. did. Hoffman was responsible for much of Northern Germany Anabaptist converts. Muntzer took up an apocalyptic theology, and believed that the the world was coming to an end and that in order to usher in the reign of God, the Kingdom of the world must be destroyed. However, it was Muntzer and his follwers who would be destroyed by the sword. When all was over many Muntzerites were dead, and three Muntzer's successors were tortured with hot tongs, tortured and executed and there remains were hung in iron clad cages at the apex of the St. Lamberti Church. The Church was ironically named after a bishop who was a martyr.

The other side of the family tree that sprung from staff bearers was Menno Simons a Dutch Anabaptist, whom Modern-Day Mennonites trace their lineage. Menno was ordained to the Catholic Church in Utrech in 1524. He was in the priesthood until 1536. He was married by the Dutch Anabaptist Obe Philips, a non-muntzerite. He married Getrude and had two daughters and one son. He died of old age, and was one step ahead of the law. He also espoused the Melchiorite theology of the Celestial Flesh. Menno was a moderate Anabaptist who was a unifier of the cross sections or the Radical Movement.