South German Anabaptism

Southern German Anabaptism has been assumed to have developed out of missionary efforts of the Swiss Bretheren. According to recent scholarship it appears that Anabaptism in th southern Germany, developed concurrently with that of the Swiss Brethren. The Germans anabaptists, held to the convictions of the first three aspects of the Schiethiem confession, but that seems to be where the simialarities stop.

In the early Anabatist movement in Germany, it seems as if Anabaptists felt that the sword, was a neccesary aspect to bring in the Kingdom of God. (With the exclusion of Pilgram Marpeck) that it was a way that the 144,000 that are mentioned in John's Apocalypse (Revelations). Much of this is due to the eschatology of Thomas Muntzer. Several Southern German leaders such as Hans Denck and Hans Hut, and Melchior Rinck were involved or at least connected to the Muntzer Movement.

The Southern German Anabaptist movement was what was to happen to the radical movement after the fall out of Muntzer. The South German Leaders did not have a unified theology. Hans Denck would have been the quintessential post modern, he was radical, so radical he was a humanist and was into the spiritualism of the spirtualists, he was in fact so liberal he was brought up on charges of "universalism" advocating that all would be forgiven at the end, including Satan. He died in 1527 of what was most likely the plague. Before he died he became disillusioned with the divisions, within the anabaptist movement. He published a book that was an apology called "recantation".

Hans Hut was an itenerant book salesman. He hid Thomas Muntzer for a night,and participated in the Peasant's War. He was baptized by Hans Denck on May 1526 in Augsburg. He was known to be not only as a traveling salesman but also was an itenerant preacher, who used his book selling as a way to spread the message of the "radical" gospel. Hut was known for his heightened sense of eschatology. This deep rooted belief that the 16th century was in the end times, was probably garnered from Huts association and tuteladge under Muntzer. With the worry and anticipation that Christ's return was immenent Hut and other Anabaptists were able to garner a large number of the populace to join the movement. Hut was arrested in September of 1527, just shortly after the Martyr's Synod in Augsurg. He was put on the rack, and tortured several times. He did under "curious circumstances" apparently a fire has broke out in his cell and he asphyxiated. His death however did not circumvent his execution. He was then burned at the stake. Hut would make a lasting impression on much of Prussia he started congregations in: Haina, Coburg, Konigsberg, Ostheim, Bamberg, Erlangen, Nuremburg, Uttenreuth, Augsburg, Passau, Nickolsburg, Vienna, Melk, Steyr, Freistadt,Linz, Laufen, and Salzburg, not to mention all the little knock about villages he visited.

Melchor Rinck, AKA the "Greek" because of his linguistic skills, was born to what are assumed to be peasant parents in Southern Germany very intelligent child, he graduated highschool and went on to the Universities of Lipzig and Erfurt. He was born around 1498 and he by the time he was approximately 23 he joined the evangelical movement, this was the early term for the protestant movement. He studied under reformed Pastor Heinrich Fuchs in Hersfeld.

Approximately two years later he would marry Anna Eckhart, tha daughter of Lutheran pastor Hans Eckhart. There marriage seems to have been somewhat tulmutous. Rinck espoused that his wife only married to settle down and have a "quiet life". This gives us some indication that she herself did not hold to his anabaptist beliefs. In fact, her father once he is later imprisoned, seeks to have the marriage annulled. It is reported she had not seen Rinck since he fought with Muntzer at Muenster. He perhaps continued to fight in the Peasant Revolt, but there is no documentation to support.

In 1528, he attempts to get Reformed Pastor Johannes Bader of Landau to become anabaptist. Bader had some leanings but ended up not making a commitment to the cause, when he realized that he truly did believe in infant baptism. Rinck was Baptized by Hut. He seemed to get out of town, just before getting caught several times. Until he finnaly got caught after he was banished from Hessian territory in 1533. He came back, immediately and was thrown into prison for life, the last that we hear from him is in 1553 at the age of 60.

Rinck's theology was not in keeping with Huts eschatology. He believed baptism was important followed by discipleship, but it was not to be done as in effort to bring about the end times, rather for followers of Christ. Baptism by water was very important to him and it is said that he baptized with the sign of the tau.