Luther set the precedent that led to a reforming path that many of the countries of Northern Europe would take, and Switzerland was no exception. As the reformation grew with momentum it spread from Germany into Switzerland. The former priest Ulrich Zwingli, seems to have been a very strong influence in the Anabaptist movement. He was noted to be a humanist who had some leanings toward Erasmus,he was a sacramentarian, and he and his followers began the iconoclast movement. A movement that was characterized as devaluing all aspects of the Catholic faith, from it's memorial view of the Eucharist, being that it was simply a meal, nothing more, from it smashing of images that were housed in the local parish church, whence the name iconoclast comes from, to it's strong movement in anticlericism, which gave rise to attacking the Catholic church's teaching on the celibacy of the priesthood and for monastics. C.A. Snyder suggests as has many a scholar that this last component of reformed theology was a derivative of Zwingli's own past in which he had a common law marriage with a concubine named Anne Rheinhard.
The Reformed Movement, began to stagnate with the influence of the local city council being in charge of the future of, "How much reform?" would be present in the Swiss Reformation. Zwingli seems at one point in time to favor, believer's baptism, but due to the political pressures being exerted upon him, he took a view that was in keeping with the local council. Several of Zwingli's followers advocated for believer's baptism, and these men would be the seeds of the movement of Anabaptism in Switzerland, believing that the reforms of Zwingli were not far reaching and were not fully keeping with scripture.
Conrad Grebel, Felix Mantz,and George Blaurock and others in attendance were reportedly the first to be re-baptized on January 15, 1525 at Mantz' house. They did so with much fear and trepidation and asked for God's mercy and grace while they were baptized. Grebel, Mantz, Blaurock and others who were present knew that there was no turning back. The had opened the proverbial Pandora's Box.
Zwingli, certainly must have been angry upon learning that some of his most close and intimate associates did not wait for him to try to persuade the council of Zurich. This betrayal would mitigate the signing of these radicals death warrants. It seems as if the newly formed movement believed the best way to get their theology across and recognized by the city council, if not necessarily the populace of Zurich and the surrounding area, was by exponentially making new converts . It is assumed that if there was a large enough following that the council would succumb to the new movement perhaps,seeing that Zwingli was not aggressive enough in getting the truth across to the Council of Zurich.
The printing press played a major key in disseminating the radical reform brought about by the Swiss Brethren. Pamphlets began to pour out of Waldshut, a neighboring province of Austria. Balthazar Hubmaier was involved in the radical movement early on perhaps as early as 1520 when it was said that he was decidedly "evangelical". The year before in 1519 was responsible for the ousting of hundreds of Jews from Ringenberg where Hubmaier was in charge. However, he saw that reformed was needed in Waldshut, where he moved as soon as the expulsion of the Jews from Ringenburg took place.
Many of the radical reformers who had been involved in Zurich were in Waldshut during the Peasant Revolt of 1523. Grebel and Mantz were in dialog with Hubmaier, it is unclear if Hubmaier was partial to the reform being led by Zwingli in Zurich or rather thought that this was a catalyst for beginning his own reform movement, or aid the radicals, in reforming Waldshut. Even though Hubmaier is not recognized as a leader of the Swiss Brethren, his writings on the importance of believer's baptism was paramount to the radical reformation, turning the tide in many an educated persons mind. Hubamaier was baptized by Wilhelm Rueblin on Easter Sunday, 1525. Over 300 persons would be "re-baptized" on the Church's most sacred day, the Resurrection of our Lord, which was historically used for baptizing of new cachets to the faith. Hubmaier's writings led Waldshut, to become a "Anabaptist" city and many of the Pastor's that were present at the mass baptism, including Rueblin, found pastorates in the local countryside.
As the pressures began to heat up for the Swiss Brethren, a codifying of what was to be unique to the faith was being composed by Michael Sattler. The Schleithiem Confession was a treatise stating what was central to the faith of the Swiss Bretheren. Sattler had been the second in command as prior to the Benedictine Monastery of St. Peter. Sattler, had left his post as prior it appears during the Blackforest Peasants War in 1519-1520. The unrest of the local peasants perhaps led him to leave but it isn't entirely clear what his motives for leaving were except that he had made an oath that he would not join those with Anabaptist leanings. By summer of 1526, one thing was definitely clear and that Sattler was decidedly Anabaptist, preaching in Strassbourg, and baptizing adult converts to the faith.
Perhaps to provide the new converts with some sort of social moorings, he developed the Schlethiem Confession. This Confession gave the new convert a way to understand the Kingdom of God in new ways. There were two kingdoms,as Sattler outlined, One was the Kingdom of God and the other was under the dominion of Satan and all of his minions. There was no commerce to be had between the two kingdoms, they separate and thereby violence that was enacted by the government was the work of Satan, and that one must not bear the sword and be apart of the Heavenly Kingdom. On February 24, 1527 the Confession was first seen in print, under the title the Schliethiem Articles. There are seven articles which give a clear revelation of the theology of the Swiss Anabaptists.
1. Baptism- One must Believe, one can only believe as an adult.
2. Ban.- Excommunication could be utilized for those who fell out of the faith.
3. The Breaking of Bread- The Communion was a memorial meal.
4. Separation from the Abomination- the first inclings of Separation of Church and State, but theologically motivated.
5. Pastors and the Church- Pastors should be elected by the congregation.
6. Sword- This established the theology of Peace and that Christians should not serve as a magistrate.
7. Oath- No one should swear an oath because the scripture speaks against it.
Reflecting on the Schleitheim Confession, it makes me wonder if the founders of this country had access to these truths, because it seems to set up a theology that is democratic in nature. Perhaps this is what was so seemingly anarchist of the Swiss Brethren, they did not support the government, and the supported the whims of the populace verses the elite, something that would later ring true with Revolution of the United States. That the roots of the Peasants War, is in some ways is at the base of the human Psyche. Freedom of speech, freedom from want, freedom to worship, and freedom from fear all of which was a series depicted by the late Norman Rockwell. Yet Ironically, the Four Freedoms, were painted to help aid the bond effort of War World II echoing sentiments from Zwinglian Reformed Theology.
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