The Extremists

The Zwikau Prophets

During the winter of 1521-1522, while Martin Luther was attending the Diet of Worms, a group of radical believers from Zwickau moved into Luther's town of Wittenberg and began to preach doctrines that were considerably more radical than those which Luther taught. These men were known as the Zwickau Prophets. In Zwikau this group were led by Thomas Müntzer and a man named Störch. It was Störch who apparently led the group who came to Wittenberg.

The Prophets taught a system of doctrine known as Millenarianism. They preached an immanent return of Christ and that the Day of God's Wrath and Judgement was very near at hand. They believed that they were the ones chosen to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God and that the true saints would inherit the earth. They, themselves, were to impose the Kingdom, using the power of the sword if necessary. For a short while they had virtual control of Wittenberg and, during that time, committed many excesses of violence.

When Luther returned in March 1522 he was able to oust these fanatics. However, much damage had been done by them, not only to the town of Wittenberg, but also to the name of Anabaptist for, as we have seen, that name was given to all radicals at that time. Whatever one group of radicals did was seen as the policy of all radicals.

It is not clear whether the Zwikau group were actually Anabaptists in any real sense of the word. Although they were against infant baptism, there does not seem to be much evidence that they practiced adult baptism or re-baptism. Müntzer was obviously in contact with Grebel and the Zürich Anabaptists but, while Grebel recognised Müntzer as a Christian brother, he made it clear that he did not agree with Müntzer's violent policies.

Jan of Leiden and Münster

The Anabaptists suffered more than most from persecution. While Catholics persecuted Lutherans and Calvinists and Lutherans and Calvinists persecuted Catholics, everybody (Lutheran, Calvinist, Zwinglian etc.) persecuted Anabaptists. Many were burned at the stake, others were drowned. W. M. S. West refers to"The quite incredible persecution of the Anabaptists in the Netherlands in the early 1530s when to be buried alive was a relatively pleasant way of dying . . ." (Anabaptists and the Rise of the Baptist Movement in Christian Baptism - Lutterworth Press) The severity of the persecutions had two effects. It meant that, as Anabaptists fled from persecution they took their faith with them to other areas and nations. It also meant that, in many places, the movement became weak and desperate. In such times a person who seems to have the strength needed to lead the faithful into the promised land can very soon dominate. In Münster such a leader emerged. He was John Brockelson - better known as Jan of Leiden. His leadership led some of the believers into polygamy and, eventually an attempt to establish a "New Jerusalem" by force in Münster.

Although, in this case, the majority of the people concerned were genuinely Anabaptists, this event stands out as a definite perversion of Anabaptism. It is totally against the beliefs, thoughts and practice of the Evangelical Anabaptist movement. Nevertheless, it was the excuse many were looking for to further condemn the whole movement and to increase persecution of Anabaptists.

For a while the survival of the movement was in question. However, God preserved a remnant who escaped into Moravia and another who remained in the west and were gathered together by Menno Simons into a new movement whose members became known as Mennonites.