The Radical Reformation involved a group of people who were part of the Lutheran Reformation, but felt that the reforms initiated by Luther and the other Reformers were partial and insufficient. This movement was initiated in Zurich although it had components scattered across Europe and within the entire Reformation. Generally speaking, the Radical Reformation was comprised of three components: The Anabaptists, Inspirationists, and Rationalists; all of which were named such by their opponents
The Anabaptists were aligned most closely to the Lutheran Reformation in terms of Scriptural interpretation. The Inspirationists were called such for their belief in the present speaking of the Holy Spirit to give them illumination regarding the Word of God, and generally supported military resistance to or overthrow of the State Church. The Rationalists were intellectually connected to the Renaissance of the day and opposed a Trinitarian understanding of God, generally denying the deity of Jesus. The Puritans who migrated to America were of the Radical Reformation, primarily Anabaptists.
The names of those who forged the Radical Reformation are generally unknown to the Church, yet the Radical Reformation lies at the heart of the majority of Church reality today! In Switzerland/Zurich there were Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, Michael Sattler, and others. In Germany there were Thomas Muntzer and the Zwickau Prophets.
Reformation Focus Points
Believers’ baptism was the primary rallying of the Radical Reformation, which created a ‘free’ church apart from the state church power and control. The First Reformation left intact the State Church that saw everyone in a certain geographical region as belonging to the Church through infant baptism. This created a unity of power between the Church and State and led to the misuse of power and people. It is important to remember that the Lutheran Reformation’s goal was not the destruction of the nature of the Church as defined by the Catholic Church, but a reforming of its inaccurate positions. The nature of the Lord’s Supper as a ‘remembrance’ and not a ‘sacrifice’ was also a strong point focus for the Radical Reformation.
These two areas, Baptism and The Lord’s Supper determine the identity of the Church. “The concept of a church of committed believers had taken the place of a church made up of the mixed multitude. This new church, like that of the apostles, was to be made up only of those confessing Christ as Lord followed by believers’ baptism, instead of everyone born in a given parish. The Lord’s supper would then be observed by the baptized in a simple manner, shorn of its medieval trappings as a pledge of brotherly love in remembrance of the one, all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ.” [2]
The charges brought against Michael Sattler by the Roman Catholic Church reveal the nature of the Radical Reformation.
“1. That he and his adherents acted contrary to the decree of the emperor.
2. He taught, maintained, and believed, that the body and blood of Christ were not present in his sacrament.
3. He taught and believed that infant-baptism was not promotive of salvation.
4. They rejected the sacrament of unction. 5. They despised and reviled the Mother of God, and condemned the saints.
6. He declared, that men should not swear before a magistrate.
7. He has commenced a new and unheard of custom in regard to the Lord’s Supper, placing the bread
8. Contrary to the rule, he has married a wife.
9. He said that if the Turks invaded the country, we ought not to resist them, and if he approved of
After several years of disappointing dialogue with Zwingli over believers’ baptism, and his refusal to go forward, the baptism, or re-baptism of a group of people on January 21, 1525 constituted the beginning of the Radical Reformation. “…[A] dozen or so men slowly trudged through the snow. Quietly, but resolutely, singly or in pairs they came to the home of Felix Mann near the Grossmunster. The chill of the wind blowing off the lake did not match the chill of disappointment that gripped that little band that fateful night. The dramatic events of the unforgettable gathering have been preserved… ‘And it came to pass that they were together until anxiety came upon them, yes, they were so pressed within their hearts. Thereupon they began to bow their knees to the Most High God in heaven and called upon Him as the Informer of hearts, and they prayed that he would give to them his divine will and that he would show mercy unto them. For flesh and blood and human forwardness did not drive them, since they will knew what they would have to suffer on account of it. After the prayer, George of the House of Jacob stood up and besought Conrad Grebel for God’s sake to baptize him with the true Christian baptism upon his faith and knowledge. And when he knelt down with such a request and desire, Conrad baptized him, since at that time there was no ordained minister to perform such work.’ After his baptism at the hands of Grebel, Blaurock proceed to baptize all the others present. The newly baptized then pledged themselves as true disciples of Christ to live lives separated from the world and to teach the gospel and hold the faith. Anabaptism was born. With this first baptism, the earliest church of the Swiss Brethren was born. This was clearly the most revolutionary act of the Reformation. NO other event so completely symbolized the break with Rome. Here, for the first time in the course of the Reformation, a group of Christians dared to form a church after what was conceived to be the New Testament pattern. The Brethren emphasized the absolute necessity of a personal commitment to Christ as essential to salvation and a prerequisite to baptism.” [4]
Persecutions
Persecution arose immediately against the Radical Reformation, as it did against Luther’s Reformation and all subsequent ones. Persecution against the Radical Reformation came in a two-fold form, from the Catholic Church, and from the Lutheran/Reformed Churches. In that both aspects still held to a state church, rebellion against the status quo of the Church equaled treason or sedition against the government, and thus enabled the persecution to have a ‘legal’ air to it
The Catholic Persecution
Michael Sattler’s arrest and execution represents the epitome of the Catholic Church persecution against the Reformation, Luther, Reformed, and Radical. Sattler was a Benedictine monk in Freiburg, Germany, in the early 1500’s who in his time at a monastery, after studying Paul’s theology, became increasingly dissatisfied with the Church and eventually left the priesthood to join the Reformation and the Swiss Brethren in Zurich, 1525.
“On May 20, 1527, Sattler was executed. The torture, a prelude to the execution, began at the marketplace, where a piece was cut from Sattler’s tongue. Pieces of flesh were torn from his body twice with red-hot tongs. He was then forged to a cart. On the way to the scene of the execution the tongs were applied five times again…After being bound to a ladder with ropes and pushed into the fire, he admonished the people, the judges, and the mayor to repent and be converted. Then he prayed, ‘Almighty, eternal God, Thou art the way and the truth; because I have not been shown to be in error, I will with Thy help to this day testify to the truth and seal it with my blood.’ As soon as the ropes on his wrists were burned, Sattler raised the two forefingers of his hands, giving the promised signal to the brethren that a martyr’s death was bearable…Three others were then executed. After every attempt to secure a recantation from Sattler’s faithful wife had failed, she was drowned eight days later in the Neckar.” [5]
The Lutheran / Reformed Persecution
One of the saddest of all aspects of the Reformation was the persecution of the Radical Reformers by the Reformers themselves, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and more. In Zurich, Zwingli had made the baptism of an adult a crime carrying the death penalty as its punishment. Anabaptists were repeatedly arrested, beaten, and eventually executed via various forms.
“On January 5, 1527 he [Felix Manz] was sentenced to death, ‘because contrary to Christian order and custom he had become involved in Anabaptism…because he confessed having said that he wanted to gather those who wanted to accept Christ and follow Him, and unite himself with them through baptism…so that he and his followers separated themselves from the Christian Church and were about to raise up and prepare a sect of their own…since such doctrine is harmful to the unified usage of all Christendom…Manz shall be delivered to the executioner, who shall tie his hands, put him into a boat, take him to the lower hut, there strip his bound hands down over his knees, place a stick between his knees and arms, and thus push him into the water and let him perish in the water; thereby he shall have atoned to the law and justice…his property shall be confiscated by my lords.’…Manzs’ execution took place January 5, 1527, at 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon.” [6]
“In Swabia…four hundred special police force were hired to hunt down Anabaptists and execute them on the spot. This group proved too small and was increased to one thousand.” [7]
[1] Of course it is impossible to exactly date a move of God, but 1525, for reasons outlined below, seems to be a good date from which the Radical Reformation proceeded.
[2] William R. Estep. The Anabaptist Story (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975, 1996), p. 20
[3] Ibid, p. 69.
[4] Ibid, p. 15.
[5] Ibid, p. 71.
[6] Ibid, p. 47.
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