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www.antipas.org ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Protesters By Alan Eyre Contents Preface Introduction 1. The Source of the Ideal 2. The Vaudois of the Alps 3. Stirrings in Switzerland 4. Year of Decision – 1525 5. Debates and 6. Balthasar Hubmaier in Moravia Dungeons 7. The Fiery Trial 8. Scattered Abroad 9. Troubled Times In Lutheran Lands 10. Strangers and Pilgrims 11. Principles and Practice 12. Lightstand in Poland 13. The Irrepressible Headmaster 14. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 15. Witness to Truth in 1807 16. Old Wine in New Bottles 17. John Thomas 1 2 THE PROTESTERS by Alan Eyre 18. The Faith at the End of the Age 19. Epilogue Bibliography Paintings, Maps, Graphics used: • N.E. Switzerland (map), 1525 • Hubmaier, wood cut • Sattler, Switzerland (map) • Edict of Ferdinand, 1528, promulgating the death penalty for the Brethren in Christ • Title‐page of the Bruderliche Vereynigung, a Statement of Faith in seven parts, drawn up in 1527 by Michael Sattler. It contained also "a brief but true notice of how ... he witnessed with his blood." • Central Europe (map) 1536 • Painting of a Council House in Zurich, 1525 • Statue of Zwingli • The Fraumunster in Zurich • Painting of "One of the Brethren being burned at the stake." • Painting of "A Bible Class held for safety in mid‐river" • Typical pages of John Biddle's "Twofold Catechism" • Photo of "Cages for imprisoning Brethren, Nurnberg" • Poland (map) 1600 THE PROTESTERS by Alan Eyre 3 PREFACE THE members of a comparatively small community, who have sought from its foundation to base their beliefs and their life upon what is revealed in the Scriptures, the Word of God, have inevitably a keen interest in the career and fate of those devout believers in God of former centuries, whose aim and attitude were the same. Unfortunately the historical details and evidence were not easy to come by, scattered as they are among various writings in different languages and spread over a period of many centuries. Alan Eyre has put us all in his debt by the massive research he has done into the religious opinions and political fortunes of those early students of Scripture. The breadth of his investigations is revealed by the impressive Bibliography at the end of this volume, and by the evidence in the text itself of the use he has made of his sources. One or two impressions inevitably emerge from a reading of this book. Whatever may be the ultimate verdict of God upon them individually, there is no doubting the tremendous zeal and earnestness with which some of these early believers applied themselves to the study of Scripture. It is a matter of great encouragement to us, whose religious views are regarded as unorthodox by our contemporaries, to find that in a number of cases where major doctrines are concerned, these early believers had come to the same conclusions as ourselves. And how should it be otherwise, for we have sought to do what they did ‐‐ go back to the Scriptures alone in our search for truth. Another, genuinely shocking, discovery is to realise how swiftly the leaders of the "official" Protestant reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries reverted to ideas which they had originally condemned in Catholicism, and with what ruthlessness they treated the "protesters" who insisted on relying only upon the Word of God. Not the least striking feature of the narrative of this book is the revelation of the tremendous spirit of faith, love and devotion to God shown by some of these believers of former times who suffered almost indescribable tortures for the sake of their convictions. Would we today, who profess the same faith in God and in His Word, show the same firm courage if persecution became our lot? May the reflection send us all back to the Scriptures themselves as the source of all truth and inspiration. F.T.P. November, 1975. 4 THE PROTESTERS by Alan Eyre INTRODUCTION PAGE 7 As a Christadelphian, the author has witnessed a tremendous change during the past few years in the community of which he is a member. In some areas where ecclesias more than a century old exist (parts of the eastern seaboard of the United States, for example) more than half the present membership has become so within that time. In a few English speaking countries no member has been such longer than ten years. This is, of course, most gratifying, and a healthy indication that Christadelphians are not, as one famous encyclopaedia has it, followers of one John Thomas, but followers of Christ, even as he and others were. But as, sadly perhaps for a dwindling majority, a widening distance of time separates this new generation from 6hristadelphian "pioneers", so appreciation of the furnace through which this faith was refined grows less. There are many, who, while knowing and loving Bible truth, would like to know more of those who struggled to preserve it for us. There are, however, other reasons which have prompted this study. The writer, once naively and unquestioningly accepting a popular view that Dr. John Thomas "discovered", as if from a void, the totality of Bible truth as believed by Christadelphians, was amazed to discover source after source which showed that this was at least a serious misrepresentation. It is indeed one which he believes John Thomas himself, were he alive, would be the first to repudiate, as the abundant quotations from earlier sources in his journals indicate. The nineteenth century, however, was one in which few intellectual debts were acknowledged. The neglect of the writings of nineteenth century Christadelphian authors by some of the new generation of believers is as unfortunate; so are the excesses of others who would pay them alone an honour of which some share is due to others who had paved the way before them. It is hoped that this study will put in perspective the work of many without whose selfless efforts we today would be the poorer. PAGE 8 It should be remembered that we do not diminish the teachings of the work of the Lord Jesus by pointing out how much of what he said came straight out of the Old Testament; rather indeed do we give them added richness. So it is with those who have been long respected and honoured among us. A Noble Tradition Today the Christadelphian community ‐‐"Brothers in Christ" ‐‐ is the inheritor of a noble tradition, by which elements of the Truth were from century to century hammered out on the anvil of controversy, affliction and even anguish. These pages may help us to appreciate a Bible doctrine that God does not establish truth by the counting of heads, but by the trying of hearts, and also to understand why we as Christadelphians today resist the outstretched hands of broad oecumenical unity, and consider as traitors any among us who sell their birthright for this cause. There is always an element of danger in appearing in the role of advocate for a misjudged minority, and if there appears in the present work to have been excessive swinging of the pendulum in the opposite direction at any point, that would be meagre compensation for centuries of harsh and bitter judgements. An effort has been made to avoid the use of ethically loaded words such as martyr, and to let those concerned reveal what manner of death, and life, was involved. It is also hoped that the THE PROTESTERS by Alan Eyre 5 story of the sufferings of those recorded here will not be the dominant interest; this is certainly not intended as a Christadelphian version of Foxe's Book of Martyrs, but as a sober appraisal of work done well. When Jesus described his apostles as the salt of the earth they were then far from having themselves a full and complete understanding of the Gospel. Yet they were sent by Jesus two by two to preach the Kingdom of God. Salt serves as a preservative from corruption, and it seems fitting that the efforts of men to preserve from decay and corruption various elements of the truth through the long years of the Master's absence should be similarly regarded. In the case of those now sleeping it is the prerogative of the Lord, not of ourselves, to determine the degree to which their faith will be counted for righteousness. Many who grasped eagerly only one element of Gospel truth out of the morass of prevailing corruption and proclaimed it upon the housetops have in so doing acted as the salt of the earth in so far as their work aided the preservation PAGE 9 of truth and virtue. Some recorded herein perhaps did not have "all the truth" ‐‐ so the writer has been reminded ‐‐ but he hopes that no reader of these pages will be so bold as to consider that he understands all truth. If one does not know more of the truth at the end of one's pilgrimage than at the beginning or the middle, then he is a poor disciple indeed. A Desperate Need All this does not mean that insistence upon a doctrinal basis for faith and fellowship is misguided. Indeed, on the contrary, to uphold Scriptural teaching was the aim of many whose exploits are recreated in these studies. Their success varied, and the process was continuous, dynamic and even painful, needing to be adapted to the changing character of the corruption prevailing. If contention over dogma and statements of faith has produced schism and unchristlike action, it has also promoted intense study of the Word of God and powerful, burning loyalties and convictions ‐‐ all things this spineless generation of ours desperately needs.