Anabaptists

Anabaptists (Neo Latin: Anabaptista, Late Greek: Anabaptizein) were a group of religious people who defied Catholic and other Christian traditions in the Middle Ages of Europe by refuting the sacred tradition of infant baptism. The Anabaptists, which literally meant "rebaptizers" or "baptized again," considered themselves Christians, but were persecuted for this belief and other values that countered certain ancient doctrines of Christianity. Men and women, who were given the label of Anabaptist, most often faced a death sentence and were attacked by fellow Protestant Christians and Catholics. This religious sect started in the early 1500s during the Protestant Reformation in central Europe in countries such as Germany and Switzerland, and regions such as Moravia (eastern part of today’s Czech Republic). Despite many members of this group being martyred in the 1500s and 1600s, their ideas and survivors survived into the twenty-first century with groups such as the Amish, Mennonites, German Baptists, and Hutterites.

Early History

The sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation in Europe was led by men such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin. These religious men, calling themselves Christians, challenged the dominance of the Catholic Church and some its traditional religious practices. Through the actions and words of these individuals who altered the religious climate at the time, Anabaptism was born. Most early Anabaptists were intrigued by the disputations of these reformers, particularly honing-in on the role of infant baptism in Christianity. While many agreed with these religious reformers' critiques of the Catholic Church, some felt more could be done in terms of reforming the ideology of Christianity itself.

Conrad Grebel, seen by some as the first Anabaptist, broke from Zwingli over fears the Protestant religion was shifting too far away from evangelicalism, not reforming far enough, and validating infant baptism. He and others, such as Feliz Manz and Michael Sattler, challenged religious reformers on basic Christian doctrines, most notably baptism. They argued that one who is to be baptized must be able to make their own confession of faith, something that is impossible at infancy. Along with denying infant baptism, the Anabaptists took a strong position on avoiding any links between religion and civil government and advocated for a separation of church and state.

Anabaptists refused to participate in secular activities and strongly believed in pacifism. Men and women who followed this cause refused to participate in any wars of religion or those requiring public participation. And, above all else, Anabaptists held sacred the authority of the New Testament above all religious leaders. The Bible was seen as the sole authority on religious matters, which contrasted sharply with the Catholic Church and Protestant Reformers.

The actions and words of this radical group caught the attention of both Catholics and Protestants. These groups saw Anabaptists as a heretical, radical, and blasphemous cult that needed to be eradicated from European society. Between the 1520s and 1660s, more than 1,000 Anabaptist men and women were killed for their beliefs. These victims were drowned, beheaded, tortured, and burned at the stake, and became martyrs for their cause.

Overview

For the most part, Anabaptists have been seen as peaceful, religious, and bound still to many of their original beliefs. One moment, or aberration, of this history was in the 1530s. Led by Jan Matthys, several Anabaptists took over the city of Munster, in Westphalia, Germany. Deemed radicals, these Anabaptists saw Munster as the New Jerusalem and held power until a coalition of both Catholics and Lutherans helped to end the radicals’ control over the city through a vicious war and brutal repression. This was one of only a few moments in Anabaptist history where radicalism and violence were most associated with their movement.

Several religious groups around the world, and notably in the United States, have roots dating back to the Anabaptists. These include the Amish, Mennonites, Mennonite Brethren, Hutterites, and Brethren in Christ. Specifically, the Mennonites have different sects around the world and trace their religious lineage back to Menno Simons (d. 1559), a Dutch religious reformer who helped form the Anabaptist tradition in the north of Europe. While influenced by Protestant reformers such as Luther and Zwingli, Simons preferred the authority of the New Testament to all else and began to gain a following for his beliefs. His followers became Mennonites (after his first name) and represented their own distinct brand of Christianity.

Similar but different is another modern Anabaptist group, the Amish. The Amish date their roots to the 1600s to Swiss reformer Jakob Ammann (1644–1712). In his sect he emphasized the need to separate from governmental and civil activities, which is linked similarly to the original values of Anabaptists. More so than Mennonites, this doctrine emphasized purity and simplicity among followers, such as in dress and personal appearance.

There are several aspects about the Anabaptists that are significant to religious and political history. First, Anabaptists were some of the earliest proponents of religious liberty. Anabaptists fought to practice their version of Christianity freely, which included their controversial views on baptism, the New Testament, and the separation of church and state. Many early Anabaptists became martyrs for their cause and the right to be called Christians. Today, the Amish still maintain a separation between their religion and government, particularly in the United States.

Anabaptists have not only been studied historically but also illustrated in well-known works of literature. Voltaire’s Candide (1759), which attacked the religious climate at the time, portrayed a character named Jacques (James), an Anabaptist who was kind to the main character, Candide. Similarly, in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (1961), the character named Chaplain was an Anabaptist minister.

Anabaptism Today

The Anabaptist tradition of purity and simplicity is still carried on in the modern world. Groups like the Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, and others emphasize the simplicity of religion and eschew frivolous ways of living. An essential part of the Anabaptist faith is the fellowship of all believers. While all consider themselves Christian sects, they widely differ from Catholics and Protestants. A number of religious groups descended from the Anabaptist tradition continued to exist into the twenty-first century. By 2019, there were roughly 4 million members of Anabaptist-descended religions; the Mennonites were the largest at about 2.1 million, followed by the German Baptists at 1.5 million, the Amish at 313,000, and the Hutterites at 50,000.

The Mennonites, by far the largest contemporary community descended from the Anabaptist tradition, are found in large numbers in many countries around the world. The 2018 Mennonite World Conference found that the countries with the largest Mennonite populations were the United States, Ethiopia, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Canada. Mennonites in the US were concentrated in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, and Illinois. Smaller congregations descended from Mennonite colonies also existed in several Latin American countries, including Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico. In contrast to some other groups, namely the Amish, most Mennonites do not separate themselves from secular, modern society; instead, many Mennonites connect with people outside their faith by engaging in service or mission work. Some congregations of Mennonites, such as the Old Order Mennonites, reject most forms of modern technology. As with other Anabaptist groups, Mennonites generally embrace the values of simplicity, modesty, and pacifism.

Of the largest contemporary Anabaptist groups, the Amish, formally known as the Old Order Amish, tend to be the most restrictive in their relationships with contemporary secular society. While some Mennonite groups have cautiously adopted or even embraced modern technology, the Amish typically reject most modern technology and generally maintain a separatist attitude toward secular society. In the US, the Amish, who are mostly concentrated in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, generally do not participate in Social Security, attend public schools, or perform military service. Instead, Amish communities tend to embrace self-sufficiency and a life based on a set of rules known as the Ordnung. While each Amish church develops its own Ordnung and exact rules can vary slightly from one locality to another, the Ordnung is generally based on traditional Amish practices and Christian beliefs and dictates all aspects of public and private behavior. In particular, the Amish value the concept of Gelassenheit, a belief found in other Anabapist faiths that emphasizes the importance of accepting God's will.

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