Grünfelder, Hans (d. 1538)
Hans Grünfelder, an Anabaptist martyr, a native of Lüsen in Tyrol, Austria, served first as deacon, then as preacher in his home church and in the vicinity of Michelsburg and Schöneck. At the end of November or the beginning of December 1537 he was seized in the Oetz Valley with Sebastian Glaser and taken to Imst. Dr. Gall (see Gallus Müller) was sent to Imst to convert them, but his trouble was in vain. The confession made by Grünfelder reveals that he had joined the Anabaptist congregation two years before and had at first stayed in the Puster Valley. Concerning the death of the prisoners, who were joined by Old Oswald of the Oetz Valley, Griesinger wrote to Hans Amon and Ulrich Stadler and the entire brotherhood in Moravia: "We [Griesinger and Lochmaier] cannot refrain from writing to our brethren. They testified with great joy to the holy Word of the Lord, as you already know,; but not in detail. I cannot really describe their joy. When Bastl and Hansel were executed, about 1,000 persons were present. Hansel cried out quite loud, admonishing and warning the people. Bastl did too, until his death, together with Old Oswald. The populace was quite horrified. It is true, as the wise man says, Neither the aged nor the gray will be spared. They did not let their legs finish burning, but threw them into the water; we hope that their witness was not in vain." Bastl Glaser is the author of two hymns. Griesinger's account is in part taken verbatim from the Geschicht-Buch.
Bibliography
Beck, Josef. Die Geschichts-Bücher der Wiedertäufer in Oesterreich-Ungarn. Vienna, 1883; reprinted Nieuwkoop: De Graaf, 1967: 132.
Braght, Thieleman J. van. Het Bloedigh Tooneel of Martelaers Spiegel der Doopsgesinde of Weereloose Christenen, Die om 't getuygenis van Jesus haren Salighmaker geleden hebben ende gedood zijn van Christi tijd of tot desen tijd toe. Den Tweeden Druk. Amsterdam: Hieronymus Sweerts, 1685: II, 40.
Braght, Thieleman J. van. The Bloody Theatre or Martyrs' Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized Only upon Confession of Faith and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus Their Saviour . . . to the Year A.D. 1660. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1951: 446. Available online at: http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/index.htm.
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 192 f.
Die Lieder der Hutterischen Brüder: Gesangbuch darinnen viel und mancherlei schöne Betrachtungen, Lehren, Vermahnungen, Lobgesänge und Glaubensbekenntnisse, von vielen Liebhabern Gottes gedichtet und aus vielen Geschichten und Historien der heiligen Schrift zusammengetragen, allen frommen Liebhabern Gottes sehr nützlich zu singen und zu lessen. Scottdale, Pa. : Mennonitisches Verlagshaus, 1914. Reprinted Cayley, AB: Hutterischen Brüdern in Kanada, 1962: 71-74.
Loserth, Johann. Der Anabaptismus in Tirol. Vienna: F. Tempsky, 1892: II, 148.
Wolkan, Rudolf. Geschicht-Buch der Hutterischen Brüder. Macleod, AB, and Vienna, 1923: 133.
Wolkan, Rudolf. Die Lieder der Wiedertäufer. Berlin, 1903. Reprinted Nieuwkoop: B. De Graaf, 1965: 171.
| Author(s) | Johann Loserth |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Loserth, Johann. "Grünfelder, Hans (d. 1538)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gr%C3%BCnfelder,_Hans_(d._1538)&oldid=145351.
APA style
Loserth, Johann. (1956). Grünfelder, Hans (d. 1538). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gr%C3%BCnfelder,_Hans_(d._1538)&oldid=145351.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 604. All rights reserved.
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