Zaunmacher, Ulrich (16th century)
Ulrich Zaunmacher (Gemmelich), of Ansbach, Württemberg, Germany, defended himself very skillfully in a number of cross-examinations. He said he wanted to live apostolically if he were permitted to do so. One saw well that many good people were killed. He who teaches otherwise than Christ and His apostles have taught is a liar. He did not want to oppose the government. To him communion was a meal of commemoration. (In John 16 Christ speaks about His flesh which was committed to the cross and not into His mouth). He would stick to that. He believed that if he ate of this bread in faith, he would not only have Christ's body and blood, he would have the entire Christ and the salvation of his soul. But that Christ's body is essentially here and climbs up and down from heaven, that he would commend to the wise men. He asked whether it would be right or wrong if four or five or six together were to observe the Lord's Supper in a house as the apostles did.
In a letter to Margrave George in May 1529 he remarked that the clergy had belabored him with all kinds of hair-splitting catch questions; he repeated his views on the Lord's Supper, and commented that the Jews were more mercifully treated than the Anabaptists: they were given more time to sell their property in order to leave the country. He asked the elector not to expel him. Finally, he was ordered not to talk to anyone about the sacrament but to stick to his trade, otherwise he would be punished. There is a marginal note: he shall leave in a month. It is probable, but not certain, that Zaunmacher was a full Anabaptist.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. IV.
Schornbaum, Karl. Quellen zur Geschichte der Wiedertäufer II. Band, Markgraftum Brandenburg. (Bayern I. Abteilung). Leipzig: M. Heinsius Nachfolger, 1934: 163 f., 167, 181 f, 185, 190, 331.
| Author(s) | Wilhelm Wiswedel |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wiswedel, Wilhelm. "Zaunmacher, Ulrich (16th century)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zaunmacher,_Ulrich_(16th_century)&oldid=144666.
APA style
Wiswedel, Wilhelm. (1959). Zaunmacher, Ulrich (16th century). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zaunmacher,_Ulrich_(16th_century)&oldid=144666.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1018. All rights reserved.
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