Fichter, Konrad (d. 1532)

Konrad Fichter (Füechter, Kuntz), an Anabaptist martyr, was executed for his faith at Sterzing in the Adige Valley, Tyrol, Austria, in 1532. He was treasurer of the Hutterian brotherhood, and evidently influential. In 1532 he was taken prisoner while working in Tyrol. The Chronicles relate that he was so severely racked that the hangman thought he would "break."

From prison he wrote two epistles. One contains consolations and greetings to Jakob Hutter, Hans Amon, and his wife, as well as the request to support him with prayers in his coming struggle. The other one is written to the earnest believers in the Adige Valley in South Tyrol, which seems to indicate that this was his chief field of labor. This epistle is particularly remarkable for its folkloristic or popular slant and the vigor of its expression. It has been published in full by A. J. F. Zieglschmid, with a plate showing a facsimile of the beginning of this epistle in one of the codices.

Repeated attempts by the clergy to convert Fichter failed, and therefore he was put to death. He is reputedly the author of the hymn, "Als man mit dem Kreuze ging."

Bibliography

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.  Part II, 34.

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, 441. Available online at: http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/index.htm.

Friedmann, Robert. "The Epistles of the Hutterite Brethren." Mennonite Quarterly Review 20 (1946): 164 f., with excerpts of one of these epistles in translation.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon., 4 v. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 643.

Loserth, Johann. Der Anabaptismus in Tirol.  Vienna: F. Tempsky, 1892: 508.

Author(s)	Johann Loserth
Date Published	1956

Cite This Article

MLA style

Loserth, Johann. "Fichter, Konrad (d. 1532)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fichter,_Konrad_(d._1532)&oldid=94629.

APA style

Loserth, Johann. (1956). Fichter, Konrad (d. 1532). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fichter,_Konrad_(d._1532)&oldid=94629.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 327. All rights reserved.

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