Wüthrich, Peter (18th century)

Peter Wüthrich, an Anabaptist preacher in the Emmental, Switzerland, was compelled to emigrate in accord with a regulation of the Bernese cantonal government of 11 February 1711. Many of the exiles re­turned, including Peter Wüthrich. A regulation of 11 December 1711, stipulated that the Anabaptists who returned were to be put into prison, some in chains, the others without chains and to be held there until they should die or conform to the church regula­tions (Ratsmanual 49, 431).

As in 1571, again six of the outstanding Anabap­tist leaders were to be condemned to galley slavery, concerning whom an Anabaptist hymn says, "They have taken six Brethren, have forged chains upon them, are sending them to the sea; may God be the captain of their souls."

These six men were to be put for safer keeping into the Titliger tower. On the next day a note was sent to the Täuferkammer which gave the information that on account of the feebleness of old age not more than four were found fit for galley service. These were Hans Luthi, the preacher of Schaufel Bühl, 54 years old; Nikolaus Baumgartner of Trub, 40; Peter Wüthrich of Trub, 50; and Jo­seph Probst of Trub, 50. A fifth man, Christian Liebe of the Palatinate, who was seized in the can­ton of Bern, was sent to the galleys with the others. These five men were delivered to Captain Hackbrett, who conducted them to Sicily where they were forged to the oars of a galley.

According to a letter, Baumgartner died in Turin and Hans Luthi died on the galley. Concerning the other three, one of whom was Peter Wüthrich, a letter was sent from Palermo to the Dutch Mennonites (Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam, reprinted in Müller). The Dutch Mennonites intervened and they were released in January 1716. They arrived in Neuenburg by way of Turin and Geneva in a very wretched condition. Wüthrich and Probst are said to have moved into the Bernese Jura.

Bibliography

Geiser, Samuel. Die Taufgesinnten-Gemeinden. Karlsruhe: Heinrich Schneider, 1931. 

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

Müller, Ernst. Geschichte der Bernischen Täufer. Frauenfeld: Huber, 1895. Reprinted Nieuwkoop : B. de Graaf, 1972.

Author(s)	Samuel Geiser
Date Published	1959

Cite This Article

MLA style

Geiser, Samuel. "Wüthrich, Peter (18th century)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 29 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=W%C3%BCthrich,_Peter_(18th_century)&oldid=86282.

APA style

Geiser, Samuel. (1959). Wüthrich, Peter (18th century). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 29 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=W%C3%BCthrich,_Peter_(18th_century)&oldid=86282.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 998. All rights reserved.

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