The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-26

to the emergencies OF the moment, TO
undertake any systematic application OF
their communistic doctrine
We pass to the marital arrangements OF
tho Saints in Minister. There III reason
to believe that originally tho Anabaptists
OF this town, like an enormous majority
of their co-religionists elsewhere, protested
and practiced asceticism in sexual as IN
other matters The modification that
eventually took place in Minister was OF
peculiar character Had 1t been in the
direction Of a community Of wives or OF
free love, it would have had its parallel
in certain previous phases Of medi@yal
Christian communism. As a matter OF
fact. however, IL is unique in the history
of medieval socio-religious movements.
The contract or sacrament. aS the Ana
baptists regarded it, of marriage, once
entered upon, was no less sacred and bind
ing In Minister after the introduction OF
polygamy than il had been under the
previous monogamy. The twenty-eight
articles promulgated by Jan OF Leyden
in January, 1888, months after polygamy
had been introduced, exhibit the same
severity against adultery and all forms OF
Illicit sexual intercourse that had been
evinced In the edict of the Twelve Elders
by whom the community had previously
been governed, an edict enacted before
the introduction OF the new marriage
system. That marriages concluded be-
fore re-baptism should be regarded as null
and void was only a logical deduction
from the idea of new life entered upon
by those who Joined the community OF
the Saints The explanation OF the
polygamy Of the Miinsterites is probably
the fact that, after the siege of the town
began, the numerical proportion Of women
to men could not have been less than three
or four to one. and was probably greater.
Given such state Of things. combined
with a strict code Of morals, 1t is obvious
that an uptenable situation was created
from sexual point Of view. which could
only be remedied by an enlargement of
the moral and religious sanction with refer
ence to marriage. This, at all events. was
the course pursued by Jan Of Leyden and
his colleagues.
An almost exclusive study Of the Bible,
and the conviction of the Anahaptists
that they were living over again the life Of
the Old Testament Israel as they conceived
II rendered the notion of plurality of wives
acceptable by its accordance with the house
hold practices of the patriarchai society
depicted in the Pentateuch. The biblical
patriarchaI view taken Of the marriage
relation is further attested by the authority
given TO tho husband over his wives and
household generally. 1t may be true
l.. l. I>,L Lal.
son certainly, did not in all respects share
the ultra-ascetic views of some Anabap-
fists any more than they shared the belief
in the doctrine of non-resistance which
had originally prevailed throughout the
sect; the evidence shows, however. that
even these leaders accepted for the COM
munty the strict doctrines on sexual NOR
atty that obtained among the Brethren.
1t should further be noted that in Protest
ant Germany the institution OF polygamy
was not 30 abhorrent in 1885 as il would be
to-day. Such accredited representatives
of orthodox Protestant respecfabllity as
Luther and Melancthon had declared
polygamy not to be contrary to Christianity,
L. will be remembered that Luther sane
toned the second marriage Of the Landgraf
of Hesse. though the latter had one wife
living who was not divorced. No doubt
Luther and Melancthon would have liked
TO reserve their doctrine for the conven-
fence OF the great ones OF the earth. but
their argument that polygamy had been
never been forbidden by Christ or the
Apostles. must to the Anabaptist mind
have held equally good when applied, not
merely in the case Of Princes, but to the
community at large.
The extinction of the Kingdom Of God
In Minister practically meant the end Of
militant Anabaptism. II gave the non
resistant element among the Anabaptists
an impetus which caused II ultimately to
regain it's original ascendency. Never
again did Anabaptism achieve anything
as an independent political force. More
over. the socialistic side of the movement,
which had previously been recognized
by both the militant and the non-re4istsnt
sections, tended more and more. TO fall
into the back ground in favor Of purely
theological interests. The old family
communism among the faithful, founded
on what was believed TO have been the
practice of apostolic times, ceas ed to no
insisted upon. One moderate faction, in
deed, the Obbenite. taught rs a leading
tenet that no other social and political
conditions than those already estab lished
were TO be looked for here below, and that
1t was the duty of the Saints to accept
them in all humility as the dispensat il
81 God. Memo Simon, also, the founder
Of the Mennonite sect, repudiated all notion
Of socio-political change in this world
Toward the end Of che sixteenth century
the Anebaptist communities on the conti-
nent of Europe. from Moravia in the east
to the extremity Of northwestern Germany,
beran to settle down. as a rule, into law
abiding and generally prosperous religious
, organizations. In 1925 the Mennonites
were officially recognized in the Low Coun-
tries as a religious body. with the right to
| freedom of worship Elsewhere a like
| federation was accorded TO other fractions
of the once powerful and dreaded Ana
baptist party
All hist 'rians and writer's for the
| encyclopedias regard the Apabartist re-
volt of the fourth decade Of the sixteenth
century az a kind OF continuation or re-
| crudescence Of the great peasant revolt
of the previous decade. Mr.. Rax does not
, deny that there lis a tincture OF truth in
this view. Both movements sDrang from like
economic causes, and represented substan-
| tally the same order OF thought az regards
| their ideal expressions. There was, however.
i n marked difference between the two move
ments in respect of the classes that en-
Cared them. The revolt of i524-25 was
! prednminantlv an agrarian and peasant
| movement, although it was assisted by the
| poorer handicraftsnen and disinherlted
classes that generally dwelt within walled
towns. During the inslrrection, 1t was
| the reasantry that took the lead and ini-
| tiated the movement in almost every In
| stance. The Anabaptst uprising OF ten
| years later. on the contrary, was predomi-
nantly townsmans movement, alt though