Wilhelm Reublin
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Reublin was a leading figure of the Swiss Brethren
movement. Reublin was born in 1484 in Rottenburg am Neckar
. In 1521, after studying theology in Freiburg
and Tübingen
, Reublin became the pastor at St. Alban in Basel and began to advocate reform. St. Alban was soon the center of the evangelical movement in Basel. In the Fall of 1522 Reublin was expelled from the city for his Reformation sermons and moved to Witikon
in 1524, where he became the local pastor and preached against infant baptism. Reublin was with Conrad Grebel
and Felix Manz
in Zürich
in January 1525 at the birth of the Anabaptist movement. Reublin took part in a disputation
on 17 January 1525 after which Grebel, Mantz and Reublin were given eight days to leave the canton.
Reublin proceeded to Hallau
, with John Brötli, who had been in the region of Schaffhausen
since 1521. They soon establish a large Anabaptist congregation there. From Hallau Reublin successfully evangelized in other areas for the young Anabaptist movement. On Easter 1525 he baptized the theologian Balthasar Hubmaier
in Waldshut
, where another center of the Anabaptism was developing. Later Michael Sattler
was baptized by Reublin in Rottenburg
. Other places evangelized by Reublin include Schaffhausen
, Strasbourg
, Reutlingen
and Esslingen. After an arrest in Strasbourg in the Winter of 1528–29, Reublin wandered with other Swiss Brethren to Auspitz
in Moravia where the first farms of the Hutterite
s were established. After a dispute over the sharing of personal resources and money Reublin was banned from the local community and returned to southwest Germany in 1531, where he was again evangelizing in Rottenburg. Sometime later he left the Anabaptist movement. Around 1535 Reublin was in correspondence with the Reformed theologian Heinrich Bullinger
. In August 1554 Reublin appears once in Basel. Little is known about his last years.
Swiss Brethren
The Swiss Brethren are a branch of Anabaptism that started in Zürich, spread to nearby cities and towns, and then was exported to neighboring countries...
movement. Reublin was born in 1484 in Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital Stuttgart and about 12 km southwest of the district town Tübingen...
. In 1521, after studying theology in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
and Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, Reublin became the pastor at St. Alban in Basel and began to advocate reform. St. Alban was soon the center of the evangelical movement in Basel. In the Fall of 1522 Reublin was expelled from the city for his Reformation sermons and moved to Witikon
Witikon
Witikon is a quarter in the district 7 in Zurich.It was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Zurich in 1893.The quarter has a population of 9,864 distributed on an area of 4.93 km²....
in 1524, where he became the local pastor and preached against infant baptism. Reublin was with Conrad Grebel
Conrad Grebel
Conrad Grebel , son of a prominent Swiss merchant and councilman, was a co-founder of the Swiss Brethren movement and is often called the "Father of Anabaptists".-Early life:...
and Felix Manz
Felix Manz
Felix Manz was a co-founder of the original Swiss Brethren Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, Switzerland, and the first martyr of the Radical Reformation.-Birth and life:...
in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in January 1525 at the birth of the Anabaptist movement. Reublin took part in a disputation
Disputation
In the scholastic system of education of the Middle Ages, disputations offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in sciences...
on 17 January 1525 after which Grebel, Mantz and Reublin were given eight days to leave the canton.
Reublin proceeded to Hallau
Hallau
Hallau is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-History:Though Bronze Age weapons have been found in Hallau, the first traces of a settlement date from the Roman era. A Roman warehouse was found in Hüttenhau as well as numerous Roman coins. The area was settled by the...
, with John Brötli, who had been in the region of Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
since 1521. They soon establish a large Anabaptist congregation there. From Hallau Reublin successfully evangelized in other areas for the young Anabaptist movement. On Easter 1525 he baptized the theologian Balthasar Hubmaier
Balthasar Hubmaier
Balthasar Hubmaier was an influential German/Moravian Anabaptist leader. He was one of the most well-known and respected Anabaptist theologians of the Reformation.- Early life and education:...
in Waldshut
Waldshut-Tiengen
Waldshut-Tiengen is a city in southwestern Baden-Württemberg right at the Swiss border. It is the district seat and at the same time the biggest city in Waldshut district and a "middle centre" in the area of the "high centre" Lörrach/Weil am Rhein to whose middle area most towns and communities in...
, where another center of the Anabaptism was developing. Later Michael Sattler
Michael Sattler
Michael Sattler was a monk who left the Roman Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation to become one of the early leaders of the Anabaptist movement. He was particularly influential for his role in developing the Schleitheim Confession.Born in approximately 1490 in Staufen, Germany....
was baptized by Reublin in Rottenburg
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital Stuttgart and about 12 km southwest of the district town Tübingen...
. Other places evangelized by Reublin include Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Reutlingen is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of April 2008, it has a population of 109,828....
and Esslingen. After an arrest in Strasbourg in the Winter of 1528–29, Reublin wandered with other Swiss Brethren to Auspitz
Hustopece
Hustopeče is a town in southern Moravia of the Czech Republic with 5,956 inhabitants. Hustopeče lies in the Břeclav District and is 25 km northwest of Břeclav.-History:...
in Moravia where the first farms of the Hutterite
Hutterite
Hutterites are a communal branch of Anabaptists who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Since the death of their founder Jakob Hutter in 1536, the beliefs of the Hutterites, especially living in a community of goods and absolute...
s were established. After a dispute over the sharing of personal resources and money Reublin was banned from the local community and returned to southwest Germany in 1531, where he was again evangelizing in Rottenburg. Sometime later he left the Anabaptist movement. Around 1535 Reublin was in correspondence with the Reformed theologian Heinrich Bullinger
Heinrich Bullinger
Heinrich Bullinger was a Swiss reformer, the successor of Huldrych Zwingli as head of the Zurich church and pastor at Grossmünster...
. In August 1554 Reublin appears once in Basel. Little is known about his last years.
Further reading
- James M. StayerJames M. StayerJames M. Stayer is a historian specializing in the German Reformation, particularly the anabaptist movement. He is also a Professor Emeritus at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada....
: Wilhelm Reublin. Eine pikareske Wanderung durch das frühe Täufertum. In: Hans-Jürgen Goertz (Hg.): Radikale Reformatoren. 21 biografische Skizzen von Thomas Müntzer bis Paracelsus. München, 1978, S. 93-102. - James M. Stayer: Reublin and Brötli: The Revolutionary Beginnings of Swiss Anabaptism. In: Marc Lienhard (Hg.): The Origins and Characteristics of Anabaptism. The Hague 1977. S. 83-102.
External links
- Reublin, Wilhelm (1480/84-after 1559) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineGlobal Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineThe Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to Mennonites and Anabaptism. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on anabaptist-related topics....