Pilgram Marpeck: His Life and Social Theology

211 Pages·1992·15.268 MB·English

by  Stephen B. Boyd

Duke Monographs in
Medieval and Renaissance Studies 12
Editorial Committee
Arthur B. Ferguson, Edward P. Mahoney, Chairman
Lee W. Patterson, David C. Steinmetz,
Bruce W. Wardropper, Ronald G. Witt,
Caroline Bruzelius,Joan M. Ferrante
Published in association with the
Institut fUr Europaische Geschichte, Mainz:
Veroffentlichungen des Instituts fUr Europaische Geschichte,
Abteilung Religionsgeschichte, Band 147
DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS · DURHAM
1992
PILGRAM MARPECK
HIS LIFE AND SOCIAL THEOLOGY
BY
STEPHEN B. BOYD
TheFrankS. andElizabethD. BrewerPrize Essay ofthe American Society
of Church History
DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS · DURHAM
1992
DieDeutscheBibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Boyd, Stephen B.:
Pilgram Marpeck:His Life and social Theology / von Stephen B. Boyd.
Mainz: von Zabern, 1992
(Veroffentlichungendes Institutsfur EuropaischeGeschichteMainz;
Bd. 147: AbteilungReligionsgeschichte)
ISBN 3-8053-1159-1
NE: Institutfur Europaische Geschichte (Mainz): Veroffentlichungen
des Instituts ...
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Boyd, Stephen Blake.
Pilgram Marpeck: his life and social theology / by Stephen B. Boyd.
Includes bibliographicalreferences and index.
ISBN0-8223-1100-3
1. Marbeck, Pilgram, ca. 1495-1556. 2. Anabaptists- Biography.
3. Anabaptists- Doctrines- History- 16thcentury.
4. Sociology, Christian- History- 16thcentury. I.Title.
BX4946.M3B69 1992
284'.3-dc20 (B) 90-44076CIP
© 1992 by Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein
ISBN 3-8053-1159-1
AIle Rechte vorbehalten / All rights reserved
Printed in Germany byPhilipp von Zabern
Printed on acid-free paper
00
Published in the United States by Duke University Press, Durham,
North Carolina
Tothememoryofthosementionedinthesepages
andthoseconnectedtothemwho havebornewitness to the
»mysteryofthecross ofChrist.«

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments IX
Abbreviations XI
Introduction
Chapter 1 Rattenberg: CrisisofLoyalty 5
Chapter2 The»MysteryoftheCross«: Theologies ofSuffering 25
Chapter3 Strassburg: SocialandReligious Radicalism 43
Chapter4 Marpeck's Theologyofthe Cross
andtheChristianCommunity 69
Chapter5 InterimYears: Strugglefor UnityandInstitutionalIdentity 97
Chapter6 Augsburg: ConfessionalPluralismandPoliticalConflict 127
Chapter7 GerechtigkeitandMarpeck'sSocialTheology 147
Conclusion 169
Bibliography 173
Index 193

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is a revision of a dissertation submitted to the Committee on
AdvancedDegrees ofHarvardDivinitySchoolforthe Th.D. degree. Iampleased
to express mygratitude to the followingpersons andinstitutionswhichhave not
onlymadethisstudypossible, butalsoenrichedit immeasurably.
In writing the original manuscript, I received assistance and am grateful to the
following professors: Arthur McGill for the influence his mode of thought has
had on my approach to this material; Steven Ozment for suggesting a
biographical treatment of Marpeck; Margaret Miles for her inspiration and
insightful comments; Clarissa Atkinson for her constant encouragement, critical
observations, and attempts to bringstyle andclarity to my prose; and George H.
Williams, under whose watchful eye and probing questions the topic germinated
andgrew, andfor hispersonalandprofessionalcounsel.
HarvardDivinitySchoolandHarvard Universityprovidedscholarship aidand
a stimulating environment which shaped many of the concerns and methods I
brought to this work. I am particularly grateful for a research fellowship (1982
83)from theInstitutfur EuropaischeGeschichteinMainz, under thedirection of
ProfessorPeter Manns; to his assistants, Rolf Decot and Rainer Vinke, for their
aidin manyscholarly andpractical matters; and to my fellowStipendiatenin the
Religionsabteilung, who helped me with modern and Friihneuhochdeutsch, as
wellaspaleographyandarchivalresearch.
I received many courtesies and much assistance in various archives and
libraries: Regensburg Stadtarchiv, Augsburg Stadtarchiv (especially Professor
Claus Peter Clasen) and Stadtbibliothek, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Neuburg
Staatsarchiv, Wiirttembergische Landesbibliothek, VIm Stadtarchiv, Fiirstliches
Waldburgisches Archiv Zeil, Landesregierungsarchiv fUr Tirol (especially Mr.
Perktold and Mr. Rupert), Konsistorial Archiv Salzburg, Zentralbibliothek
Zurich, Appenzell Stadtarchiv, Strasbourg Archives de Ville, the library of the
Institut fur Europaische Geschichte (especiallyPaul Hupka, Frau Resch and Frau
Ries), the Andover- Harvard Theological Library, the Z. Smith Reynolds
Library of Wake Forest University (especially Mr. Paul Ach), and the Wake
Forest University School of Law (especially Rachel Hilbun for her technical
assistance).
I wish also to thank Michael Birkel, Miriam Chrisman, Joyce Irwin, Andre
Seguenny, andJames Stayer for reading parts or all of the manuscript at various
stages and for theirsuggestions; GalenJohnson for helping with the index; Neal
x
Acknowledgments
Bloughfor makinghis dissertationavailable to meandfor his criticalresponse to
drafts ofthis work; Heinold Fast for his enthusiastic support of this project and
his generosityinsharingwithme hiscriticaltext ofDasKunstbuch alongwithhis
transcripts ofrelatedarchival material; andRussellSizemoreandJohn Collins for
theirsustainingfriendship.
Funds for additional research were provided by the German Academic
ExchangeService (DAAD), the National Endowmentfor the Humanities (Travel
to Collections), and the William C. Archie Fund of Wake Forest University,
which also subsidized this publication with a grant from its research and
publicationfund.
I am grateful also for the generous subvention accompanying the FrankS. and
ElizabethD. BrewerPrize awarded by the American society of Church History,
whichmadecopublicationpossible.
Finally, I am most pleased about the appearance of this book in the series of
the Duke University Press and of the Institut fur Europaische Geschichte - an
expressionofthebreadthofits ecumenicalcommitmentandvision.
ABBREVIAnONS
ABT Ottenthal, Emilvon, ando. Redlich,ArchivBerichte
aus Tirol
Antwon Losenh,Johann, ed.,PilgramMarbecksAntwortauf
KasparSchwenckfeldsBeurteilungdesBuchesder
Bundesbezeugungvon 1542
ARG ArchivfurReformationsgeschichte
Aufdeckung Marpeck,AufdeckungderBabylonischenhum...
Bekenntnis Marpeck, BekenntnisanJan vonPernstain
CC Klassen,William, CovenantandCommunity
CH ChurchHistory
CS CorpusSchwenckfeldianorum
CV Marpeck, Clareverantwurtung
Confession Confession ofFaith, 1532
E Biinderlin,Erklerungdurchvergleichung...
KB Maler,Jorg, DasKunstbuch
KR,l Krebs, Manfred, andHansGeorgRott, eds., ElsaJ1,
partI: StadtStrassburg, 1522-1532
KR,2 Krebs Manfred, andHansGeorgRott, eds.,ElsajS,
partII: StadtStrassburg, 1533-1535
KU Marpeck,AinKlarervastnutzlicherunterricht...
LRAT TirolerLandesregierungsarchiv
ME MennoniteEncyclopedia
MGB Mennonitische Geschichtsblatter
MQR MennoniteQuarterlyReview
MZ Entfelder, Von den manigl'altigenimglauben
zerspaltungen...
RPA Rattenbergpfarrarchiv
SAR RattenbergStadtarchiv
R.St-A RegensburgStadtarchiv
St-A.A StadtarchivAugsburg
S.St-A StrasbourgStadtarchiv
TD TheologiaDeutsch, ed. HermannMandel
TE Marpeck, Testamenterleutterung
WA WeimarAusgabe
WPM Klassen,William, andWalterKlaassen, Writingsof
PilgramMarpeck