Anabaptist oath refusal: Basel, Bern and Strasbourg, 1525-1538.

摘要

In Early Modern society the civil oath served as a social adhesive, fusing functional and relational bonds between stratified social estates and securing a defined role for every member of society. In both rural and urban contexts, the oath ensured the obedience of every subject or citizen to temporal authority and guaranteed their adherence to prescribed laws.;The Reformation witnessed Reformers and their associated territorial lords successfully challenging and transforming the political arrangement of the Holy Roman Empire. At the same time, peasants, artisans and religious radicals sought to reform the social and political structures of their communities. Many Anabaptists, on the other hand, formally abandoned membership in society altogether. Since they believed a Christian could not be a magistrate and a magistrate therefore should not have decision making authority over spiritual matters, they refused all oaths of loyalty to temporal authorities. Most frequently, they legitimated their oath refusal with Jesus' injunction against the swearing of oaths in Matthew 5:33-37. Anabaptists replaced the traditional oath to civil authority and the secular community with a baptismal covenant which pledged loyalty to Christ as embodied within their sectarian community of believers.;Anabaptist oath refusal caused much consternation among both clergy and magistracy. In Basel, Bern and Strasbourg, willingness to swear became a primary criterion for permission to remain in the city and Anabaptist oath refusal became the subject of much debate. Basel witnessed a detailed three-way exchange between an Anabaptist named Karlin, Basel's reformer, Johannes Oecolampadius, and the city's Catholic Bishop, Augustinus Marius. Hans Pfistermeyer, the founding leader of Anabaptism in the Bernese controlled region of Aarau, capitulated to Bern's Reformed clergy in debate. This prompted several larger debates as the Bern authorities unsuccessfully attempted to duplicate the victory over Pfistermeyer. Strasbourg, a haven for refugees, witnessed diverse Anabaptist viewpoints. However, some form of oath refusal remained the dominant position of Michael Sattler, Hans Denck, Pilgram Marpeck, Melchior Hoffman and other Anabaptists during their Strasbourg residency, despite the concerted efforts of the reformers Wolfgang Capito and Martin Bucer to convince them to the contrary. In practice oath refusal was difficult for most Anabaptists to maintain, especially in response to punishments of imprisonment and exile.