The German Anabaptist Balthasar Hubmaier (c.1480-1528) has long been neglected by historians due to his premature death and the constrictive pigeon-hole that previous historians have tried and failed to force him into. Unlike any other Anabaptist leader he believed that it was God’s will for society to work with and support its government and that the government ideally should be composed of Christian’s who would protect its citizens from those who would wish to do them harm. Using Hubmaier’s own writings, which include On Heretics and Those Who Burn Them (1524), Dialogue with Zwingli’s Baptism Book (1526) and On The Sword (1527); this thesis will build upon the work of the historian Kirk MacGregor (2006) and examine Hubmaier’s beliefs in the areas that MacGregor did not cover; such as his views on non-resistance, ‘the sword’ and magisterial authority. The thesis will determine that Hubmaier’s beliefs on these issues did indeed make him unique among the Anabaptists; and that historians need to redefine the term ‘Anabaptist’ so that there is room within the definition for a unique figure such as Hubmaier.
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