Does an event of May 15, 1525,
have any relevance for May 2012? Specifically, what lesson can we learn from
the Battle of Frankenhausen led by Thomas Müntzer, a tragic figure of the
Protestant Reformation in Germany?
Müntzer (born c.1489) has been
highly regarded by socialists (Communists), but generally criticized by most
Christian thinkers. He is also an embarrassment to contemporary Anabaptists,
for he has sometimes been linked to the beginning of the Anabaptist movement.
Early on, Müntzer was a follower
of Martin Luther, and in 1520 Luther recommended him for the pastorate of a
church in Zwickau, about 125 miles south of Wittenberg. But Müntzer became
increasingly opposed to Luther's ideas and was exiled from Zwickau the next year.
Part of Müntzer’s opposition to
Luther was with regard to baptism. Müntzer began to reject infant baptism, and for that
reason he is sometimes said to be one of the first Anabaptists. And Luther
increasingly opposed Müntzer, not just because of his rejection of infant
baptism but for his militancy.
In 1524 Müntzer became a leader
in the uprising later known as the Peasants’ War. This was partly a class
struggle, and it has been praised as such by Friedrich Engels, who wrote The Peasant War in Germany (1850).
It was also an attempt to set up a local theocracy by military force.
Establishing an apocalyptic kingdom seems to have been a primary focus of Müntzer.
The Peasants’ War in Germany
ended with the Battle of Frankenhausen on May 15, 1525. Around 8,000 peasants
were killed and Müntzer himself was captured, tortured, and then
executed twelve days later.
The tragic
Battle of Frankenhausen is depicted in the world's largest oil painting,
Werner Tübke’s work
housed in its own specially built panoramic museum. That painting is 400 feet long and 45
feet high. (Can you imagine a painting that is considerably longer than a
football field?!) Unfortunately, the Internet link showing the painting no
longer works, but here is an external link telling about the museum, and
several scenes from the painting are included (one of which is pasted below).
One obvious lesson for us is
that, as Jesus said, “all who take the sword will perish
by the sword” (Matthew 26:52, ESV). The only form of Anabaptism that has
survived is that which is pacifistic, and perhaps it is more influential today
than at any time since the sixteenth century.
The main lesson is to beware of,
and openly oppose, Christians leaders who seek to lead us to war in order to
bring about the End Times—such as Rev. John Hagee is seems to be doing.
Hagee (b. 1940) is the founder,
in 2006, of Christians United for Israel, the most visible organization
of American Christian Zionists. He launched that organization just a month
after the release of his bestselling book Jerusalem
Countdown. In his book, which last year was made into a movie that is now on
DVD, Hagee asserts that an American and Israeli war on Iran is not only
biblically prophesied but necessary to bring about Armageddon and the Second
Coming.
The scary thing
about Hagee’s ideas is how some prominent politicians—even recent presidential
hopefuls such as Rick Perry and Rick Santorum—seemingly agree with them.
Linking beliefs
about the End Times to taking up the sword to help inaugurate God’s rule was
not a wise thing for the German peasants in 1524-25, and it is even a more
dangerous idea for Christians today.
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