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The Reformation and the Anabaptists:
Steps to Reconciliation
26 June, 2004, Zurich, Switzerland
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An account of Felix Manz' Death
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As told by Philippe Daetwyler, cultural representative of the Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich, at the dedication of the stone tablet.
Here we stand. On this memorable Saturday in the year of our Lord, 2004, we look over the Limmat, which flows calmly, reflecting the evening light.
Here, at this place 477 years earlier, many people stood, councilmen, bystanders, and onlookers. It was cold on that day literally and figuratively. It was January 5, 1527. A Saturday like today. It was the day before Three King‘s Day. On this day, Felix Manz, the first of seven Anabaptists to be executed in Zurich, was drowned.
Six weeks before, in the middle of October 1526, the Zurich authorities had ruled that those who teach and practice adult baptism, and who continue to meet for this purpose will be punished by death.
A few weeks later, in December, Felix Manz was arrested and thrown into the city prison, into the so-called Wellenberg tower. This was a stone tower in the middle in the Limmat, there where the river flows from the lake.
In prison, Felix Manz remained steadfast in his opinion He said that he would continue to practice rebaptism, because it was biblical.
The authorities probably wanted to make an example of Manz as a dire warning to other Anabaptists.
The church cooperated, too. Two days before the drowning of Felix Manz, Zwingli wrote to Oekolampad, the reformer at Basel: "The Anabaptist, who should already have been sent to the devil , disturbs the peace of the pious people. But I believe, the ax will settle it."
Not only did Zwingli seem to know what was going to happen on that Saturday. He had also endorsed it.
Heinrich Bullinger describes the martyrdom of Felix Manz, January 5, 1527, in his Reformation Chronicle in this way:
Manz was taken out of the Wellenberg prison and led to the fish market there by the Limmat. There his death sentence was read. He was taken to the butcher shop, and then forced into a boat, in which the executioner and a pastor were standing.
According to Bullinger, it was while he was on this painful course that Felix Manz met his mother and his brother, who encouraged him to remain steadfast and faithful. Then he was brought in the boat to this place. At that time there was a small fishing hut located in the middle in the river.
Felix Manz was placed on the platform of the hut, where his hands were shackled and (while seated) pulled over his knees. Then a stick was inserted under his knees and over his arms so that he was even more securely bound.*
And as the executioner performed his duty, so the story goes, Manz sang out with loud voice, Domine in Manus tuas commendo spiritum meum; "Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit."
Then using ropes the executioner pulled him off the platform of the fishing hut, down into the cold waters of the Limmat.
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Translated by John Sharp, with assistance from Dorothy Jean Weaver and Peter Dettwiler
* Note from Peter Dettwiler, Zurich: "Knebeln" (gag) was used here generally means to stuff a stick (with a peace of cloth) into one's mouth, but in this case it means to bind or shackle with the help of a stick. See the picture attached, but on the picture you don't exactly see the arms bound over the knees. This final scene is depicted in an early illustration found in the Zurich City Archives, and was used on the program for the June 26, 2004 conference.