Loading article…
ツヴィッカウの預言者（ドイツ語: Zwickauer Propheten、Zwickauer Storchianer）は、神聖ローマ帝国のザクセン選帝侯領ツヴィッカウ出身の急進的宗教改革派の3人の男性で、1522年初頭に近隣のヴィッテンベルクで起きた騒乱と、そこで発展しつつあった宗教改革に関与していた可能性がある。預言者たち、そして彼らの信念の支持者たちは、アルファベットを学ぶことは決してしない方が良いと彼らが信じていたことから、アルファベットを学ぶことを否定する者（アベセダリアン）とも呼ばれた。彼らは世俗的な知識が精神的な悟りを妨げると考えていたからである。[ 1 ]
ニコラウス・シュトルヒ、トーマス・ドレシェル、マルクス・シュテューブナーの3人は、ツヴィッカウで運動を始めた。近年の研究ではこの3人の名前が有力視されているが、[ 2 ]他の名前も提案されている。ラース・ペダーソン・クアルベンは「ドレシェル」の代わりに「マルクス」という名前を使用し、[ 3 ]ヘンリー・クレイ・ヴェダーはドレシェルをマルクス・トーマに置き換えた[ 4 ]（ウィリアム・ロスコ・エステップはシュテューブナーにミドルネーム「トーマス」を与えた[ 5 ]）。
ツヴィッカウの預言者と再洗礼派運動との関係については、様々な解釈がなされてきた。彼らは、1525年のスイス同胞団の台頭以前の再洗礼派の先駆的な基盤と見なされたり、トーマス・ミュンツァーへの影響を除いて運動とは無関係と見なされたり、スイス同胞団と共に再洗礼派の複合運動を形成する二重の基盤と見なされたりしてきた。[ 6 ]再洗礼派との正確な関係はともかく、ツヴィッカウの預言者たちは、ヴィッテンベルクでの騒乱への関与からもわかるように、マルティン・ルターと主流プロテスタントに対する急進的な代替案を提示した。彼らは、ルターと同時代の急進派であるアンドレアス・カールシュタットや、メソジスト派の特定の宗派にも影響を与えた。[ 1 ]
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Zwickau Prophets was their spiritualism, which was that direct revelations from the Holy Spirit, not Scripture, were their authority in theological matters.[7] Another highly distinctive feature was their opposition to infant baptism,[8] but the Zwickau Prophets do not seem to have departed from theory to have taken the turn to practicing adult baptism of believers that would mark Anabaptism.[9]
The Zwickau Prophets also held to imminent apocalypticism,[10] which led them to believe that the end of days would come soon. They also possibly sought a Believers' Church,[11] which would be separate from the state churches of Protestantism and Catholicism.
The Zwickau prophets were influenced by the Waldensians and the Taborites.[12]
The trio, having been exiled from Zwickau, arrived in Wittenberg on December 27, 1521.[3] The men and their ideas had gained favor among Andreas Karlstadt and others who sought greater reforms in the city.[5] Despite their acceptance among some, the Prophets' presence may have caused an unrest in the city that Philipp Melanchthon was unable to settle.[3] Melanchthon turned to Martin Luther, who was at that time being held in protective custody at the Wartburg Castle, and at the behest of the Wittenberg town council, Luther returned to his reforming activities in Wittenberg on March 6, 1522.[13]
Luther soon preached eight sermons against those he would label Schwärmer ("Fanatics") and the force of these sermons was enough to calm the growing radicalism in the city.[14] The Prophets then reportedly confronted Luther in order to assert the authority of the Spirit-mediated message over Luther and his gospel. Luther claimed to have demanded that they authenticate their message with a miracle, a sign which the men refused to give. The Prophets then denounced Luther and left Wittenberg.[15]
Thomas Müntzer held two posts as preacher in Zwickau in 1520/21 and had contact with the Zwickau Prophets. While Müntzer may have associated himself for a time with them and held similar views to them in several areas of doctrine, this is not the same as Müntzer being a part of their group. As Vedder explained it, Müntzer was "with" the Prophets, but not "of" them.[4] Some historians, however, have asserted that instead of the Zwickau Prophets and Müntzer being parallel with a mutual influence, Müntzer used the Prophets for his revolutionary ends.[16][17]
While the above narrative of the events of Wittenberg in early 1522 and the association of the Zwickau Prophets with them had become the standard textbook explanation of the case, Olaf Kuhr has proposed a new explanation for understanding the occasion.[18] Referring to primary sources, such as correspondences, Kuhr concludes that Dreschel and Storch left Wittenberg before January 1 and Stübner by January 6.[19] With the former pair in Wittenberg for no more than four days and the latter for no more than ten, Kuhr questioned how great of an impact the Prophets could have had and if they were the source of the Wittenberg disturbances. Their absence would explain Qualben's observation (noting that is named by Kuhr as holding to the older historiography) that Luther made no personal references to the Prophets in the eight sermons preached upon his return.[20]
Kuhr also challenged the older explanation on the confrontation that the Prophets had with Luther. Kuhr concluded that the Prophets did not come to Luther as a group but had each approached Luther at various times in the following year during separate visits to Wittenberg.[21] Luther's account of the encounters, though appearing singular may have been a conflation of separate meetings, each meeting being similar enough for Luther to describe as one.