Footnotes to the Schleitheim Confession
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- Beginning with the parenthesis "(the praise and glory be to God
alone)," the closing phrases of this paragraph refer not simply to a common
determination to be faithful to the Lord, but much more specifically to the actual
Schleitheim experience and the sense of Unity (Vereinigung) which the members
had come to in the course of the meeting. "Without contradiction of all the
brothers" is the formal description and "completey at peace" is the subjective
definition of this sense of Holy Spirit guidance. Zwingli considered the very
report that "we have come together" to be the proof of the culpable, sectarian,
conspiratorial character of Anabaptism (Elenchus, Z, VI, p.56).
- Nachwandeln, to walk after, is the nearest approximation
in the Schleitheim text to the concept of discipleship (Nachfolge) which
was later to become especially current among Anabaptists.
- This reference to Mt. 18 is the only Scripture reference in the
earliest handwritten text. "Rule of Christ" or "Command of Christ" is a standard
designation for this text. Cf. J. Yoder: "Binding and Loosing," Concern 14,
Scottdale, 1967, esp. pp. 15 ff. Other Scripture allusions identified in
parentheses have been supplied by later editors. This abundant citation of
scriptural language without being concerned to indicate the source of quotation
is an indication of the fluency with which Anabaptists thought in biblical
vocabulary; it is probably also an indication that they thought of those texts as
expressing a meaningful truth rather than as "proof texts."
- At this point Walter Köhler, the editor of the printed version,
suggests the text Mt. 5:23. If "the ordering of the spirit" relates specifically
to "before the breaking of bread" and means to point to a Scripture text, this
could be a likely one; or 1 Cor. 11 could also possibly be alluded to; but
"ordering of the spirit" is not the usual way in which the Anabaptists refer
to a Bible quotation. The phrase can also mean a call for a personal and flexible
attitude, as the Spirit leads, i.e., in the application of the concern for
reconciliation.
- Most ecumenical debate about the validity of sacraments focuses
upon either the sacramental status of the officiant or the doctrinal understanding
of the meaning of the emblems. It should be pointed out that the Anabaptist
understanding of close communion refers not to the sacrament but to the participants.
It is invalidated not by an unauthorized officiant or an insufficient concept of
sacrament, but by the absence of real community among those present.
- Note the shift from "world" to "they." "The world" is not discussed
independently of the people constituting the unregenerate order.
- Kirchgang, literally meaning church attendance, has no
congregational dimension to it but refers to the conformity to established patterns
of those who, while perhaps sympathizing with the Anabaptists, still avoided any
public reproach by regularly being seen at the state church functions.
- 1 Tim. 3:7. Interpreters are not clear where the focus of
Art. V
lies. Its first thrust is a call for the shepherd to be a morally worth person,
i.e., a critique of the practice of his being appointed on the grounds of his
education or social connections without regard to moral stature. Zwingli's
translation moves the accent by translating "the shepherd should be one from the
congregation," i.e., not someone from elsewhere. As Zwingli knew, the Anabaptists
also rejected the naming of a minister to a parish by a distant city council, and
he let that knowledge influence his translation. Previous to 1527, the only
generally practiced leadership model was the itinerant. Schleitheim shows the
consolidation of the local small congregation with its own leaders from
its midst.
- The change in number here from "a shepherd" to "if they sin"
is explained by the fact that this sentence is a quotation from 1 Tim. 5:20.
- "Cross" is already by this time a very clear cliché or
"technical term" designating martyrdom.
- "Law" here is a specific reference to the Old Testament.
Significantly the verb here is not verordnet but merely geordnet:
conveying less of a sense of permanence or of specific divine institution than
"ordained" does. It should be noted that in this entire discussion "sword"
refers to the judicial and police powers of the state. There is no reference
to war in Art. VI; there had been a brief one in
IV.
- Two interpretations are possible for "did not discern the ordering
of His Father." This may mean that Jesus did not respect, as being an obligation
for Him, the service in the state in the office of king, even though the existence
of the state is a divine ordinance. More likely would be the interpretation that
Jesus did not evaluate the action of the people wanting to make Him King as having
been brought about (ordered) by His Father.
- Here the printed version adds Mt. 12:25: "For every kingdom divided
against itself will be destroyed."
- Zwingli's translation fills in the argument here: "If it is bad
to swear, or even to use the Lord's name to confirm the truth, then the apostles
Peter and Paul sinned: for they swore."
- This concludes the Seven Articles.
- May mean either: "In the providence of God the Word is preached
to us," whereby "Ordnung" would refer to the workings of God in bringing about
Reformation and gospel preaching; or "the Word of God is preached according to
the divine pattern" with the emphasis on the rediscovery of the true divinely
willed church order. The following "whereby" may accordingly refer either to
the preaching or to the proper ordering.
- Sich üben: perhaps includes an element of rote learning
of gospel narrative and teaching, since literacy and the possession of Bibles was
still rare.
- "Read" includes exposition, "Readings" had been one of the earliest
names given to the study meetings held in Zurich and St. Gall prior to the foundation
of Anabaptist congregations.
- "The one to whom God has given the best understanding shall explain
it" may mean that, for every particular passage, whoever understands its meaning should
speak up. Then we would have a picture of a meeting with no settled leadership,
with no controlling role for the "shepherd" who was called for by Schleitheim
Article V. Then one might infer, as does Jean Seguy,
that this text testifies to
a time before the Schleitheim decisions, when congregations functioned without a
named leader. It is, however, also possible that "the one to whom God has
given the best understanding" may be a circumlocution for the already recognized
leader in the local group.
- This "reading" may well be rote recitation. This reference to the
Psalter is one of the very rare early Anabaptist references to noncongregational
devotional exercises. It may be a further trace of an inheritance from
monasticism.
- The common fund is seen here as a special purse for specific needs,
not as a total communism of consumption such as was established not much later in
Moravia. It is significant that the non-Hutterian Anabaptists also considered
themselves to be following the economic example of the early Jerusalem
Christians.
- Rom. 14:17. The assumption that the congregation would frequently
gather around a simple meal may be linked to their avoidance of social clubs and
guilds (above, Art. IV).
- The Lord's Supper, specifically identified as such, is evidently
distinguished from the rest of the meal, even though both were practiced as often
as the brothers met. (Cf. Art. 1.)