Zurich Anabaptist Condemnation (18 November 1525)

On November 18, 1525, Zurich’s city council condemned Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, and George Blaurock to imprisonment on bread and water in the city tower. The sentence, supported by reformer Ulrich Zwingli, targeted their Anabaptist convictions—especially believer’s baptism and a church governed by Scripture rather than civic force. What authorities labeled disorder was, for these men, obedience to Christ as conscience was bound to God’s Word.

Zurich, a leading center of the Swiss Reformation, had embraced sweeping change, yet it insisted that reform move at the pace and under the control of the magistrates. When Grebel, Manz, and Blaurock pressed for a gathered church marked by voluntary faith, disciplined discipleship, and baptism following repentance, the state treated their worship as defiance. Their “crime” was meeting for prayer, teaching, and baptism apart from official permission, refusing to treat the church as an arm of public policy.

Conrad Grebel, from a prominent family, used his learning and influence not to secure safety but to argue that Scripture must rule the church. Felix Manz, skilled in biblical languages, became known for patient instruction and careful appeal to the New Testament pattern. George Blaurock, a former priest with zeal and simplicity, openly identified with the baptized believers and strengthened the fledgling movement through bold witness. Their unity displayed a shared conviction that Christ’s kingdom advances through the Word and Spirit, not the sword.

This condemnation signaled a hardening of state-backed reform against earnest dissent. Yet it also revealed courageous discipleship: peaceable resolve, endurance under loss, and love for truth over reputation. Their stand echoed the apostolic principle, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). They believed the church is called to teach, baptize, and disciple from the heart: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…” (Matthew 28:19).

Imprisoned in the city tower, they bore suffering without violence, trusting the Lord who said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). Their witness encouraged later Christians to hold fast to Scripture, practice faith freely, and endure hardship with gentleness and steadfast hope.