Jakob Hutter (also spelled Jacob Hutter, Huter or Hueter; c. 1500 – 25 February 1536) was a
Tyrolean Anabaptist leader and founder of the
Hutterites
Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century ...
.
Biography
Hutter was born in the small hamlet of Moos near
St. Lorenzen in the
Puster Valley
The Puster Valley ( it, Val Pusteria ; german: Pustertal, ) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The S ...
, in the
County of Tyrol
The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised ...
(present-day
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province
, image_skyline = ...
, Italy). He learned
hat making in nearby
Prags
Prags (; it, Braies ; Ladin: ''Braies'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 657 and an area of .All demographics and oth ...
and became an itinerant craftsman. Later he settled in
Spittal,
Carinthia.
He probably first encountered
Anabaptists
Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
in
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
and soon thereafter was converted to their belief. He began preaching in the Puster Valley region, forming several small congregations. As soon as the
Habsburg authorities in Tyrol learned of these activities in early 1529, they began to persecute the Anabaptists. In 1527, the Habsburg archduke
Ferdinand I of Austria
en, Ferdinand Charles Leopold Joseph Francis Marcelin
, image = Kaiser Ferdinand I.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Eduard Edlinger (1843)
, succession = Emperor of AustriaKing of Hungary
, moretext = ( more...)
, cor-type = ...
had declared that seductive doctrines and heretical sects "will not be tolerated". In turn, Hutter and a few others went to investigate
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
, because they heard the persecution was not as severe there. They visited
Auspitz, where they found the situation was indeed more tolerant and the Tyrolean Anabaptists decided to emigrate. As small groups moved to Moravia, Hutter first remained in Tyrol to pastor to those who remained. He escaped capture by the authorities because other captured Anabaptists would not reveal his whereabouts, even under severe torture.
Hutter arrived in Moravia in 1533, when the persecution of the Anabaptists in Tyrol was at its peak. Many Anabaptists from the
Palatinate,
Swabia and
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
also went to Moravia. Hutter united the local Anabaptist congregations, enabling Anabaptism in Moravia to flourish. Under Hutter's leadership, several of the congregations adopted the early Christian practice of communal ownership of goods, in addition to their Anabaptist beliefs of nonviolence, and
adult baptism
Believer's baptism or adult baptism (occasionally called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing ...
.
In 1535, however, the Moravian ''
Landtag
A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...
'' diet had all Anabaptists expelled from Moravia and they scattered to surrounding countries. Hutter returned to Tyrol, where he and his wife were arrested on 30 November 1535 in
Klausen and brought to the fortress of Branzoll (
Bronzolo
Bronzolo (; german: Branzoll ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about south of the city of Bolzano. It is one of only five mainly Italian speaking municipalities in South Tyrol.
Geography
As of 30 November ...
). On 9 December, Hutter was deported to the Tyrolean capital
Innsbruck, where he was interrogated and pressured to
recant
Recantation means a personal public act of denial of a previously published opinion or belief. It is derived from the Latin "''re cantare''", to re-sing.
Philosophy
Philosophically recantation is linked to a genuine change of opinion, ofte ...
. Even under severe torture he would not recant or reveal the names of other Anabaptists. Hutter was sentenced to death by fire and
burned at the stake
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...
on 25 February 1536 in Innsbruck in front of the
Golden Roof. According to the ''Hutterian Chronicle'', a total of 360 Anabaptists were executed in Tyrol.
Hutter's words are recorded in eight letters, written under severe persecution.
Commemoration
In Innsbruck, Hutter is remembered by a plaque at the Golden Roof.
In 2006–2007, a working group with representatives from Protestant and Catholic churches, the peace movement
Pax Christi
Pax Christi International is an international Catholic peace movement. The Pax Christi International website declares its mission is "to transform a world shaken by violence, terrorism, deepening inequalities, and global insecurity."
History
...
and the Association of Evangelical churches in Tyrol worked toward reconciliation with the Hutterites. On 25 February 2007, the group, along with three couples invited to represent the Hutterites, held a memorial ceremony at the Golden Roof and a joint prayer service in the old city hall in Innsbruck.
VERSÖHNUNGSZEICHEN mit den HUTTERERN
References
Further reading
* ''The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren'' ( Plough Publishing House 1987)
* ''Brotherly Faithfulness: Epistles from a Time of Persecution'' (Plough Publishing House 1979)
* ''Hutterite Beginnings: Communitarian Experiments during the Reformation'' by Werner O. Packull, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995
*
External links
Jakob Hutter
in the ''Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutter, Jacob
1500s births
1536 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
16th-century Austrian people
Hutterites
Austrian Anabaptists
Austrian religious leaders
Christian radicals
Milliners
People executed for heresy
16th-century executions in the Holy Roman Empire
16th-century executions by Austria
People from St. Lorenzen
Executed Austrian people
People executed by Austria by burning
Founders of religions
16th-century Anabaptist ministers