Hans Reist ( 1670–1704) was an elder of the

Swiss Brethren The Swiss Brethren are a branch of Anabaptism that started in Zürich, spread to nearby cities and towns, and then was exported to neighboring countries. Today's Swiss Mennonite Conference can be traced to the Swiss Brethren. In 1525, Felix Manz, ...

, an

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, 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- ...

group. Nothing is known of Reist's background or birthplace. He was probably from the Sumiswald region of

Emmental The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dai ...

in the Canton of Berne. There were numerous Anabaptists in this area during the 17th century. Reist was a gifted preacher and had a great influence among his followers in Switzerland,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

and Southern Germany. He is noted for leading a group that opposed Jacob Amman. In July or August 1693, a meeting of all Swiss Brethren elders was called to explain their differing beliefs. Hans Reist did not attend the meeting in spite of multiple requests, but explained in writing why he rejected the views of Jacob Amman. No resolution to the differences was found, and the Swiss Brethren separated into the

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

(who used hook-and-eye fasteners) and the followers of Reist (who used buttons). Reist succeeded in convincing a large portion of the region's Anabaptists of his views. They formed the basis of today's Swiss Mennonite Conference and numerous groups of Mennonites in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The date and place of Reist's death are unknown. Hans Reist left no theological writings and has been nearly forgotten, in spite of his significance in Mennonite history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reist, Hans Swiss Mennonites Swiss Christian religious leaders People from Bern