In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Ursula lost and Barbara Rebstock of Strasbourg 281 D[avid]: "Now I say that you have not spoken from the Lord but from the Devil. For you have interrupted our discussion and have disturbed the Spirit [by hindering the answer]. For here, good has not spoken to good, on account of those who sit next to her." Ian [Pont]: At this, Ian Pont spoke again: "Her heart is such that it is necessary to speak of this matter. Therefore she is not in need of such [rebuke]." D[avid] spoke to the brothers and stood up: "I say to you, that you are not small nor poor, but your understanding is veiled, so that you do not see. I would like to let you know how you might serve God more. But the will of Satan has its way [here]. For he comes to disturb the Spirit, to plug the ears of the oppressed by the serpent's deception. And now I say to you further: Since you have believed her, then I will cease to speak to you any longer. And I, as a servant of the Lord, warn you all, proclaiming to you the day of the Lord, that you beware, for he is near, and I will be free of you. For I was ready to instruct you and also to correct you, as the Lord has given me ability, so that you will not be surprised on that day. . . . Behold, I warn you that you not let yourselves be misled. Men, regard yourselves above the women; then you will not be deceived. Understand that rightly." Ian P[ont]: D[avid], you speak too hastily and judge too hastily, for you perhaps do not understand her speaking.52 For she admonishes us all, that we should watch where we are going. The conversation remained stuck here, and the morning continued without anyone sitting down.53 David Joris was so upset that a woman's prophecy had thwarted his aims that he later wrote in the margins of the minutes: Consider the sense of it. They asked if I would like to have a report of this. Had they not spoken, I would have filled her mouth with silence; her hand which opposed me in the truth I would have placed against her mouth. But they regarded her spirit to such an extent that she hindered their response.54 Although David Joris could not tolerate such a role for women, the men in Barbara Rebstock's own congregation in Strasbourg were willing to defend this role on her behalf because she was "under the fear of the Lord." Her 282 Profiles of Anabaptist Women spiritual competence gave her a leadership role. Although Ursula was probably dead by the time of the Joris debate, her prophecy had set a precedent for Barbara's. In the first part of the sixteenth century, as in the late Middle Ages, women were sometimes seen as spiritual authorities because of their visionary and prophetic experiences. They based their claim to authority not on office, but on experience, an extraordinary vocation. Such experience often took the form of prophetic visions. According to Elizabeth Alvilda Petroff, visions were a socially sanctioned activity that freed a woman from conventional female roles by identifying her as a genuine religious figure. They brought her to the attention of others, giving her a public language she could use to teach and learn. Her visions gave her the strength to grow internally and to change the world, to preach, and to attack injustice and greed, even within the church. Through visions, she could be an exemplar to other women, and out of her own experience she could lead them to fuller self­development.55 This visionary tradition was often apocalyptic because women's prophecy was seen as a certain sign that the new order was beginning. Preaching by women (andlay men)was a sign of the End,as promised in the Bible. German almanacs of the time claimed that this prophecy had been fulfilled and, thus, the last days were at hand.56 Even if the old order had given men authority over women, in the new order women shared in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through dreams and visions. Such was the context of Ursula lost and Barbara Rebstock, early Anabaptist prophets and,in the case of Barbara, an "elder of Israel." Prophetic Visions and Revelations of the Workings of God in These Last Days . . . Ursula lost After...

Share