Profiles of Anabaptist Women: Sixteenth-Century Reforming Pioneers

Margret Hottinger of Zollikon

36 Profiles of Anabaptist Women fine that corresponds to a period of imprisonment of four to five weeks.10 With this last expulsion the historical record concerning Agnes Linck falls silent. Did Agnes herself also fall silent? Did she continue to participate in Anabaptist communities elsewhere, perhaps in Moravia? The patterns of Anabaptist behaviour from elsewhere would suggest that a cursory oath and expulsion such as she offered in Basel would not have silenced as convinced an Anabaptist as Agnes Linck. But, in the absence of further evidence, this is pure conjecture. Nevertheless, the bits of evidence that Agnes left for us in the historical record are invaluable, because they provide a rare and important window through which we may catch a glimpse of the convictions and the active reforming activity of a remarkable individual from the "common people." Agnes Linck is a prime example of a self­appointed lay Anabaptist leader, called and convinced by the Spirit. But Agnes was not simply a visionary or a dreamer of dreams. In addition to the conviction that she had been called by the Spirit of God, Agnes also exercised the very concrete skill of literacy, which placed her in a position of being able to instruct others in a biblical faith. It is not surprising that Agnes ran afoul of the law, for her understanding of biblical truth, interpretive authority, church reform, and the Christian life all ran counter to the state­run movements of reform. Agnes could not, and did not, remain silent, to which fact we owe what little we know about her. That someone with her strength of personality, with her profound convictions and gift of expression, also spoke freely and with great influence in her own social circle is beyond question. In a predominantly oral/aural culture, a woman of Agnes's abilities had the capacity to shape popular, lay opinion to an extent that we can only dimly appreciate. However, beyond such an assertion we are not permitted to go: the questions of where she lived and worked, whom she may have persuaded, and what exactly were the results of her activities of instruction are sadly not matters of historical record. Notes 1 QGTS, vol. 3, document 844. 2 Ibid., documents 845, 846. 3 The three documents pertaining to this imprisonment are published in Durr and Roth, eds., Aktensammlung zur Geschichte der Easier Reformation in den Jahren 1519 bis Anfang 1534, V. Band, October1530 bis Ende 1531 (Basel: Verlag der historischen und antiquarischen Gesellschaft Universitatsbibiothek Basel, 1945), documents 39, a­c, pp. 39­40. 4 The contention that one had been taught "by no man" appears with some frequency. See as one example the testimony of HannsHottinger, in QGTS, vol. 1, document 54, p. 61. Heinrich Aberli argued in 1526 that the reason he had denied baptizing anyone in reply to questioning (when in fact he had baptized someone with water) was that "he had not baptized anyone, but rather God the Heavenly Father did the baptizing, and the water Agnes Linck from Biel 37 was not the baptism." Ibid., p. 161. 5 "dem nit nachvolge" 6 Durr and Roth, Aktensammlung, V, p. 39. 7 Ibid., document 39, c, pp. 39­40. 8 Ibid., p. 40. 9 Ibid., document 39, a, p. 39. 10 Ibid., document 48, p. 44. The estimate of 4­5 weeks is made by MartinHaas, in QGTS, vol. 3, document 350, d, note 19. ADELHEIT SCHWARZ OF WATT We first meet Adelheit Schwarz in spring of the year 1529. In testimony reported to the authorities in Zurich, Bartli Hug of Dallikon said that several women from Watt had come to Dallikon, and had gone into Elsa Spilmann's house where they had had a discussion. They included Jakob Fry's wife and Konrad Fry's wife. Furthermore, Wilhelm Reublin had read and preached at the inn in Weiningen, and present there had been Hans Grossman, Elsa Spilmann, her daughter Barbara, Balthasar Spilmann's wife, Adelheit Spilmann and Felix Fry's wife from Watt. Since all citizens had been admonished to oppose strangers who tried to preach, Bartli Hug continued, he himself had gone and tried to stop the proceedings. "For this they locked me out, and told me I would not be saved," he reported.1 Adelheit Spilmann, Balthasar Spilmann's wife, was also known by her maiden name of Schwarz; she came from the village of Watt, although she...