Hans Leupold

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Hans Leupold , also known as Leopold Schneider because of his profession (* in Kleinaitingen ; † April 25, 1528 in Augsburg ), was an important figure in the early Anabaptist movement in Augsburg and one of the first Anabaptist martyrs in southern Germany.

Life

The hymn book Auspund contains the song Mein Gott, I want praise you, ascribed to Leupold

Leupold came from the Swabian town of Kleinaitingen and joined the Augsburg Anabaptist community in the summer of 1527, where he was baptized by the preacher Jakob Dachser . In the following weeks Leupold became involved as a deacon and took part in the supraregional Augsburg Synod of Martyrs on August 20 of the same year together with well-known Anabaptists such as Hans Hut , Hans Denck and Ludwig Hätzer . A short time later, the first wave of arrests took place. Leupold was arrested with Pastor Jakob Dachser and other people from the Augsburg Anabaptist community. In October, Anabaptists who, like Leupold, had not previously preached, were released from prison and then expelled from the city.

Leupold then settled in Esslingen , where he became active as a preacher. In this function he also made contact with the Anabaptist community in Worms , where he also stayed for a time. On March 26, 1528 Leupold was able to enter Augsburg undiscovered to attend the election of a leader for the expanding Augsburg community. At another meeting on Easter Sunday 1528 (April 12), Leupold was discovered and arrested with 88 other Anabaptists in the house of Susanna Daucher . Most were then expelled, but some were subjected to an ordeal in which holes were burned in their cheeks with red-hot iron. Leupold himself remained in custody, where he was subjected to an embarrassing questioning . He confessed whom he had baptized, but denied the allegation of rioting and refused to withdraw.

Since Leupold had violated the mandate of the Augsburg council of October 1527 to join the so-called Anabaptists and was not ready to revoke, his death sentence was certain. When this was announced to him in front of the Augsburg town hall, he is said to have exclaimed: Not your masters from Augsburg, but from death to life . On April 25, 1528 Leupold was finally beheaded with the sword. He left behind his wife Barbara and two children. In his last hours Leupold to the hymn My God, I will praise have written that the Anabaptist-Mennonite Songbook later paragon was taken. In Augsburg, nothing remembered this execution and its victim until 2013. Today a plaque on the former house of Hans and Susanna Daucher reminds of this.

Christening succession

Hans Leupold's christening succession goes through Jakob Dachser (spring 1527), Hans Hut (Whitsun 1526), Hans Denck (spring 1526), Balthasar Hubmaier (Easter 1525), Wilhelm Reublin (January 1525), Jörg Blaurock (January 1525) to Konrad Grebel (January 1525). The dates in brackets indicate the respective baptism date. Evidence of this can be found in the biography articles of the persons mentioned.

literature

  • Hans Guderian: The Anabaptists in Augsburg. Their history and their legacy. A contribution to the 2000 year celebration of the city of Augsburg ; Pfaffenhofen: Ludwig, 1984; ISBN 3-7787-2063-5

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Information on the memorial plaque on mennonitengemeinde.de (as of September 25, 2016)