Prague Manifesto (1521)
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In the Prague Manifesto in November 1521 , Thomas Müntzer first describes the main features of his theology, which is permeated with mysticism and expectations of the end of the ages .
In it he accuses the papal church of having "become a whore through spiritual adultery" and presents itself with "priests and monkeys". Müntzer calls for a "new church" to "defend God's word". He complained that so far the priests had not properly conveyed the word of God to the believers from the pulpit. The core message of Scripture is that the elect could only experience enlightenment through the Holy Spirit , regardless of the words in the Scriptures.
Text of the Prague Manifesto
"I confess Thomas Müntzer von Stolberg to the whole Church and the whole world, since these letters may be shown - (which) I may also testify with Christ and all the elect who have known me from my youth - that I have a higher education of the holy, insurmountable Christian faith.Thus I have not learned the right practice of faith through any monk or priest (mediation) during my life - God knows that I do not lie - even the useful challenge, which faith in the spirit of fear God's transfigured the content that a chosen one must receive the Holy Spirit seven times. I have not heard a single word from any scholar about the order of God expressed in all creatures, nor that there is a path from the whole To see all the parts, I haven't heard from those who want to be Christians, especially not from the cursed priests.
I must have heard from them the bare scriptures they stole from the Bible like murderers and thieves. Theft it says (in) Jeremiah in the 23rd chapter, stealing the word of God from the mouth of the neighbor, which they themselves have never heard from the mouth of God. I mean, these are fine preachers who the devil has dedicated to them. But Saint Paul writes to the Corinthians on the third of the other epistles that the hearts of men are the paper or parchment into which God inscribes with his finger, not with ink, his immovable will and eternal wisdom. (This is) a script which every human being can read when he has an opened reason. Jeremiah and Ezekiel write the same thing: God writes his law on the third day of the discussion, when the reason of men is opened. That's why God does this from the beginning in his elect so that they have not an uncertain but an insurmountable testimony of the Holy Spirit, who gives sufficient testimony to our spirit that we are God's children. For whoever does not feel the spirit of Christ in himself, yes, who does not know it, is not a member of Christ, but of the devil, according to Rom. 8th.
Now, as a result of the aberration of many sects, the world has long inexpressibly desired the truth. Thus the saying of Jeremiah came true: The children asked for bread; but there was no one to break it: there were many of them, even today, who threw bread - that is the word of God in the letter - to them like dogs; but they didn't break it for them (as children deserve). O notice (on), notice (on)! You didn't break it to the kids. They did not declare the right spirit of the fear of God, in which they took true instruction that they are immovable children of God.— Hence it is that Christians are as (un) adept in defending the truth as the cowards. Afterwards they may (also) gossip wonderfully that God no longer speaks (directly) to people as if he had now become mute. They think it is enough that it is written in the books and that they spit it out as roughly as the stork brings its young frogs into the nest. - You are not like the hen that rounds (catches) her chicks and warms them. Nor do they share the good word of God, which lives in all chosen people, with their hearts as a mother gives milk to her child, but they do it to the people in the manner of Balaam. You have the poor letter in your mouth, but your heart is probably over a hundred thousand miles away.
For the sake of such folly it would be no wonder if God had smashed us and such foolish beliefs to pieces. I am also not surprised that all genders of men mock and spit us Christians and cannot do otherwise. It is written here and there. yes, dear gentlemen, it is a nice "probation" made in the hen house. If a simple-minded person or an unbeliever came to us in the meeting and we tried to dup him with our gossip, he would say, “Are you mad or foolish? What do I care about your writing? "
But if we learn the right living word of God, we can convince the unbeliever and judge clearly. When the secrecy of his heart is revealed, he must humbly confess that God is in us.
See, Paul testifies to all of this in the first epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 14. There he says that a preacher should have revelation, otherwise he cannot preach the Word. The devil believes that the Christian belief is right. Should that be rejected by the servants of the Antichrist, then God would have to be mad and foolish, who says there, his word should never perish. Wouldn't it have passed if God had stopped talking?
Please note the text when you have brains in your head: Heaven and earth will pass, my words will never pass away. (4. Matth. 24, 35) If it is only written in the books and if God has spoken it (only) once and if it has vanished into the air, then it cannot be God's eternal word. So it is only creature that is drawn into memory from outside. Everything is against the right order and against the rule of holy faith; as Jeremiah writes. That is why all the prophets have the way to speak: "This is what the Lord says (now)". They do not say: This is what the Lord said as if it had passed, but they say in the time (form) of the present.
I have had mercy on this unbearable and evil damage to Christianity and have taken it to heart after reading the history of the old fathers with all my diligence. I find that after the death of the apostles' disciples the immaculate virgin church became a whore through spiritual adultery, for the sake of the scholars who always want to sit on top, which Hegesippus and after him Eusebius in the 4th book on XXII. Chapter writes. Also in no council do I find the true account of the living order of the unmistakable Word of God. They were (according to the early church council minutes) nothing but childish antics.
By the indulgent will of God, all of this has been allowed for the work of all people to come forth. But it should - God be blessed - no longer go on in such a way that the priests and monkeys (represent) the Christian church. Rather, the chosen friends of God's Word should learn to prophesy, as Paul teaches, so that they can truly experience how kindly God - oh so heartily - speaks to all of his chosen ones.
In bringing such teaching to light, I am ready to sacrifice my life for God's sake. God is going to do wonderful things with his elect, especially in this land. When the new church starts here, these people will be a mirror (and example) to the whole world.
That is why I call on everyone to help so that God's word can be defended. And I want to point this out to you clearly in the spirit of Elijah, (after) they taught you to sacrifice to the idol Baal: If you do not do that, God will let you be beaten by the Turk in the coming year. I know what I'm talking about, it's the same. I want to suffer for what Jeremiah had to endure.
Take it to heart, dear Bohemia! I ask an account not only of you, as the saying Peter teaches me, but also to God. But I too want to give you an account: if I cannot do this art, which I boast about, I want to be a child of temporal and eternal death. I don't have a higher deposit. In this sense you are commanded to Christ! Given at Prague in 1521 on the day of All Saints' Day. "
Text variants
The manifesto has been handed down in two German - handwritten - versions, a short and a longer revision, as well as a Latin and an incomplete Czech [1522] manuscript.
Text output
- Thomas Müntzer: Prague Manifesto . Introduction by Max Steinmetz . With a contribution to the text history of Friedrich de Boor . Text revision u. Translated by Winfried Trillitzsch. Facs. Of the original Latin manuscript from the Gotha Research Library. Leipzig: Central antiquariat of the GDR 1975.
Individual evidence
- ^ Gerhard Wehr (Ed.): Thomas Müntzer writings and letters . Fischer, 1973, ISBN 3436017191
- ↑ Mark Ciapura: Thomas Munzer and the Peasants' War. 2005. p. 6.