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 A 1685 illustration byJan Luyken, published inMartyrs Mirror, ofDirk Willems saving his pursuer, an act of mercy that led to his recapture, after which he was burned at the stake nearAsperen in the present-dayNetherlands |
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Hans Hut (/hʌt/;German:[huːt]; c. 1490 – 6 December 1527) was a very activeAnabaptist insouthern Germany andAustria.
Hut was born inHaina nearRömhild, in theElectorate of Saxony (nowThuringia), and became a travelling bookseller. Hut was for some yearssacristan inBibra to the knight Hansvon Bibra (the brother of BishopLorenz von Bibra). He early came under the influence ofThomas Müntzer and, refusing to have his child baptized, was driven from the community in 1524.[1] He took part in the decisive battle of Thuringia during theGerman Peasants' War on 15 May 1525 atBad Frankenhausen. About a week later at Bibra, Hut preached "subjects should murder all the authorities, for the opportune time has arrived." In his later years Hut distanced himself from Müntzer, saying that he (himself) "had clearly erred" and that he "had not understood him (Müntzer)."[2] After the battle he managed to flee and traveled throughout the region.
OnPentecost 1526 he wasbaptized inAugsburg byHans Denck, who had previously been baptized byBalthasar Hubmaier. Some feel that Hut and Denck taughtuniversal salvation,[3] but others question whether this was so.[4] He expected the 1528 coming of theKingdom of God in the form of a violentapocalyptic imposition of the rule ofChrist. For this reason, he curtailed his extensive missionary activity to awaitPentecost 1528 and be among the144,000 elect. In addition to baptizing with water, he sealed the baptism with a sign of the cross on the forehead.
His mission activity extended from theThuringian-French border in the north toTyrol andMoravia and in his mission journeys he often seemed to seek former Peasants' War participants. His preaching was strongly influenced byThomas Muentzer's mysticism. Gottfried Sebaß, an expert on Hut's life and theology, calls him simply "Muentzer's heir." Among those influenced by Hut wereAugustin Bader.
In May 1527,Hans Schlaffer and others joined Hut in a notable theological controversy taking place inMikulov (Czech) (in GermanNikolsburg), inMoravia, present day Czech Republic. Unfortunately, the exact subject of the debate has been lost to history, but it may have involved the question of whether or not a committed Christian could hold a job, e.g. as a soldier, in which he would be required to use violence.[5] In August 1527 Hans Hut was a key participant at theMartyrs' Synod inAugsburg, a gathering of 60 Anabaptists from the surrounding region, trying to come to a common understanding about various teachings. When the Augsburg town council learned of the meeting, they attempted to arrest the group. Hut was arrested along with the major Augsburg Anabaptists. Though the arrest did not end Hut's teaching, after a trial he and the others were sentenced to indefinite imprisonment. Hut was tortured horribly and accidentally died as a result of a fire that caused hisasphyxiation in the Augsburg prison on 6 December 1527. The next day, the authorities sentenced his dead body to death and burned him.
Hut is the author ofAusbund no. 8, “O Thou Almighty Lord and God” (O Allmächtiger Herr Gott), which is still in the hymnal used today by North AmericanAmish congregations.[6]
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