In 1529, after the last of the Anabaptists’ first leaders had been burned at the stake, the recent convert Jakob Hutter became a missionary and leader in their underground congregations. These fellowships held their goods in common and abjured violence, seeking to live according to Jesus’ teachings. Ferdinand, ruler of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor), sought to stamp out this movement through a campaign of surveillance, torture, and executions. Many Anabaptists fled to more tolerant Moravia; as the repression in Austria intensified, Hutter and his future wife Katharina followed them. But in 1535, Ferdinand pressured the governor of Moravia to expel the refugees from their homes. The Hutters returned to the mission field in Tyrol, where they were soon captured by Ferdinand’s forces; Jakob would be burned, Katharina was drowned two years later.
This volume provides the best scholarly introduction to the life and pastoral career of Jakob Hutter, the founding father of the Hutterites. This work has greatest emphasis on English translations of the eight preserved letters authored by Hutter, but it places them in the context of chronicle sources as well as published official records. It helps us to understand how and why the continuing religious communitarian movement has retained the name of Jakob Hutter.
James M. Stayer, professor emeritus, Queen’s University
For the first time, we have access to a remarkable collection of writings by and about the founding leader of the Hutterites: Jakob Hutter. This exhaustively curated source collection gathers into one volume the primary sources relevant to Hutter's literary and historical legacy. I highly recommend this book not only to scholars but to anyone interested in the fascinating and inspiring story of Hutterite beginnings.
John D. Roth, Goshen College
This volume is of great significance for the study of early Anabaptism. It is essential reading for all who wish to understand – and be challenged by – what Hutter said and did.
Ian Randall, Cambridge
Hutter’s letters acknowledge anxiety, display grief, summon solidarity, manifest longing, offer encouragement, and express joy. The editors have provided many helpful tools for reading and understanding these letters well, from a detailed biographical introduction to a wealth of other primary sources that illuminate the context for Jakob Hutter’s life and letters.
Gerald J. Mast, Series Editor, Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History
Brilliantly illuminates the unique communitarian faith and early history of one of the three Anabaptist movements that have outlasted the centuries. This is a must-read and a most worthy addition to the Classics of the Radical Reformation series.
Leonard Gross, author, The Golden Years of the Hutterites
Like so many of the early Anabaptist leaders, Hutter’s ministry lasted less than a decade before he was martyred. His leadership of the community that still bears his name nearly five centuries later lasted only two years. The letters included in this comprehensive collection of writings by and about him reveal a pastor who was deeply concerned for the flourishing of those he served. This is a welcome addition to the Classics of the Radical Reformation series.
Stuart Murray Williams, director, Centre for Anabaptist Studies, Bristol Baptist College
