Page 550 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

earth. Their history in subsequent centuries is filled converted. ... As soon as the ropes on his wrists were
with all the pathos of a people universally despised and burned, Sattler raised the two forefingers of his hands
persecuted. Here and there, on the fringe of European giving the promised signal to the brethren that a
civilization, they sought brief respite from the martyr’s death was bearable. ... Three others were then
relentless hounds of persecution. The hounds of executed. After every attempt to secure a recantation
persecution would not rest. To Hungary and from Sattler’s faithful wife had failed, she was drowned
Transylvania the Brethren had fled. Through the eight days later in the Neckar river (Ibid., pp. 47-48).
diabolical designs of the Jesuits a century and a half In 1529 a death decree was issued against the
later, these areas became an inferno of hate, intrigue, Anabaptists by the Second Diet of Speirs. This greatly
and torment in which the Anabaptist movement was accelerated the program of extermination already in
virtually consumed... After inhuman treatment progress... Four hundred special police were hired to
incapable of description those who were not killed hunt down Anabaptists and execute them on the spot.
turned Catholic. ... The Hutterite missionary effort was The group proved too small and was increased to one
a costly enterprise. It is estimated that eighty percent thousand... thousands of Anabaptists fell victim to one
of the missionaries died a martyr’s death. of the most widely spread persecutions in Christian
Anabaptist leader Hutter was captured with his history... Burning faggots and smoldering stakes
pregnant wife in the latter part of November 1535, in marked their trek across Europe (p. 49).
the home of Hans Steiner of Clausen. They were Roman Catholic Methods of Torture. The following is
immediately taken to the episcopal fortress of from Babylon Mystery Religion by Ralph Woodrow, used
Brandzell. Shortly thereafter Hutter was removed to by permission, copyright 1966:
Innsbruck where every conceivable attempt was made
to secure a recantation. Neither the logic of Dr. Gallus Many were those noble souls who rejected the false
Muller, the stabbing pain of the rack, nor the bruises of claims of the pope, looking instead to the Lord Jesus
the brutal whippings to which he was subjected moved for salvation and truth. These were called ‘heretics’ and
him to betray the faith. On February 25, 1536, some were bitterly persecuted by the Roman Catholic
three months after his arrest, he was burned at the Church. ...
stake (p. 94). Men pondered long in those days on how they could
The labors of Hans Hut, Anabaptist leader, came to an devise methods that would produce the most torture
end with his death in a prison cell in Augsburg. and pain. One of the most popular methods was the
Imprisoned and tortured over a period of almost four use of the rack, a long table on which the accused was
months, he died of asphyxiation from a fire of tied by the hands and feet, back down, and stretched
unknown origin which had been ignited near his by rope and windlass. This process dislocated joints
wasted form. But even death itself did not keep him and caused great pain.
from man’s judgment. ‘The officials took the dead body Heavy pincers were used to tear out fingernails or were
to court on a chair, tied the chair to the executioner’s applied red-hot to sensitive parts of the body. Rollers
cart, sentenced it to die, and burned it at the stake on with sharp knife blades and spikes were used, over
December 7’ (p. 81). which the heretics were rolled back and forth. There
An eyewitness account of Hubmaier’s execution was the thumbscrew, an instrument made for
[another Anabaptist leader] was given by Stephen disarticulating fingers and ‘Spanish boots’ which were
Sprugel. ... ‘With his wife exhorting him to fortitude, used to crush the legs and feet. The ‘iron virgin’ was a
he was taken to the place of execution. Suffocating hollow instrument the size and figure of a woman.
from the smoke, he died. Three days later the Knives were arranged in such a way and under such
execution of his wife by drowning in the Danube river pressure that the accused were lacerated in its deadly
followed (p. 67). embrace. This torture device was sprayed with ‘holy
Another example of the awful persecutions which were water’ and inscribed with the Latin words meaning,
‘Glory be only to God.’
launched against the separatists by Roman leaders is
the murder of Anabaptist leader, Sattler. Victims after being stripped of their clothing had their
The sentence was read on May 18. Two days later, on arms tied behind their backs with a hard cord. Weights
were attached to their feet. The action of a pulley
May 20, Sattler was executed. The torture, a prelude to suspended them in mid-air or dropped and raised them
the execution, began at the market place where a piece with a jerk, dislocating joints of the body. While such
was cut from Sattler’s tongue. Pieces of flesh were torn torture was being employed, priests holding up crosses
from his body twice with red-hot tongs. He was then would attempt to get the heretics to recant. ...
forged to a cart. On the way to the scene of the
execution the tongs were applied five times again. In Some who rejected the teachings of the Roman church
the market place and at the site of the execution, still had molten lead poured into their ears and mouths.
able to speak, the unshakable Sattler prayed for his Eyes were gouged out and others were cruelly beaten
persecutors. After being bound to a ladder with ropes with whips. Some were forced to jump from cliffs onto
and pushed into the fire, he admonished the people, long spikes fixed below, where, quivering from pain,
the judge, and the mayor to repent and be they slowly died. Others were choked to death with

550 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity