A HISTORY OF UNITARIANISM - Starr King School for the Ministry

authorities challenged him to a public disputation, at that time the usual means
for settling doctrinal controversies. He failed to appear, and was therefore
banished as a turbulent and dangerous man, but he left as a result of his mission
the most numerous congregation of Anabaptists in all Germany.
Banished from both Zurich and Augsburg, Haetzer now turned to Basel,
where he sought the friendship of Oecolampadius, and was taken into his
house, where he lived for the best part of a year, broken by three visits to
Zurich in the hope of a reconciliation with Zwingli. For a time he appeared to
be wavering in his Anabaptism, but at length his mind was cleared, and he
threw himself into the movement heart and soul. Late in the summer of 1526 he
left Basel for Strassburg, where he found shelter in the home of Capito. He
already had a reputation for eloquence and for fine scholarship, and did not
here openly associate with the Anabaptists. Instead, he labored on a translation
of the prophecy of Isaiah, in which he was assisted by Denck after the arrival of
the latter in the autumn; and this work grew under their hands until it embraced
all the Hebrew Prophets, as related above. Meantime the Anabaptist movement
at Strassburg was assuming such proportions that the leaders of the city
churches were alarmed. If Protestantism were to succeed in the face of the
powerful Catholic opposition, it must have support from the civil government;
but if Anabaptism grew much stronger this could not be hoped for. Prompt
measures had to be taken. The usual course was followed. A public discussion
was arranged, and on the basis of this Denck, as leader of the movement, was
banished as we have already seen, and the Anabaptists were later put under the
ban. 22 It was now time to take sides. Capito, who had hitherto sympathized with
the Anabaptists enough to make him non-committal, now ranged himself along
with Butzer against them; while Haetzer, who had hitherto remained inactive,
took the part of Denck and soon followed him to Worms. What took place there