A Sisters and Brothers Production
Felix Mantz (1498 – January 5, 1527), was a co-founder of the
original Swiss Bretheren Congregation in Zurich, Switzerland,
and was the first martyr of the Radical Reformation. He was
drowned by Zwingli in what was called “...his third baptism”
since he had been baptized as a child, rebaptized as an adult,
and was drowned in what Zwingli called a baptism of death.
Aaron Chadwick
Felix Mantz was the illegitimate son of a canon of Grossmunster
church in Zürich -- the same church where Zwingli was the
pastor. Though records of his education are scant, there is
evidence that he had a liberal education, with a thorough
knowledge of Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
Mantz became a follower of Ulrich Zwingli after he came to
Zürich in 1519. When Conrad Grebel joined the group in 1521,
he and Manz became friends. They questioned the mass, the
nature of church and state connections, and infant baptism.
Around 1523, they became dissatisfied with the Reformation,
believing that Zwingli's plans for reform had been compromised
with the city council.
Grebel, Mantz, Reublin and others made several attempts to plead their position. Several
parents refused to have their children baptized. A public disputation was held with Zwingli on
January 17,1525, whereby the council declared Zwingli the victor. These Radical Reformers,
as they were now called, were banished from the region and were considered outlaws.
After the final rebuff by the city council on January 18, in which they were ordered to desist
from arguing and submit to the decision of the council, and have their children baptized within
eight days, the brethren gathered at the home of Felix Manz and his mother on January 21.
Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock, and in turn Blaurock baptized the others.
This made the break complete with Zwingli and the council, as they formed the first church of
the Radical Reformation. The movement spread rapidly, and Manz was very active in it. He
used his language skills to translate his texts into the language of the people, and worked
enthusiastically as an evangelist. Mantz was arrested on a number of occasions between 1525
and 1527. While he was preaching with George Blaurock in the Grüningen region, they were
taken by surprise, arrested and imprisoned in Zürich at the Wellenburg prison.
Aaron Chadwick
I am sorry to say
that I know very
little about Aaron
Chadwick, and
have only included
a few of the other
roles he has had,
as taken from the Internet Movie
Database:
Aaron had a recurring role as
Detective Ralph Marty in Dangerous
Curves, a televison series that ran for
two seasons from 1992-93. He also
made an appearance in Walker, Texas
Ranger, Bonnie and Clyde: The True
Story and appeared in the Steven
Seagal movie, Fire Down Below.
On March 7,1526, the Zürich council had passed an edict that made adult rebaptism punishable by
drowning. On January 5,1527, Felix Mantz became the first casualty of the edict, and the first Swiss
Anabaptist to be martyred at the hands of other Protestants.
Site Concept and Design:
© JT eDesigns.com, 2013
Memorial plaque on the Limmat River
honoring Felix Mantz.
Michael Sattler | Margaretha Sattler | Ulrich Zwingli | Eberhard Hoffmann |
Wilhelm Reublin | George Blaurock | Felix Mantz | Conrad Grebel | Count Joachim von Zollern
