The Prophetic Self-Fashioning of Conrad Grebel (ca. 1498–1526)

What is it about?

This essay analyzes the emergence of Swiss Anabaptism in the 1520s by paying attention to the language Conrad Grebel used in constructing his own experiences in his correspondence. By paying attention to Grebel's "self-fashioning," it highlights the importance of such interpretive constructions for understanding the mindset of Grebel and other early Anabaptist leaders. The article argues that Grebel saw himself as a persecuted prophet and that this identity fueled his reforming zeal and his resistance to Zwingli. The article closes by suggesting the implications of such an approach for future studies on Anabaptism and on prophecy in the Reformation more broadly.

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