Jan Matthijs was originally a disciple of Melchior Hofmann; however, his beliefs quickly became more radical and more violent than Hofmann's. Matthijs was originally a baker from Haarlem. While Melchior Hofmann had suggested a two-year suspension of believer's baptism in the interest of peace, Jan Matthijs disagreed with this, and he ordained apostles. Matthijs journeyed to Munster, and rapidly took control of the city. During the Munster occupation, Matthijs was a man in his mid-fifties, nearly bald, with huge, piercing black eyes and a long, flowing beard. He always wore black robes, and wandered the city accompanied by his wife, Divara, attired in white. Matthijs was responsible for the expulsion of non-believers and the introduction of communism in Munster. His end is discussed earlier in this paper.
Bernard Knipperdolling was on the city council in Munster prior to the Anabaptist occupation of the city. He converted to Anabaptism, and was, under Jan Matthijs, one of the city mayors. He served, under Jan van Leyden, as the chief executioner of city. Bernard Knipperdolling was a cloth merchant and member of the city council, composed of members of the seventeen city guilds. While we are driven to wonder if the religious fervor of Matthijs or Jan van Leyden was the result of insanity, it seems clear that Bernard Knipperdolling was, in fact, sane. He was brutal, but at times served as a voice of reason in the city. When Matthijs wanted to execute the non-believers in February of 1534, Knipperdolling convinced him to allow them until March third to leave the city. Knipperdolling was, however, responsible for a number of executions in the city, and seems to have had no moral difficulty with this responsibility. Knipperdolling died, along with Jan van Leyden, after the fall of Munster.
Go To Page: 1 2
