The First Adult Baptism Of The Reformation

In 1523 the Zurich reformed Christians Conrad Grebel (d1526) and theologian Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) divided over the issue of whether Mass should be abolished or not. Two years later Zwingli, who had began to reform Zurich by working with the city council, officially severed ties with Grebel and his fellow radicals over the issue of infant baptism. When the council, ordered that any unbaptized infants must be submitted for baptism within eight days, Grebel stood his ground, refusing for his recently born child, Issabella, to be baptized.

Seven days later, at a meeting of those who sided with Grebel, George Blaurock, a married former priest, stepped over to Conrad Grebel and asked him for baptism in the same way as the early church-fully immersed upon confession of personal faith in Jesus Christ. Blaurock was baptized on the spot, the first adult baptism of the Reformation. Afterwards on this historic snowy January evening the former priest proceeded to baptize the others present. Grebel, who died of the plague the following year is often called the ‘Father of Anabaptists’.