Grace Miller and Julia Boller share their reflections from Day 5 of the Youth Venture Anabaptism at 500: Looking Back to See the Future trip. The historical trip begins in Zürich, Switzerland and culminates at the Anabaptism at 500 Global Youth Summit in Württemberg, Germany.
Täuferweg
Today we hiked in the rain through the hills and meadows of Switzerland on the Täuferweg (Merishausen – Schleitheim), an historical hiking trail in the Schaffhausen Randen region of Switzerland, listening to sounds of cow bells and an alphorn, a traditional Swiss musical instrument. Anabaptists used this trail in the 16th century to flee persecution and seek refuge.
We stopped at Birnen statt Verhaftung (Pears Instead of Arrest), to commemorate the kindness of a soldier by eating pears. Soldiers were stationed on the trail to arrest Anabaptists. As a woman approached, a soldier took out his knife, cut a pear in half, gave the woman half, and allowed her to continue walking the trail. This soldier displayed great mercy and released power that he held to show her grace.
When thinking of how walking this path may have been for Anabaptists, we were struck with the idea that they were probably in community like we had been. That they shared joy and laughter as they traveled to an unknown place. There was hope and goodness even as they were facing uncertainty. As we made our way down the trail, we entertained ourselves by playing “road trip” games — making us wonder how our ancestors entertained themselves.
Museum Schleitheimertal
When we reached Schleitheim, we met German Mennonites who had traveled the same path. They introduced us to a man who works at the Museum Schleitheimertal, a local history museum housed in a former 18th century schoolhouse.
This museum has a room designated to Anabaptist history which holds one of the four Schleitheim Confessions copies that remain. The Schleitheim Confession, drafted on February 24, 1527, in Schleitheim by Michael Sattler and other Anabaptist leaders, is one of the earliest formal statements of Anabaptist beliefs. The museum’s copy, printed around 1550, is a rare surviving document from the early Reformation period.
It was a long trek, but we were glad to have walked in our ancestors’ footsteps.
