In this episode, Jasper joins our long-time QVI team member Verena Schnitzhofer to explore the history of the Anabaptists. Together, they discuss her work in bringing their story back into public awareness, or unearthing it from archives through dedicated historical research. Much of this chapter of history has faded from our collective memory. While some may, at least vaguely, recall that the Anabaptist movement once existed, few are aware that it also had a significant presence in local communities such as Salzburg. For this reason, Verena was invited by the Salzburger Nachrichten (a Salzburg-based newspaper) to speak about this topic (if you are german speaking you can listen to this episode here: “Verfolgt und hingerichtet: Die Geschichte der Täufer in Salzburg“).
Starting from the history of the Anabaptists, Jasper and Verena reflect on the importance of engaging critically with our cultures of remembrance, and on how vital it is to acknowledge and take responsibility for past injustices. In this context, they also refer to the public apology issued by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in Austria, who invited the Anabaptists to return to the country (A related article on the topic of official state apologies, written by Dr. Stefania Knecht, is available on our website).
Verena also emphasizes the value of maintaining open and genuine contact with “the other(s)”, those who may initially seem unfamiliar or different and the importance of cultivating a spirit of curiosity toward other interpretations, views, and perspectives. Although we live today in a time of much greater openness between Christian denominations, it remains essential to nurture these relationships actively, working continuously toward friendship, respect, and understanding.
Feel free to listen to Verena’s story on your favourite podcast platform. (Podcast RETHINK from the Quo Vadis Institute, www.qvi.eu).
Listen to this Podcast episode here:
Photo Credits: Verena Schnitzhofer (Stefania Knecht); Mini image: Burning of Anabaptists in Salzburg (Origin: Copperplate engraving from Jan Luiken’s Mirror of Martyrs (v.2, p.17), which was first published in Dutch in 1660. Source: Rijksmuseum; URL: https://gameo.org/index.php?title=File:MM2_17_large.jpg.