Abecedarian
Encyclopedia
Abecedarians were a 16th century German
sect of Anabaptists who affected an absolute disdain for all human knowledge, contending that God
would enlighten his elect from within themselves, giving them knowledge of necessary truths by visions and ecstasies, with which human learning would interfere.
They rejected every other means of instruction, and claimed that to be saved one must even be ignorant of the first letters of the alphabet
; whence their name, A-B-C-darians. They also considered the study of theology
as a species of idolatry
, and regarded learned men who did any preaching as falsifiers of God's word.
Nicholas Storch
led this sect, preaching that the teaching of the Holy Spirit
was all that was necessary. Andreas Karlstadt
adopted these views, abandoned his title of doctor and became a street porter
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
sect of Anabaptists who affected an absolute disdain for all human knowledge, contending that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
would enlighten his elect from within themselves, giving them knowledge of necessary truths by visions and ecstasies, with which human learning would interfere.
They rejected every other means of instruction, and claimed that to be saved one must even be ignorant of the first letters of the alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
; whence their name, A-B-C-darians. They also considered the study of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
as a species of idolatry
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
, and regarded learned men who did any preaching as falsifiers of God's word.
Nicholas Storch
Nicholas Storch
Nicholas Storch was a radical reformation preacher and a weaver by trade. With Thomas Dreschel and Mark Thomas Stübner, he was one of the Zwickau prophets....
led this sect, preaching that the teaching of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
was all that was necessary. Andreas Karlstadt
Andreas Karlstadt
Andreas Rudolph Bodenstein von Karlstadt , better known as Andreas Karlstadt or Andreas Carlstadt or Karolostadt, was a German Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Karlstadt, Franconia.-Education:Karlstadt received his doctorate of theology in 1510 from the...
adopted these views, abandoned his title of doctor and became a street porter
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
.