Grebel, Conrad (1498-1526)
Place of Birth: Zurich, Switzerland
Description: Founder of the Swiss Brethren, or Anabaptists
Background: Educated in Basel, Vienna, Paris; a humanist until spiritually awakened (1522)
Notable Acquaintances: Disciple of Zwingli, whom he later criticized for not rejecting infant baptism, which he and others felt was unscriptural; met with Felix Manz and George Blaurock (who asked Grebel to rebaptize him)
Christian Work: Went about Zurich preaching and (re)baptizing
Experience of Persecution: Conflict with Zwingli and Zurich council, which supported Zwingli's insistence on baptism of infants; Zurich council ordered Grebel and others to stop their activities; the Anabaptists continued, and some were drowned or otherwise martyred; Grebel left Zurich, preached elsewhere in Switzerland, and visited the brethren; Manz and Blaurock imprisoned in tower of Zurich; all escaped (1526)
Biography: Harold S. Bender, Conrad Grebel, Scottdale, PA: Harold Press; 1950.
Cause of Death: Plague
