Martyrs 11a: Clarenbach, Flysteden: short history, refutation

      This continues from Part 10 (Table of Contents in Part 1a and Part 1b) publishing the book of Hermann Fick on the martyrs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  Part 11 is to cover the next chapter on Adolph Clarenbach and Peter Flysteden (or Fliesteden), but because the work would be so time consuming to translate Fick's nearly 50 pages covering these martyrs, I am thinking to either serialize or skip over them for the time being.

Adolph Clarenbach, Peter Flysteden
Martyrdom

      But as I researched Clarenbach, it seems there is a glaring discrepancy between Fick's account and what the LC-MS' Christian Cyclopedia reports of him:

Clarenbach, Adolf

(ca. 1500–29). Reformed martyr with Anabaptist tendencies. ... Arrested at Cologne April 3, 1528; in prison with P. Fliesteden* and burned with him September 28, 1529. Some scholars regard him as Waldensian, others as Lutheran.

So Erwin Lueker of the LC-MS (Editor for the so-called Christian Cyclopedia or one of his associates) chose to listen to some "scholars" and called Clarenbach "Reformed" with "Anabaptist tendencies".  Then in the final sentence, he admitted the possibility that with some "scholars", Clarenbach may have been "Lutheran".   But Hermann Fick had already done better research on Clarenbach over 100 years earlier and found Clarenbach to be Lutheran.  See the text of Fick's account in the section below and judge for yourself.

Even the current Wikipedia article says this of Clarenbach (as of Jan. 20, 2015):

In 1525 he was driven from Osnabrück, Büderich and Elberfeld, also because of his open adherence to the teachings of Martin Luther.

So we see once again that the "Church History" of today's LC-MS is often suspect, whether from Robert Kolb or Erwin Lueker... or whoever.  But not so from Pastor C.J. Hermann Fick of the old (German) Missouri Synod (from the "German Lutheranism of the American frontier"), who was a much better Church Historian than either Kolb or Lueker.  And the report of Clarenbach in Wikipedia is more Lutheran than the LC-MS Christian Cyclopedia!  —  And for true Christian scholars, I am adding a translation of Fick's sources under the Annotations section, with hyperlinks to most of Fick's sources.

Some highlighting added hyperlinks added for reference.

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The Martyrs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church

by C.J. Hermann Fick
(tr. by BackToLuther)

XI.

Adolph Clarenbach and Peter Flysteden.

"Clarenbach to Flysteden: "Brother, be strong in the Lord and trust him! Then today is the day we want to live with Christ, our brother, in eternity."

"Flysteden to Clarenbach: "I want to die as a Christian, as we have promised also Christ, our brother, for His name's sake."

(The two martyrs shortly before their death.)

[Excerpt from 48 page history – section on Clarenbach’s testimony concerning the Lord’s Supper, etc. from pages 71-72]

T. [Tongern]: What have you read (of Luther's books)? –  A .[Adolph]: On the Ten Commandments, and On the Nunc dimittis and Of the Sacrament of Holy Communion Against the Fanatics. –  T .: Is that against Oecolampadius and Zwingli? –  A .: Yes, along with several [page 72] others. – T .: Well, On Christian Liberty, have you not read? –  A .: Yes, that I have also read. –  T .: Have you also found therein some heresy? –  A .: No, that it seems to me is to be judged by God's Word whether there is heresy. –  T .: Have you purchased books produced according to the teachings of Luther? –  A .: I have for example written letters according to the teaching of the Gospel of Christ, and I hold only this doctrine for good, and where Luther holds and teaches the same, I agree with him, not for his own sake but for the sake of the doctrine. –  T. Do you then also know someone that has Luther’s books? –  A. Yes, probably thousands, I just do not know the numbers.

On the question of the Holy Supper, Clarenbach confessed the Word of God, completely concurring with the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church: “I believe that there is the true body and true blood of Christ, according to the saying of Christ's words: This is my body."

. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Annotations.

11. Adolph Clarenbach and Peter Flysteden. Sources: 1, Rabus, Thl. 2. pg. 184. 2, Crocius, page. 184 [see page 185].  3, The Holy Martyrs of the ev. Church by pastors Volkert and Brock,  pg. 80 [79]. 4, Fortgesetzte Sammlung von Alten und Neuen Theologischen Sachen from year 1725, pg. 845 [see here?].

With what conscientiousness and loyalty the report of these martyrs is proclaimed in the preface of Rabus wherein he says among other things: "But do not suppose that these Acta [reports of public proceedings] are invented, as they have been witnessed by the tower master, magistrate [Gwelrichter] and others that one would well know to be associated with these proceedings.  It cannot even be denied that these latter ones who described these proceedings were personally always there where they happened.  In addition they are attested by the Latin Actis of Greven which are not in opposition, even with the same Actis of the notary [Pedell], as would be done today."

1) Joannes Sleidanus in his work: Commentariorum de statu religionis et reipublicae, Carolo Quinto Caesare pg. 175. —  2) Fortgesetzte Sammlung von Alten und Neuen Theologischen Sachen 2c. from 1728, p 915. There it says: "And there came also Clarenbach from the writings of the blessed Luther to the knowledge of the truth."

That Clarenbach had preached in Holstein in Dithmarsen,  Seckendorf testified in his historia lutheranismi, lib. 3. par. 75 [pg 243, col. 1, starting at 9 lines from bottom], in which he says: "The people of Dithmarsen have, although Heinrich von Zuetphen was killed, nevertheless had the doctrine of the Gospel preached to them through the efforts of the minister of Meldorf, Nicolaus Boye [or Boie, Boje], by Adolph Clarenbach of Cologne, among others, who subsequently had also suffered death in 1529 with Peter Flysteden in his native country for the sake of his religion."   By contrast, Joh. Arnold Kanne said concerning Clarenbach's martyrdom (with Ph. Camerarius fate in Italy) under the title: Two contributions to the history of darkness in the Reformation, pg. 99, that Clarenbach did not come to actually accept the call to Meldorf.  However he states no authority for his opinion.

[page VII]

Löscher in his detailed historia motuum Th 3, page 75, says of our Clarenbach: “So greatly Wesel had prosecuted, so had initially Adolph Clarenbach taught, and therefore martyred in Cologne in the year 1529, which Luther recognizes before his co-religionists and has praised."

As can be seen from the interrogations, Clarenbach was made Master [given Master’s degree] in Cologne. –  While Clarenbach’s martyr history became later commonly unknown as a special publication, so it was well known and generally widespread at the time of the Reformation.  The historian of Westphalia Hamelmann who lived from 1525-89, says in his works, opera genealogico-historica, in the 5th book, page 221: Clarenbach, the holy martyr, whose history is everywhere.

In what esteem the blessed Clarenbach stood in the Evangelical Lutheran Church is also evident from the fact that according to the Unschuldige Nachrichten 1728 pg. 913, the Holstein General Superintendent Dr. Mühlius held public lectures at the University of Kiel on the articles of faith of Clarenbach to commemorate again the Holstein Reformation in the year 1527.

[Balance to come at a later time...]
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It seems I have picked the better Lutheran scholar in Hermann Fick to teach me about the truly Lutheran martyrs.  So I must largely bypass modern scholars to get the true Lutheran history.

I may at a later day begin to serialize the full 50 page history.  For now, I plan to move on to the shorter histories.  In the next Part 12: Voes & Esch, by a special guest author...