Veit Greyenburger, in the Year 1570

In the year 1570, Veit Greyenburger, a brother, was arrested at Wald in Vintschgau as he was traveling through there. He had been spied out, and a reward set on his capture. When he arrived at the inn, the peasants noticed him, but did not know him well. They came into the inn at night, and when they saw him pray before eating, they put their heads together and said: "He is the man, or he looks like him;" and they acted as though it were wrong to pray; so plainly could the devil be seen in them. So they watched him at the inn, and sent word to the judge in the castle at Niedersol, who came with many footmen and servants, bound his hands behind his back, and took him to the prison in the castle of Niedersol. Very soon afterward he was examined and led back into prison. Five weeks afterward the grand bailiff came from Saltzburg, who took him with two servants and two footmen to the castle at Saltzburg, and there put him in prison in chains. A long time afterward, namely, two years and a half, priests came, namely, the preacher of the Cathedral at Saltzburg, also the ecclesiastical judge and other fellows. Each had ink and paper before him, and they addressed Brother Veit, and urged him to make his defense. The brother said: "What shall I say? You are accusers and judges, and what you are not able to carry out yourselves, the judge, the beadles, and the executioner must do in your place. You tell it to the Prince, the Prince tells it to the judge, the judge to the beadles, the beadles to the executioner, who must finish it; this is your high priest, who helps you to gain the victory." Among other things the brother also said to them: "The Spirit says plainly what you are; for Paul writes: 'that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving.'" First Timothy 4, verses 1 to 3. Then one of the priests said to him: "We do not forbid marriage; moreover, I have eaten meat today." But the brother said: "Ah! It is well known that you forbid marriage and permit whoredom." But when the priest had thought it over well he said: "Do you know what Christ says? 'The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; therefore all things whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do'?" Matthew 23, verses 2 and 3. Then Brother Veit asked them: "Do you think that you are the same?" They replied: "Yes, we are they, by the will of God." The brother said: "You are they indeed, since you confess it; but Christ pronounces many woes upon them, and calls them serpents and a generation of vipers, hypocrites, fools and blind guides, and such are you, as your own mouth testifies." Matthew 23. Then he was called an Anabaptist and the like.

Then Brother Veit asked them whether they also considered Paul an Anabaptist. They said: "No." Then he was asked: "Why then did he baptize again those who had already been baptized with John's baptism, which was certainly from heaven, but was nevertheless not sufficient for salvation? How much less, then, can infant baptism, which is from men, be sufficient?" Then they were silent, and Brother Veit said: "You allow midwives to baptize; where is this written?" But they did not know, and sat there as dumb as dogs. Then they asked him whether he belonged to the Huterite society. He replied: "Huter was a teacher." They asked: "Is he then your Messiah?" He answered: "Huter was a pious man, who was burned at Innsbruck for his faith and the divine truth; but our Messiah is Christ. (John 1, verse 21; John 4, verse 25.)

But what kind of Messiah and father do you have at Rome, and also here in this town?" Then they said that the pope had nothing to do with them. Then the brother said: "Then you have a superior here in town?" The priests said that he was not their father. The brother replied: "You certainly said yourselves before that your father had sent you out." Then they did not know what to say. In this way he was examined several times; so Christ did not say in vain to His own: "When they bring you into their synagogues, council houses, before magistrates, powers and the learned, take no thought how or what you will say; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which they will not be able to contradict or resist." Luke 21, verse 12, and so on.

Having been imprisoned upward of six years at Saltzburg, suffering much misery and tribulation, Brother Veit, in the year 1576, through the help of God, escaped through a window of his prison. The people in the castle said that it was beyond the power of man to get out; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19, verse 26. So he returned to his brothers and the church, on the 9th of August of that year.