… Crautwald’s Vision
As Spiritualists or Mystics in the Radical branch of the Protestant Reformation, Schwenkfelders have always placed emphasis on the movement of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. Schwenckfeld himself experienced at least two encounters with the Spirit as he moved forward in his understanding of changes that needed to be made in the church of his day. Another encounter was experienced by Schwenckeld’s good friend and fellow reformer Valentine Crautwald (1465 – 1545) whom we met in an earlier Caspar’s Corner. Schwenckfeld published a report on this vision, which Dr. Peter Erb translated from the Corpus Schwenkfeldianorum, Volume 2, pages 194 - 208. This month we’ll take a look at this vision.
Crautwald and Schwenckfeld held frequent discussions as they both sought to bring much needed changes to the Church. One subject frequently arose in their talks: the Lord’s Supper. Both men were distraught by the controversies surrounding this sacrament rocking the Church in their time as well as by a concern for the proper partaking of the sacrament. Following one such discussion, Crautwald was deeply distressed and, with Schwenckfeld’s strong encouragement, he began to ponder on the correct understanding of the Supper. He entered into several days of study, meditation, and prayer. He considered the teachings of Luther and Zwingli as well as rereading familiar passages of Holy Scripture related to Christ’s words of institution. Additionally, he pulled out books of ancient writings, texts of the early Church Fathers: writings from the first several hundred years of the church.
On the evening of September 16th, 1525, Crautwald shut himself in his office filled with books. This task was so important and so disturbing to him that at that moment he was overwhelmed. He later writes: “I therefore finally came to this opinion: since my public lectures and the great mass of studies nearly overpowered me at the time, I would defer from meditation on the Eucharist until with the close of lectures more leisure would be available…Having arrived at this position, filled with anguish and manifold storms of thought and shaken in spirit, I gave myself over to rest and sleep. Before my eyes would close, however, I fought in the stadium once more, until sleep the victor broke off the fight.”
But the morning brought a surprise, which Crautwald continues to describe: “I awoke before dawn quietly recalling to mind the Eucharist. And behold, after a short period of time, a certain power strikingly efficacious and potent rose up within me, as if suddenly in the darkness a light shone forth. It absorbed me totally, granted much wisdom and led me into knowledge of the Eucharist. It diffused itself moreover throughout my whole body, but particularly in my head, and indicated all Scriptural texts related to the Eucharist, just as if within the sight of one eye…Then in the softest of voices much was discussed with me, which I am not able to remember [in all its particulars,]…” Following a time of reflection and further study, the Spirit came upon him once more and the Voice once again spoke to him, commanding him to immediately begin to study the Scriptures before him. He writes, “I complied with the command, dressed myself and went to my Library. The power subsided within me as I lit a light and reached for my books…From then on the spiritual Master saw to his task…As I noted what Christ had done and said, he taught with the highest authority, so that there was nothing in any part of my mind which was not struck with amazement by the teaching of this master…He allowed me to do no more than to read the pages assiduously. I wept profusely. This demand lasted for some time until because of the sweetness of the teaching my memory became insensible and my mind benumbed, trembling before such a Teacher.”
Following extended prayer, Crautwald sought out two trusted friends, revealed his Holy experience, and they joined him in a time of prayer. For ten days following this he prayed and reflected on the experience and the truths revealed to him. On the tenth day, he called on two additional friends to hear his experience and together they studied and prayed for another eight days. At the conclusion of these times of discussion, study, and intense prayer, he reached an interpretation of the Lord’s Supper which Schwenckfeld was convinced was true: that the elements remain the bread and wine but which direct our spirits inward to a deeper, divine participation in the Body of Christ.
There are many more details about Crautwald’s experience and about the conclusions regarding the Lord’s Supper, but this incident shows the importance placed on spiritual encounters in our Schwenkfelder heritage.
For further reading on Crautwald, see Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum, Volume II, Document 15, pages 194-208, translated by Dr. Peter C. Erb; Shantz, Douglas H., Crautwald and Erasmus, Bibliotheca Dissidentium series, No. 4.
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