Mazdak And The Alphabet Mysticism Of The East

1. Mazdak and the Alphabet Mysticism of the East

Werner Muller

History of Religions, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Summer, 1963), 72-82.

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2. Werner Müller | MAZDAK AND TIE AL-
PHABET MYSTICISM
OF THE EAST

For the most recent. work on Mazdak we are indebted to Franz
Altheim and Ruth Stich, whose findings depart radically from the tra-
ditional interpretation.‘ Until now it has generally been accepted that
‘economic conditions in the fifth-century Sassanid Empire gave the ime
pulse to this revolt, which left in its wake a state of despair tending to
take the form of eommunisen. Henceforth, this cliché—wel established
even in the sources—will undergo serious criticism even beyond the
corrections of Nöldeke and Christensen Tor behind the external
forms of Mazdekism a religious dynamic was at work which contem-
porary scholarship simply could not accept.*

2 Fran Altheim and Ruth Stich, Bix asiatischer Stat, T (Wiesbaden, 1054),
pp gist and ie Brana der Staite (Panor a ML, Kr), Pre
Be

Theodor Nölke, Geile der Pre und Araber zur Zeit der Sande,
ep um he Ai Coo bgt cp 50) 48 a
Hr Cirat, Le me de al Ka 4.6 le Simen et masta. (ei
RE Danae Videtekstem Se, Motor ohne Medion Dt,
¡Caenbagas, 1859), pp. TOD Concerning Masdak a a or of Sta
‘etme pp. 1

CH. Tabae judgment concerning the Masdakite mue in Nokeke, op. et,
141; Chiusnbe"ditone speech, ibid. 163; further, bid, p. 453, conerfoina the
Eagle ory of bm Aa and Abe cor to mind mother of Ciao,
SIR neon ver to Ihe Moden, vn be saved ony by Ki ou the out
executed by hee so

ES

3. Under Kavadh 1 (488-531) the Sassanid Empire degenerated into a
domain of landed nobility—Lran’s root evil even to this day. The re-
volt of taxed peasents led by Mazdak was directed against this “rule
of a thousand families.” qual division of land, money, and women
was not only demanded but actually effected. Kavädh, at first only a
football in the hands of the nobility, lt the Mazdakites alone, but in
498-99 he jumped into the affray with his army and completely sub-
Jugated the landed nobility who had been heavily hit by the rovolt

If the natural bond between peasants and king had at frst resulted
in freeing the crown from corulership with the upper classes, so also
‘Mazdak’s extreme designs gave Kavadh’s successor Chusrö I AnGfar-
van (631-78) the right to erush the revolution by himself, Mazdak and
thousands of his followers lost their lives. By his own authority the
king now adjudicated the difficult questions of restitution of property,
compensation for assaulted women, and placing and rearing of il.
legitimate children. The new court nobility and civil class, not a whit
better than its sociologieal predecessor, promptly maneuvered the
Empire into the Arabian catastrophe. We aro not, however, interested
in the end result but in the background of the Mazdakite communism.
For the myth that such movements were impelled by the requirements
of food and sex has no support in the sources,

Significantly, the only extant report in which Mazdak himscif
speaks is concerned with the spiritual side of the revolution, that is,
with cosmology. This aspect of the Mazdakite world view is sketched
by a§-Sahrastint in his work on religions and philosophical schools
according to the reports of a certain al-Warräk.* Mazdak’s object of
worship, the Unnamed God of Light, sits on a throne in the upper
world. Before him are four powers with names handed down in Arabic:
Distinction, Insight, Alertness, Joy. The four powers govern the
‘world through seven viziers, who in turn are circled by a ring of twelve
spirits.

‘These last two elasscs of world rulers bear Persian names (inserted
right into the Arabie text) drawn from that abstract world of thought
which Iranian tradition followed from the time of Zarathustra, Mazdak-
ite dualism portrayed by aë-Sehrastänt is of the sume Iranian origin;
opposite the world of Light stands the kingdom of Darkness, the
former finding personal representation in the Lord of Light, the latter
remaining in impersonal anonymity

Trenian duatism also shapes the division of the viziers and spirits, as

4 folly bere the transition of Alim and Stihl, Bix asisiehe Stat, I,

els Haarbrückere “Sabrasitalo Reliionsparthcio und Po losophen
no" Balle, 18508171, 2200, al lo Christensen, op. eh, pp. SO.

E

4. Mazdak and the Alphabet Mysticism of the Hast

Altheim and Stichi have demonstrated. The viziers are divided into
two classes: on the one hand, the supreme, prictly, and planning, und,
oon the other, those who execute, enact, and judge. Similarly in the
second group, that which bestows, grows, and preserves opposes con-
sumption and waste?

From this general survey, it would appear that the Mazdakite cos-
rie structure corresponds exactly to the traditional Iranian model. A
closer look, however, shows that it does not really fit into the orthodox
framework, and it is just at this point that Altheim and Stichl have
mado their decisive advance. Mazdek was striving for a monistie
modification of dualism, a subordination of one primal principle to the
other, which is tantamount to heresy in Iranian culture, According to
8Sahrastin’s presentation, the revolutionary held thet Light alone
acts with purpose and free will it alone endowed with knowledge and
understanding; while Darkness gropes around blindly, subject to
‘unordered contingeney

‘The superiority of the Highest and the Light impairs the eternal
balance of Persian teaching; lays hold of a current of thought, strong.
and deep, which already characterised Manicheism. Maui's religion,
on the scene some two und a half centuries before Mazdak, kept the
Eurasian continent spellbound for a millensium. Furthermore, as we
shal se, it provided the foundation for Maadakism. The image of a
monarohial summit of the world points for the frst time to the rela-
tionships between the two movements and their common charaeteris-
tics, Thus in Mans system Light possesses the same superiority s i
does with Mazdak; it oecupies three sides of the world, east, west, and
north, while Darkness, wedged in, remains in the southemn worll-re-
gion? For orthodox Manicheisn, the final deliverance of Sight sparks
from their entanglement in matter is as certain as the triumph of the
Highest An aberration from Men? teaching, of which we have only
scanty information, instigated by a eortain Bundos in Rome at the
time of Dioclatian, aught that the good god had already accomplished
vietory over the evil one and thet the victor should be honored. After
being expelled from the Manicheun community, Bundos traveled to
Persia, and Christensen has almost surely demonstrated that Bundos

+ Alt and Stihl, Ein asitischer Sta, 1, 196
id, pp. 201-2.

Ad Adam, Tele zum Meniiemas Cito, 1954), pI, Severa of
Att pe 80% (Steal he Syme). Hench Parl a Man,
fo fondle, sa datei (Paris, 1040), pi ted hig “Die Religion es
Mash Cid und die Retin der Br, ed by Ve König 11 (reibung,
Maly sac

ch, Le Manichöimns pp. 81-85, sod "Dia Raion do Mant,” pp 525-26,

m

5. was a forerunner of Mazdak, in whose hands then this spiritual foun-
dation developed into an immensely practical dynamie.*

Mazdakito ethic also finds its starting point with this superiority of
Light. Through a carefully calculated plan, Mazdak’s ethics seeks to
free the soul from its entanglement, with matter and to render harm-
less, by uniform apportionment, the primary authors of hate and
strife, namely, women and goods. Thus their “communism” has its
roots in the religious sphere; the triumph of Light must be urged and
strengthened.

Altheim and Stich! have drawn attention to the many and diverse
descendants from the monistic tendeney of Sassanid Iran.” For one,
the monophysite populaces of the Eastern Church put pressure on the
couneils (Ephesus, 449) by their battle ory, Ets es, “Let God be one.”
‘There were also the enthusiast bands of the prophet with their “Allah il
Allah,” the true successors of the Monophysites. Winally, in the an-
cient period, the Neo-Platonists put the divine seis and the sun in the
highest place. If the Constantinian epoch—permeated by Neo-Pla-
tonic vocabulary—saw in the emperor the sun, and in the four
cacsars the bearers of that light, directed by the emperor as a four
span, this, too, should be recognized as the model for Mazdak's Lord
of Light and bis four powers, Mazdak's divine hierarchy drew the
essential parts of its structure and content from Neo-Platonism, or
more exactly from Porphyry’s work on the sun.

So much for Altheim and Stiehl conclusions. To be sure, the tetrad,
which stands ont so prominently in the Constantinian fourspan had 2
long tradition in antiquity. Prom Kmpedocles’ “Four Roots” and the
four elements of the Peripatetics to Philo’s rérrapa, the tradition re-
mains unbroken; one might say that the Neo-Platonie “philosophy of
four” rests on ancient foundations. That much one must grunt Alt-
heim and Stiehl. But do we actually need the model of classical or
Groco-Roman antiquity to establish the origin of Mazdakian cosinol-
ogy? The tetrad has a long tradition also in the Kast, and Mazdak’s
four powers are more naturally attached to the Vast than to the Greek
speculation of the West.

In another place I have pointed out how, particularly in Iran,
‘quaternary notions appear. They can be observed everywhere and
‘even a cursory review will produce an imposing number. The Sassanid

Christensen, op. ri, pp. 06
"Ein asiatischer Staa, , 190 f

1 Di, pp. 2028,

"3 Die helio Stade (Stuttgart, 1062), pp. 181

6. Mazda and the Alphabet Mysticism of the Hast

thought-world of the fifth century knew a mythical division of the
world into four: Syria and Rome in the West, the land of the Turks in
he North, China in the Past, and Iraq in the South. Chusro 1 (S31-
78) divided into four imperial districts what had formerly been the
united territory of a commundor-in-ciof of the troops. Ardrasér I
26-41) built his first city, Gor (Piraaabéd), with four quarters and
four gates ina circular wall.® The royal coinage of the Sassanids made
use of the four-point symbol to designate the four comners of the
‘world. At the top rank of courtiers stand four chief officers: the high
priest, Une chief judge, the commander of the troops (irom Chust® Y's
time, four), and the court jester.” In the central architectural struc-
ture ‘of reform Sassanid religion, the fire house, a stone baldachin
arches over four pillars Manicheism divides world history into four
periods marked by four emissaries sent from God: Buddha, Zarathus-
dra, Jesus, Mani. ‘The Manichean “Great Father” together with
Light, Power, and Wisdom form foursome, tetrad of four persons or
a being in four forms, the raripa rod neyious; just as the encireling
twelve Acons arrange themselves according to the four points of the
‘compass

Ali, “Turketudin," Le Moule Ci (1952), po. 32. We have cmo
oye the crested wording of seta, or no Ale must be thanked,

"Noldeke, Geschichte dr Perse und Araber, p 15, 0.2

"7. Ghirshman, “Pirazzi,” Dale de institu fronçais d'arehéolgie orme
tate, XLV (0947) 1, ad 21.

Robert, Göbl, “Aufbau der Münzprigung." in Altbeim and Stiel, Rin
sicher Stan, 1,08, and a "Die Münzprlguig der Kasia,” in Finangrschiehe
des Spelantike,p. 220,

Christensen, op. it, p. 102; Altheim and Se
174, 10.

'SGhirshman, op. city pp. 25-28,

1 Adam, op. it, p. 5; from a-Birünt' Chronology of Ancient Peoples

# The sucrod form of the quateruney, God of the Manicheans conforms tu the
Christian mis Ck. the prayer in o Turion fragment, M 178: "Meliger Got!
O act Du mail seo! O rt Weisheit!" in £- Y. K. Müller, Handechfion-
Rese in Esrangeoschift aus Turfan, Chinesisch Türkstan, Part H (AbhandL 4
Penes Akademie’. Wien, 1001), BET Ando

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76

7. ‘The proofs demonstrated an Iranian “four tradition” of indeter-
minate age, but well attested in the Sassanid period. Manichean
tetrads recur almost word for word in Mazdak’s four powers and by
multiplication in his twelve spirits. ALWarräk, the authority for aS
Sohrastint, already knew of the relation between the doctrines of
Manichcison and Mazdakism,2 and the probable lincage of Mazdakism
leads beck through Bundos to Mani. Of course there is some question
about Bundos’ rule as a Manichean heretic in Diocletian Rome and
also as mediator of Neo-Platonist ideas, but it cannot be questioned
that he belonged to Mani's congregation. Manicheism remains the
foundation of the Mazdakite movement; Neo-Platonic impulses met
an already existing tradition; they invigorated and strengthoned it,
but did not found it.

‘One could object to this interpretation by pointing to the syn-
erotistie character of Manicheism itself, which surcly shows Neo-
Platonic features. But the argument of this objection can be reversed;
for these and similar connections could well originate in a general and
‘widespread movement. In view of the spiritual wave which flooded the
entire East in the third century, bearing totally or partially gnostic
philosophies and religions, the different churches, seets, schools, and
congregations with their doctrinal peculiarities, all resemble only inci-
dental froth. Furthermore, Puech has recently given the proper em-
phasis again to the devaluating turn of Manis syncretism. A spiritual
force active from Spain to China, which persistently influenced the
Eurasian continent for twelve centuries, cannot be patched together
out of odds and ends of information; even more, there lived here a real
piety which wove together, wherever they como from, various details
into an original whole.

A final argument leads to asimilar interpretation, an argument which
Altheim and Stiehl introduce as evidence for the impelling force of
Neo-Platonic philosophy and which isthe brillant discovery of the two
authors: the aiphabet mysticism of Mazdak.# “He [Mazdak] said that
the king of the upper world rules by means of the letters of the alpha-
bet, whose sum yields the highest mame. Whoever can form a. concep=
tion of these letters, to him is revealed the greatest mystery. But who-
ever is excluded remains in the blindness of ignorance, forgotíulness,
dullness and sorrow with respect to the four spiritual powers."

‘Christensen sloughs off further consideration with an allusion to

© Christensen, op. cit, p. 80; Altheim und Sieh, Ein asioioher Stat, Y, 21.
Le Monichéiome, pp. 68-00; Die Religion des Mani, pp. 513-14

# Altheim and Stihl, Bin aeiatiechr Stat, , 204-5.

Christensen, op. il, p. Sl.

8. Mazdak and the Alphabet Mysticism of the East

Kabbala. Altheim and Stich, on the other hand, seriously propose
that this remark refers to the alphabet, provided one adds the Lord of
Light, the four powers, the seven viziers, and the twelve spirits. It is
these twenty-four beings who direet world ovents, indeed, and even the
king of light rules through twenty-four letters. Altheim and Stichl
explain the number “twenty-four” as Greck influence, since the Greek
alphabet comprises twenty-four characters, while the Aramaic-Syrian
system current in the cast at that timo had only twenty-two

If itis the intention of the two authors to derive Mazdak’s alphabet
cosmology from the West, the proof from numbers is not conclusive.
Instances of this alphabet mysticism, uniquely related to religion, are
indeed known in the East, but not in classical antiquity of the West.
Furthermore, a parallel to Mazdak’s alphabet lies much closer at hand.
in Mani’s ABC classification, which was apparently created out of
notions widely popular at the time,

Among the canonical seriptures of the founder of the religion, the
“Great Gospel” ranks of first importance; it has twenty-two chapters
arranged according to the twenty-two letters of the alphabet, one
chapter per letter. It is therefore called “The Great Gospel from Aleph.
to Tau” Mani, then, pressed his teaching and revelation into the
‘mold of the alphabet; this is an unambiguous indication of the origin
‘of Mazdal’s idea of the highest: name as the sum of the letters of the
alphabet. That this ABC speculation cannot be a meaningless acere-
tion is evident from other sourees, which likewise belong to the East.

‘There is for instance the monk Pachomius, who died in 345 and ean
be reckoned as the contemporary of Mani. He formed the first tightly
organized Christian monastery in Fgyptian Thebais. His Life, in
Coptic, informs us that he divided the members of the order into
venty-four classes according to the letters of the alphabet, the Coptie
alphabet, of course, which ike Grock has twenty-four charactors. Pos-
sibly this reflects a Serapie prototype. Pachomius, before he turned to
Christianity, was a recluse in a Serapis temple; out of his years as a
priest stems the tonsure which the Pachomian monks took over.”
Jerome, the Church Father (347-420), apparently was influenced by
similar notions when in his letters to St. Paula he sought to give a
‘mystical meaning to the Hebrew atphabet* Again, a contury lator—
and therefore in the time of Mazdak—the Palestinian abbot Sabas

1018, p. 102; aloo Kessler, op. et, p. 200,
# Adam, op. ei, p. 1; Puech, Die Religion der Mani, p. 51,

2 Gritanucher, Pochomiva und das alte Rloterlehm (Rrcioung and Leipzig,
1806), pp 117,125.

2 pit, 30 ad Paulo, Migne, P-L, xxi, 43.

9. (439-531) wrote an entire tract on “The Mystery of the Greek Let-
ers,” whose Coptie translation is extant 29

‘The demiurge appears here as the inventor of the ABC, and the
ABC itself is regarded as God's successive acts of ereation. Rach letter
symbolizes in its form an act of the Highest; their soqueneo reflets the
succession of God's primordial acts.

AAN this sounds much like Mazdak’s king of the upper world, who
rules by means of the letters of the alphabet, Yet what is even more
amazing is that this author, though writing Greek, limits the number
of characters to twenty-two; he excludes & and ye as later additions.
Ione regards Mazdak's twenty-four types as the result of Greek Neo-
Platonic influence, one must recognize in Abbot Saba’s system a clear
influence of the Aramaic-Syrian alphabet. At any rate, the mixture
here of East and West should caution us against giving too much
‘weight to an argument based on the number of characters used. The
Orient has its own independent alphabet tradition, which posits, on
the ono band, a close bond between the Creator, the Creation, and the
governing of the world and, on the other, the alphabet. Of such an
alphabet cosmology Western antiquity shows no trace, not even in
Neo-Platonism, How far back this oriental mysticism takes us is
shown by the acrosties in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms
(9, 10, 25, 34, 37, LIL, 112, 119, 145).

‘This Hobrew-Aramaie-Syrian foundation of a cosmology governs
both Mani and Mazdak. It continues down into our modern era,
showing up clearly in the Babis of Persa, associated this time with the
Arabic alphabet.

In eonelusion we may validate one more piece of evidence for the
Manichean “Word of God in Alphabet from Aleph to Tau” whose
relation to our line of thinking one would hardly have expected. I refer
to the alphabet fantasy of the Anabaptists of Münster.

When Manicheism disappeared into remotest China, it rom:
alive much longer in western Europe asa powerful undercurrent
pressed most strikingly the Bogumili in Bulgaria, the Patarenes, and
the Albigensians. Bloody persecutions pushed it back into darkness
but could not obliterate it. We have good reason to suppose that its
lastintellectual surge took place among the Enthusiasts of the fifteenth
century. Numerous waves of life surge up in these pre-Reformation,
“old evangelical” movements: Cathari, Waldensians, Hussites, Boge

2 The Coptic text with French translation, ed. Hebbelnek, Les Mystires des
Las grecs in Le Musi, Y (1000), 5-30, 15-30, 200-300 TT (00), 8-38.

"Friedrich Carl Andreas, Die Babi’s in Persien (Leipzig, 1890), pp. 42, 4.

10. Mazdak and the Alphabet Mysticism of the East

hards, Beguines, and Anabaptists. All contributed to the opposition
which finally resulted in the Reformation. In the Scheldt and Meuse
districts especially its store of ideas found a home, where it grew in
creasingly stronger, for a time even reaching the point of absorbing the
‘entire Reformation into itself. Men like Bucer in Strasburg were well
aware of this development and were concerned lest the Enthusiasts
come into the Lutheran inheritance, The armed rebellion of the
Anabaptists at Munster in 1534-35 provides ample proof that this
was not just an imaginary concern.

As so often in such cases, we have hardly any information on the
teachings of this half-subterranean, partly social, partly religious
stream. Only the Anabaptist state at Munster sheds light on the intel
Jectual sone and permits us a momentary glimpse into a conceptual
‘world which is so similar to that of Mazdakism as to be indistinguish-
able. The Anabaptists share with the Mazdakitos the misrepresenta-
tions of polemically minded historiography; egalitarian or communis
tie tendencies toward joint ownership of property (parallels should rot
be drawn between the excesses of John of Leiden and Mazdakite di
sion of women); and finally the use of religious symbols such as the sun
and alphabet mysticism. The singlenoss of this last element is very
striking and clearly must be more than historical coincidence.

From numerous testimonies we know about the veneration of the
“Father” by the Münster baptists.” In mass psychoses which occurred
in spring, 1535, the people affected would stare into the sun “and be-
lieve that the Father sat in the sun and that their hope was no less
than that God would reveal himself in the sun,” as the chronicler
Tleinricl: Gresbeck has so forthrightly expressed it." Further, the use
of the tetrad in Anabaptist thought is impressive. The “brothers”
wanted to raise four standards to froe those who were under siege:
on the Meuse in Eschenburg, in Waterland, between Mastricht
and Aachen, and in Frisia at Groningen. All men wore to go to
these assembly points in order to relieve Münster.“ In renaming the
town gates the points of the compass were used: Kast (Hoerster),

The most convenient election of sours is Klemens LéBler, Die Wiedr-
afer zu Munster 1685-95: Berichte, Auaoagen und Aklenticke vn Augenzeugen
onen Qe, 19) a, however, he important apni to ot
Heinrich Goebes

2 rie von der Wiedertan in Munster printed by ©. A, Cornelius, Be
richt der Augenceugen über das munslrishe Wiedertäuferreich (Münster, 1853),
538.

== Lalor op. cit, p 20, according to the testimony ofthe Weser Anaboptists
in Apr, 1388.

so

11. Fro 1,—Johw of Leiden, the Amabaplist king, with the ABC sera iw his hand
and, behind the out of wrras hn the upper ltt comer, a ribbon withthe alphabet,
Bagraving by Aldegrewer.

12. South (Ludgeri), West (Licbfrauen), North (Kreur).% Kor the royal
emblem and cont of arms they used the syrabol of the globe, pierced
four times by two swords, over which stands a cross; thus it is do=
scribed by the chroniclers and is represented frequently in the engrav-
ings of the time.*®

Involved here is the most characteristic feature: the use of the al-
phabet, portrayed by contemporary paintings as u bund fluttering
behind the globe, ‘The artist Aldegrever of Soest, who, after the drama
‘came to its trugic end, created the famous engraving of John of Leiden,
put a paper seroll in the hand of the Anabaptist king inscribed with
the alphabet (see Fig. 1). When they renamed the town gate, the
Anabaptists nailed “letters” on them with the new names together
with the alphabet, but reduced to twenty-two letters. ven the chile
dren were given names in alphabetical order, and if their number went
over twenty-two, Old Testament designations were used.

John of Leiden explained to Fabricius, the preacher, who stayed in
the city in November, 1534, as mediator, that ho wished to remain in
his owa faith, since God had revealed it to him and that the things
revealed in the ABC's were indeed remarkable.”

‘These words are very reminiscent of the Mazdakite “King of the
Upper World” who rules through the alphabet and also of the “Great
Gospel from Aleph to Tau” which contains teachings of Manicheisen,
Ibis very likely that this is evidence not so much of individual caprice
as of actual historical connections: the individual persons are appar-

> Haroun von Kenwonbroch,Analapiic fri iris nario (Mün-
ster: Halon Den, 19-1000, D. 773 §

* Kerwenbroieh, op. ei, p. 652, Uhustrutions by Max Geisheng, Die män-
gérishe Wiekertiafer und dldeqever (Strassburg, 1907), Pi. 2, 3, 8, 1, 8, cle
iso the acto ofthe coat of armo i the British Museum, hi, p 1, Bg

‘The alphabet number of the Anabaptisi” alphabet in Oreabock, o. it, pp.
136-57. Yi pueblo that due lo a prime = Has beso left out. Of the Uwe
six letters of today’s alphabet, u and y are omita. We real no that the
"Great Gospel” of the Manicheans tas ordered ueearding to twenty Jus
ad that the Abbot Saba worked with trenty-tvo caras

Gesca has als given corret interpretation of the attribution of names to
the new-born; Aver the tutors fs the order of the ABC's then the OÙ Testament
‘nes, Ketewehroieh has risunderiood ho mater: te king gave ares 10 the
‘hike’ alter the days of the week, and the seven dae ofthe werk ware given thr
fiat seven letters of the alphabet (Sunday A" Monday Ty" eto). With this
‘method, however, Jahn of Teen would never have gottas ino dieu when he
‘amet Uno end 68 the alpha, fr ho would have moved contiaualy within ths
ele ofthe fest Seven letter.

sl

13. Mazdak and the Alphabet Mysticism of the East

ently the beavers of a continuing tradition with an indestructible
core.**

STE could be mentioned that there i a posbiliy of tracing the Apabsptist
stp prac e Dee he Ol al, There ere
Silo among the Avahaptints men Len a Tere who were atiempting to
Kader the szamalation of the letters of the Hobrow alphabet. One would
iis eof Lade Tuer who was burda Constance 2 1829 and whose
teanalatia o ‘nildenoed Lather” CA 1. Fe Gerhanl Gocter, Luring Hacer:
Spite und Antitintarer: Bine Renilfgue der frühen Tauferbeuegung (6
ah O na, ra
lever the Borstel the Anabaptist song, which are usualy composed

‘on a name or dedication, are saver rated tothe alphabet. Ch Philipp Wacker
angel, Das deutsche Kirchenlied (Leipzig, 1870), TIA, 440-91; Rudolf Wolkan, Die
ie der Wine, (rin, DR) pp, 15 TÁ 00 PRE 2
‘Sitch acre are especially ebngaeteraco of the Herts! shat the Movawvian
Baptits Not one ABC song la to be found among them which I patterud after
dl ancient Hebrak poet

"We must Fook for the point of contact forthe Münster Alphabet eigen in the
rou ofthe Netherland In tl cours of tis see te nol entirely improbable
{atone of the presumes vestige of Maule his hero an Indigenous and orginal
tradition in votre Europe cl.