Heinz Kraut, an Anabaptist martyr, was a tailor in Esperstedt near Frankenhausen in Thuringia, Germany. He was baptized by Alexander, the Anabaptist leader of Thuringia, whose position he fell heir to when Alexander was put to death. In 1530 he was seized, purchased his freedom by recanting, but immediately joined them again, becoming a very successful "apostle." He traveled as far as Moravia to visit the believers (Jacobs, 440). On 20 November 1535 he was captured in the home of Hans Peisker, a miller. Peisker, Kraut, and Jobst Möller were given several hearings before Cruciger and Melanchthon, and were beheaded at Jena on 26 January 1536.

See Möller, Jobst, for extended account

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 234. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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