Casper Schwenckfeld von Ossig was born in the principality of Liegnitz, Silesia in November or December, 1489. He was of a noble and well-to-do family, he also was university educated and entered into the life of a court counselor from about 1518 serving Duke FrederickII of Liegnitz, a friend and protector. Aroused by the echoes of Luther's hammer on the door of the church at Wittenberg in 1517, Schwenckfeld entered upon a period of meditation and study, steeping himself in the literature of the Church Fathers, the scholastics and the humanitsts, and reading as they appeared from the press the works of Luther, Erasmus and others. Initially in sympathy with Luther, he became an early leader in the Reformation in Silesia. By 1525, however, the two reformers had become embroiled in vigorous theological controversy, particularly over the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Schwenckfeld insisted that celebration of the Lord's supper be suspended (Stillstand) until spiritual renewal became sufficiently evident that all Christians - Lutherans, Zwinglians, Anabaptists and others - could celebrate together in Christian brotherhood. A few years later, a booklet of Schwenckfeld's published in Zurich by Zwingli either deliberately or through misunderstanding aroused the Catholic authorities, who persuaded King Ferdinand to order Duke Frederick to eradicate Schwenkfeldianism in his realms. To save his Duke embarrassment, Schwenckfeld departed Ossig in 1529 at age 40 upon voluntary exile, which proved lifetime.
Today the Schwenkfelder Church continues with five Churches in Pennsylvania. The descendants of the original Schwenkfelders are found throughout the United States and world. The Schwnkfeldian Exile Society exists as a tool to keep families and members informed of the descendants and history of Schwenkfeld. The address of the society is:
A large collection of reformation church history and Schwenkfeld materials can be studied at the Schwenkfeld Library. A board of publication exists to continue the work of producing current studies of Schwenkfeld and examing the theology of this reformer as well as to publish material of the Schwendfeldian descendants. Many scholors use this library for research on masters degrees as well as doctorate degrees dealing with the radical and spirtual reformation. It also holds a large art works of the early Schwenkfeld people who came to the colonies. More information can be directed to the Library. The director of the library is Dr. Peter Erb and you can reach him by e-mail.
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