The year is 1527 and Michael Sattler is on trial, the charge, heresy. He has been charged with believing and teaching that Christ is not present in the eucharist, infant baptism does not assist salvation, despising the mother of God, and taking a wife among other charges.
Michael being an ex Catholic monk who had converted to Christianity during the Protestant Reformation was one of the early leaders of the Anabaptists. In doing so his allegiance was now to God and his final authority was the Word of God, no longer the church of Rome.
It was now to the Bible that he turned to plead his case. He answered his accusers with scripture justifying his actions and defeating their allegations. He pleaded with them to confer themselves with the Word of God and see if he was in err. Unfortunately the town clerk was not interested in truth that day. At the end of his pleas the judges laughed and the town clerk of Ensisheim said: "O you infamous, desperate villian and monk, shall we dispute with you? The hangman shall dispute with you, I assure you."
Michael's response "God's will be done."
Title page of the Schleitheimer Confession (1527), bearing Sattler's name.
The judges took an hour and a half to deliberate, all the while Michael remained in the courtroom as some continued to verbally abuse and threaten him. But Michael did not utter a single word in response. One of the other prisoners did however; referencing Matthew chapter 7 verse 6, he stated "We must not cast pearls before swine."
It is no surprise that he was found guilty in this kangaroo court. The sentence was as follows, Michael Sattler was to be handed over to the executioner, who will lead him to the place of execution. He shall then have his tongue cut out; then throw him upon a wagon and tear strips of flesh from his body with red hot tongs.
The executioner proceeded to cut out part of Michael's tongue and used the tongs to tear his body seven times on the way to the place of execution. None of this however deterred Michael from praying for his guards and the judges who had condemned him. There was still enough of his tongue left that he was still able to speak. Infuriated by his obstinance his executioner refused to put the bag of gun powder around his neck that was meant to hasten his death. Instead he died slowly, singing praises to his God while signaling to his fellow prisoners that he felt no pain.
After Michael endured this torture he was then burned at the stake as an arch-heretic. His fellow brethren in Christ were executed with the sword, and the sisters drowned. His wife, after being subjected to many threats remained true to her husband and her God. She was also drowned a few days later on the 21st of May, 1527.
Michael Sattler also drafted one of the most important documents in Anabaptist history, the Schleitheim Confession, which latter became a creed for the Anabaptists. Sattler drafted the confession along with others in Schleitheim, Switzerland in 1527.
If you were to visit the site of his execution today, just outside of Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany, you would find a plaque that reads, "The Baptist Michael Sattler was executed by burning after severe torture on 20 May 1527 here on the "Gallows Hill". He died as a true witness of Jesus Christ. His wife Margaretha and other members of the congregation were drowned and burned. They acted for the baptism of those who want to follow Christ, for an independent congregation of the faithful, for the peaceful message of the Sermon on the Mount."