George Blaurock

Who was George Blaurock?

Jörg vom Haus Jacob, commonly known as George Blaurock, with Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, was co-founder of the Swiss Brethren in Zürich, and thereby one of the founders of Anabaptism.

George Blaurock was born in 1491 in Bonaduz in Graubünden, Switzerland. He was educated at the University of Leipzig and served as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church until his conversion to evangelical Anabaptism. Blaurock had evidently departed from the Catholic Church before he arrived in Zürich circa 1524, for he had already taken a wife. Though he came to see Huldrych Zwingli, he soon became attached to the more radical followers of Zwingli. These radicals insisted on following only that which had Biblical support. They rejected the mass, images, and infant baptism. The city council condemned their position, ordered them to desist from their meetings, and ordered all unbaptized babies to be baptized within eight days. On January 21, 1525, the despondent group held a secret meeting at the home of Felix Manz. These believers went to their knees in prayer for guidance. Arising from the prayer, George Blaurock requested Conrad Grebel to baptize him upon a confession of faith in Christ.