Ulrich Zwingli was a Protestant reformer living in Switzerland. In 1523 he publically stated that it was better to baptize children when they became old enough to understand what they were doing, because, as he said, there was no clear utterance in the New Testament which commands the baptism of infants. After making this statement, two years later, he caved into the pressure of the other Reformers and said that he had been in error.
In January 1525 the Anabaptists of Zurich agreed to a debate with Zwingli on the subject of baptism, provided that the only authority to be used by either party was the divine Word of God. Zwingli agreed, but then reneged on this promise and silenced his opponents by shouting them down. The Zurich City Council then declared him the victor of the debate and decreed that the Anabaptists would have to have all their children baptized within the week. Of course, they refused to comply, so on this day in 1525, the Council ordered them to be arrested and fined. During the next few years the Council imposed various punishments, including confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, and death. The Reformation in Zurich had turned into an Protestant Inquisition, and the severity of the punishment only proved the weakness of their arguments.
What caused Zwingli to change is public opinion when he knew that the Bible was against him? It boils down to politics. The union of “church” and state is impossible when God’s people follow the principles of the Bible. The Protestant Reformers were more political than spiritual, and they needed the power of the “council” to maintain their position. The Anabaptists were a direct threat to their power, so they used the state to persecute and destroy their non-violent, spiritual opponents.