ABSTRACT
David Joris (1501–56) was a skilled Dutch glass-painter and Anabaptist prophet who experienced ecstatic, visionary episodes. On the run, he turned to spiritualism, favoring inner spiritual life over the letter of scripture, doctrine, or ritual. In numerous publications he emphasized the Holy Spirit’s renewal of the inner person that would overwhelm transient human emotions such as fear and anger with divine ones, such as love and forgiveness. While this approach had parallels with humanism’s Stoicism, Joris’s popular version did not emphasize reason, but instead replaced the fear of humans with the love of God.
