The Zwickau Prophets () were three men of the Radical Reformation from Zwickau in the Electorate of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire, who were possibly involved in a disturbance in nearby Wittenberg and its evolving Reformation in early 1522. The three men, Nikolaus Storch, Thomas Dreschel and Markus Stübner, began their movement in Zwickau. Though these three names are favored in recent scholarship, others have been suggested. Lars Pederson Qualben used the name "Marx" for "Dreschel", and Henry Clay Vedder replaced Dreschel with Marcus Thomä (William Roscoe Estep gave Stübner the middle name "Thomas".). The relationship of the Zwickau Prophets to the Anabaptist movement has been variously interpreted. They have been viewed as a precursory foundation of Anabaptism before the rise of the Swiss Brethren in 1525, as unrelated to the movement except for the influence on Thomas Müntzer and as being a dual foundation with the Swiss Brethren to form a composite movement of Anabaptism. Regardless of the exact relationship to Anabaptism, the Zwickau Prophets presented a radical alternative to Luther and mainstream Protestantism as demonstrated in their involvement in disturbances in Wittenberg. Theology Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Zwickau Prophets was their spiritualism, which was that direct revelations from the Holy Spirit, not Scripture, were their authority in theological matters. Another highly distinctive feature was their opposition to infant baptism. Despite their rejection of pedobaptism, the Zwickau Prophets do not seem to have departed from theory to have taken the turn, which would mark Anabaptism, to practicing adult baptism of believers. The Zwickau Prophets also held to imminent apocalypticism, which led them to believe that the end of days would come soon. They also possibly sought a Believers' Church, which would be separate from the State churches of Protestantism and Catholicism. The Zwickau prophets were influenced by the Waldensians and the Taborites. Wittenberg The trio, having been exiled from Zwickau, arrived in Wittenberg on December 27, 1521. The men and their ideas had gained favor among Andreas Karlstadt and others who sought greater reforms in the city. Despite their acceptance among some, the Prophets' presence may have caused an unrest in the city that Philipp Melanchthon was unable to settle. Melanchthon turned to Martin Luther, who was at that time being held in protective custody at the Wartburg Castle, and at the behest of the Wittenberg town council, Luther returned to his reforming activities in