Yes, public nudity was deliberately used by radical Anabaptist leaders as a shock-tactic or prophetic ritual.
Upon seizing control and elevating himself to the “King of the World” or the “New David,” Jan van Leiden ran through the streets of Münster entirely naked in a state of wild religious ecstasy.
This radical behavior echoed a broader phenomenon within extremist wings of the Anabaptist movement, such as the naaktlopers in Amsterdam and prophets in Strasbourg. These individuals shed their clothes publicly to symbolize spiritual purity, a return to the innocence of the Garden of Eden, or to signal impending divine judgment.
I didn’t know that.
Thanks for sharing.