The Zwickau prophets (German: Zwickauer Propheten, Zwickauer Storchianer) 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.
[5] Regardless of the exact relationship to Anabaptism, the Zwickau Prophets presented a radical alternative to Martin Luther and mainstream Protestantism as demonstrated in their involvement in disturbances in Wittenberg.
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.
[4] Despite their acceptance among some, the Prophets' presence may have caused an unrest in the city that Philipp Melanchthon was unable to settle.
Luther claimed to have demanded that they authenticate their message with a miracle, a sign which the men refused to give.
Their absence would explain Qualben's observation (noting that is named by Kuhr as holding to the older historiography) that Luther made no personal references to the Prophets in the eight sermons preached upon his return.