Anabaptists
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
The Origin of Anabaptists
A Paper
Submitted to Dr. Sutton
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
CHHI 665- B-05
By
Andrew Tressler
L21478349
February 2, 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Anabaptist Beginnings--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
The Founders of the Anabaptist Movement----------------------------------------------------------10
Persecution of the Anabaptists--------------------------------------------------------------------------12
Conclusion---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15
Bibliography------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16
Introduction At a surface level looking at Anabaptists one will see a radically reformed sect of Christianity. Digging deeper will bring to light many groups coming together under the belief that the state church was no longer leading and teaching biblical theology. There were groups that popped up all across Europe in the wake of reformation lead by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli. Even before the time of the Anabaptist movement there was a high level of persecution for those who stood against the state church and the pope. There was a difference between what the reformers were doing and what the Anabaptists were doing. “The Reformers aimed to reform the old Church by the Bible; the Radicals attempted to build a new Church from the Bible.” There are also many great leaders from this radical group of Christians that need to be studied to know where this group was coming from. There is much more to this radical group known as the Anabaptists than meets the eye. Looking at the origin of the Anabaptist faith it is seen as diverse and persecuted across
The Origin of Anabaptists
A Paper
Submitted to Dr. Sutton
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
CHHI 665- B-05
By
Andrew Tressler
L21478349
February 2, 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Anabaptist Beginnings--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
The Founders of the Anabaptist Movement----------------------------------------------------------10
Persecution of the Anabaptists--------------------------------------------------------------------------12
Conclusion---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15
Bibliography------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16
Introduction At a surface level looking at Anabaptists one will see a radically reformed sect of Christianity. Digging deeper will bring to light many groups coming together under the belief that the state church was no longer leading and teaching biblical theology. There were groups that popped up all across Europe in the wake of reformation lead by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli. Even before the time of the Anabaptist movement there was a high level of persecution for those who stood against the state church and the pope. There was a difference between what the reformers were doing and what the Anabaptists were doing. “The Reformers aimed to reform the old Church by the Bible; the Radicals attempted to build a new Church from the Bible.” There are also many great leaders from this radical group of Christians that need to be studied to know where this group was coming from. There is much more to this radical group known as the Anabaptists than meets the eye. Looking at the origin of the Anabaptist faith it is seen as diverse and persecuted across
Bibliography: Bax, E. B. (19661903). Rise and fall of the Anabaptists. New York: American Scholar Publications. Cross, F. L. and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed. rev. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Douglas, J. D., Philip Wesley Comfort and Donald Mitchell. Who 's Who in Christian History. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992. Dyck, Cornelius J. An Introduction to Mennonite History : A Popular History of the Anabaptists and the Mennonites. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1993. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2014). Dyck, Cornelius J. Spiritual Life in Anabaptism. Scottsdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1995.eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2014). Eckman, James P. Exploring Church History. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002. Fahlbusch, Erwin and Geoffrey William Bromiley. The Encyclopedia of Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI; Leiden, Netherlands: Wm. B. Eerdmans; Brill, 1999-2003. Kliever, Lonnie D. "General Baptist origins : the question of Anabaptist influence." Mennonite Quarterly Review 36, no. 4 (October 1, 1962): 291-321. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 2, 2014). Schaff, Philip and David Schley Schaff. History of the Christian Church. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910. Snyder, C Arnold. "The monastic origins of Swiss Anabaptist sectarianism." Mennonite Quarterly Review 57, no. 1 (January 1, 1983): 5-26. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 2, 2014). Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. Weaver, J. Denny. Becoming Anabaptist : The Origin and Significance of Sixteenth-century Anabaptism. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1987. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost(accessed February 2, 2014). [ 2 ]. James Strong, vol. 1, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 18. [ 3 ]. Dyck, Cornelius J. An Introduction to Mennonite History : A Popular History of the Anabaptists and the Mennonites. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1993. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2014). [ 4 ]. Dyck, Cornelius J. Spiritual Life in Anabaptism. Scottsdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1995.eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2014), 13. [ 7 ]. Denny J. Weaver. Becoming Anabaptist : The Origin and Significance of Sixteenth-century Anabaptism. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1987. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost(accessed February 2, 2014). [ 8 ]. James P. Eckman, Exploring Church History (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002), 54. [ 9 ]. F. L. Cross and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed. rev. (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 55. [ 10 ]. B. E. Bax. (19661903). Rise and fall of the Anabaptists. New York: American Scholar Publications. [ 11 ]. Kliever, Lonnie D. "General Baptist origins : the question of Anabaptist influence." Mennonite Quarterly Review 36, no. 4 (October 1, 1962): 291-321. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 2, 2014), 296. [ 13 ]. Bax, E. B. (19661903). Rise and fall of the Anabaptists. New York: American Scholar Publications, 33. [ 15 ]. Snyder, C Arnold. "The monastic origins of Swiss Anabaptist sectarianism." Mennonite Quarterly Review 57, no. 1 (January 1, 1983): 5-26. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 2, 2014), 8. [ 20 ]. Weaver, J. Denny. Becoming Anabaptist : The Origin and Significance of Sixteenth-century Anabaptism. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1987. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost(accessed February 2, 2014), 18 [ 21 ] [ 22 ]. G. Bromiley, "Grebel, Conrad" In , in Who 's Who in Christian History, ed. J.D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 285. [ 23 ]. W.S. Reid, "Manz, Felix" In , in Who 's Who in Christian History, ed. J.D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 451. [ 24 ]. Bax, E. B. (19661903). Rise and fall of the Anabaptists. New York: American Scholar Publications, 18. [ 28 ]. Bax, E. B. (19661903). Rise and fall of the Anabaptists. New York: American Scholar Publications, 23 [ 29 ] [ 30 ]. Bax, E. B. (19661903). Rise and fall of the Anabaptists. New York: American Scholar Publications, 24. [ 34 ]. Philip Schaff and David Schley Schaff, vol. 8, History of the Christian Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910), 83. [ 36 ]. G. Bromiley, "Grebel, Conrad" In , in Who 's Who in Christian History, ed. J.D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 285.