Erasmus, the Anabaptists, and the Great Commission

Many scholars have pointed to the influence of Erasmus on the early Swiss Anabaptists and Menno Simons. Yet the truth of this contention has never been firmly established. This volume uses new research data and argumentation to build a more convincing case for the early Anabaptist movement's dependence on Erasmus's thought.Abraham Friesen first surveys the various ways Anabaptist history has been interpreted. He then discusses the state of scholarship regarding the relationship of Erasmus to the Anabaptists and suggests a new approach to the question. In the main body of the text, Friesen traces the intellectual origins of both Swiss Anabaptism and Menno Simons to the writings of Erasmus -- especially to Erasmus's unique interpretation of Christ's Great Commission as presented in his famous paraphrases of Matthew and Acts -- and shows the impact that this interpretation ultimately had on the form and content of Anabaptist thought.