Erasmus, the Anabaptists, and the Great Commission

About this book

Many scholars have pointed to the influence of Erasmus on the early Swiss Anabaptists and Menno Simons. Yet the extent of this influence 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 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 Erasmus ultimately had on the form and content of Anabaptist thought.